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

Uruguay u20
History was made on Saturday with Uruguay winning the South American u20 Championship. They did so by defeating Argentina 38-32, the first time they have ever beaten the South American giants at u20 level. Earlier in the week the Teritos secured their spot in the World Rugby u20 Trophy by defeating Chile.

Chile u20
The Junior Cóndores finished the tournament with one win and one less. They were outperformed by Uruguay but came right against Brazil to complete a 39-10 victory. It is encouraging news as Chile seek to be more competitive at the senior level. Fullback Vincente Tredinck caught the eye and appears to have a future with the senior Cóndores.

Martinique
This week’s one international saw Martinique shutting-out Curaçao in a Caribbean test match. Martinique were 39-0 winners, a massive win for a team who are competing in the Rugby Americas North (RAN) South Cup after missing out in prior years. Impressive wins over Barbados and Curaçao have Martinique as a reputable team in the region.

NOLA Gold vs Austin Elite
A spectacular game of rugby required a last minute try from Michael Baska to deny Austin of their first win of the Major League Rugby season. The last-place Elite very nearly flipped the switch on the first-place Gold, in doing so showing the rest of the league that they are not to be written off in the second half of the season.

Houston SaberCats
On Thursday evening the SaberCats completed a nail-biting win over the Utah Warriors. The 29-27 victory required the accurate boot of Sam Windsor to do much of the talking, their star flyhalf landing all seven of his kicks off the tee. It wasn’t a sterling performance from Houston but the result is something to build on.

Rugby United New York
Without two first choice backs and with others battling to stay fit, Rugby United New York maintained their perfect record at MCU Park with a statement 31-19 win over the Glendale Raptors on Sunday. New York’s forwards were the main catalyst for the result, completely dominating their opposites in the set piece. It’s been a remarkable start to RUNY’s history books, winning six of seven despite playing five of those games on the road.

Women’s Rugby Super Series
After a two-year hiatus the Women’s Rugby Super Series is back. The top five teams in the world will compete in round-robin format beginning on June 28. San Diego will host the series this time with four rounds at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista and one at Torero Stadium. It’s a much-needed boost to the wildly inconsistent women’s rugby calendar.

Spain Tour
Los Leones are to tour South America in June. Spain will embark on a three match tour to face Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. The Europeans will be looking to make history in winning 3-0. They are to be well-placed though Uruguay will have other ideas. Los Teros’ home game against Spain on June 22 will be their farewell home match before the RWC.

Jamie Cudmore
Riding the line between up and under, the legendary Canadian lock is currently embroiled in a legal case against his former club Clermont Auvergne regarding treatment of repeat concussions he suffered in 2015. Whether or not he is ultimately successful in court, he has put an important issue on the front page and hopefully other clubs will take notice – and more importantly action. On the downside his pursuit of justice appears to have cost him his job at Provence, though the club has not formally stated the reasons for his non-renewal.

 

UNDER

Argentina u20
Before Saturday, Argentina had never before lost to Uruguay at u20 level. Despite missing a few of their top names due to Jaguares and Pumas Sevens training this remains a notable defeat for the Argentines. In years gone by this is a fixture in which Argentina always won by a big margin. Uruguay now having a High Performance Center in place the battle of Rio de La Plata is alive and competitive.

Brazil u20
Heavy losses in the South American u20 Championship see Brazil’s juniors being far behind the seniors. Argentina scored 90 points against Brazil, and Chile were 29-point winners. As the host nation of the 2019 World Rugby u20 Trophy, Brazil is now in a race against time to make drastic improvements.

Super Rugby
SANZAAR have opted to change Super Rugby yet again. The reform confirmed for 2021 sees Japan’s franchise – the Sunwolves – dumped from the competition, thereby creating a new Super 14. This has not been well-received with both pundits and public commentary largely negative. Without the Sunwolves the countries in Super Rugby fall from five to four with Los Jaguares retaining their spot as Argentina’s side.

Bautista Delguy, Martín Landajo
Star Jaguares winger Bautista Delguy has been ruled out for the season. His injury sees Santiago Carreras joining Los Jaguares and game-time is imminent for the Pumitas standout. Out for six weeks is Martín Landajo. Replacing the veteran scrumhalf is Felipe Ezcurra who, regardless of injury, has earned his spot based on a tremendous campaign in the Americas Rugby Championship. Both Delguy and Landajo are now against the clock to make the roster for the Rugby Championship.

Juan Ignacio Brex
The injury list continues to grow not only at Jaguars but also abroad. Ruled out for the remainder of the Pro 14 season is Benetton center Juan Ignacio Brex. Despite being uncapped the former Argentina XV player is a name who ought to not be fully discarded from Argentina’s RWC 2019 plans. Should Matías Moroni or Matías Orlando not be fit then Brex is an option behind Marcelo Bosch.

Utah Warriors
Thursday’s 29-27 loss to the Houston SaberCats was a low point for the Warriors. The team came away with a losing bonus point but squandered numerous scoring opportunities. Their far superior backline scored just once and for much of the game the team lacked cohesion and urgency. For a team with their level of talent they have been significant under-achievers.

Glendale Raptors
What should have been a tight contest was instead a dominant 31-19 win for New York. The set piece was an abject failure and the amount of unforced errors committed will have frustrated coach Dave Williams to no end. If the Raptors are to have any hope of making the playoffs this year, they must raise their standards across the board.