Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly exclusive on Americas Rugby News which reviews the best and worst from games involving the Americas teams over the previous week.

 

UP

Canada
A 56-0 triumph over Chile on Friday opened round three of the ARC. Kyle Baillie’s second minute try set the standard which saw the North Americans in total control. Left winger Kainoa Lloyd secured a first half hat-trick while right winger Andrew Coe bagged a double in the second half. Canada are now preparing to face the title favorite Argentina XV this coming weekend.

Brazil Scrum
Os Tupis are rapidly gaining attention on social media. The front row of Lucas Abud, Wilton Rebolo, and Jardel Vettorato has dominated scrums, forcing the Māori, Canada, and now the USA backwards with frightening ease. Their platform has enabled Josh Reeves to flourish from the kicking tee. Most of his 18 points in the win over Canada came from the scrum. This continued against the Eagles in Texas on Saturday. Next on the list is the Cóndores in Jundiaí.

Duque Brothers
Lucas and Moisés Duque made history on Saturday by earning their 50th test caps for Brazil. They joined an elite club with just three other members. The brothers also celebrated their milestone in style with each scoring tries in the 33-28 loss against the USA. The pair will look back on their career remembering massive losses against Chile and Paraguay knowing those days are well and truly gone now.

Argentina XV
A strong opening half from the Argentina XV saw them defeating Uruguay 35-10 on Saturday. The performance was solid early on but slow in the second half with Uruguay showing determined defense. Overall the match was another well-earned win for the team expected to go on and claim a Grand Slam, their first in ARC history.

Jaguares
A solid final quarter from Los Jaguares saw the Argentine Super Rugby franchise claiming a bonus point victory over the Bulls on Saturday. Tries were scored by Matías Orlando, Rodrigo Bruni, and Bautista Delguy. For the first time in franchise history Los Jaguares did not concede a try. The team remain in Buenos Aires this week to prepare to face the Auckland Blues.

Toronto Arrows
The Arrows secured their second win of their debut Major League Rugby season this weekend. Playing in Texas the Canadians were 44-27 winners over the Houston SaberCats. Perhaps most impressive was that the they did so without 10 leading players and on only four days rest. They now travel to Colorado to face the Glendale Raptors as a team quickly building its reputation as a potential title contender.

San Diego Legion
The Legionnaires are among the most passionate fans in MLR and they have had plenty to cheer about as their team won its fourth consecutive game on the weekend. This week it was on the road against Austin Elite, and San Diego left no doubt who was the superior team as they belted the Texans by the largest margin of victory of the season. They have earned a breather this weekend with only New Orleans capable of jumping ahead to the top of the table.

Seattle Seawolves vs Rugby United New York
Seattle may have emerged comfortable winners but New York put in a credible performance on the road against the defending champions, and did so absent their three best forwards who were away on US Eagles duty. The match as a whole was enjoyable from a fan perspective, a clear step up in quality from the others. It was also pleasing to finally see visible rugby lines at Starfire Stadium. The soccer lines remain a distraction but at least there is some progress.

Argentine Players in Europe
A notable weekend from Argentine players in Europe saw tries being scored by Santiago Cordero, Facundo Isa, Demian Panizzo, Martín Bustos Moyano, and Axel Müller. It was also a good weekend for goal-kickers as Patricio Fernández landed 9 points for Clermont, Nicolás Sánchez kicked 12 points for Stade Français, and Benjamín  Urdapilleta scored 18 points for Castres.

 

UNDER

USA
It’s rare that a team falls in under after a win, but even Gary Gold agreed that his Eagles were well below par against Brazil. The 33-28 result saw a complacent performance with the USA not kicking-on following their strong start. Their discipline was particularly poor with Ben Landry’s yellow card a similar reaction to that of Paul Lasike in Argentina. The match as a whole was reminiscent of the performance against Samoa in November and must be corrected smartly by Gold & Company.

Chile
Los Cóndores were no match for Canada on Friday. They were kept pointless and conceded seven tries. It is paramount that Chile fields its genuine test lineup for such matches. This requires getting professional players from the foreign clubs and greater consistency in selection. A fan wrote in to ARN this weekend asking if Colombia should be considered over Chile for the 2020 ARC. If that is all Chile is prepared to offer the ARC such an idea way not be far-fetched.

Austin Elite
The San Diego Legion were clear winners at Dell Diamond on Friday evening. The 45-17 defeat was the fifth in a row for the winless Elite. They now have a bye round before preparing for a trip to Colorado to face the Glendale Raptors in their first away match of the season. Austin fans should feel especially uneasy given the schedule will only get tougher from here.

Utah Warriors vs Glendale Raptors
Having been leading 16-0 at halftime and 26-5 at the hour mark the Warriors were unable to convert the advantage into a win. Instead the Glendale Raptors would ultimately catch Utah to seal a 26-26 draw. Had the referee allowed Glendale to have the scum put-in after the crooked lineout throw at the end the Raptors might well have stolen a win. Glendale should be asking questions of themselves after a very poor start to the game. As of now, few would pick either as playoff contenders.

USA vs Brazil Venue
The USA and Brazil put on a thrilling contest on Saturday. They did so at Dell Diamond in Austin, Texas, a venue not up to the requirements outlined by World Rugby for player safety. World Rugby requires five meters between the field and the stands, a number not respected at all by the pitch dimensions at the venue. Normally used for baseball, the outfield wall was roughly two meters from the sideline in some areas. Once completed, the AVEVA Stadium in Houston – where the match was meant to be played – is sure to become the go-to rugby venue in Texas.

Gonzalo Bertranou
The starting Pumas scrumhalf is in doubt for RWC 2019. Bertranou was injured in training last week and has undergone surgery on his shoulder. His recovery time is yet to be officially announced though indications from the medics are that he faces a minimum of five months out. His Super Rugby season is over. It’s a major blow to both the Jaguares and Los Pumas that leaves veterans Tomás Cubelli and Martín Landajo to fight it out for the first choice slot.

Marcos Moroni
Los Pumas Sevens were also dealt a heavy blow with news that Marcos Maroni is out for the season. The young brother of Jaguares center Matías Moroni will be out of rugby for eight months with a knee injury. The struggling Pumas will now have to try and turn their season around without one of their best players.