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

Toronto Arrows
In their biggest win of their short history, the Toronto Arrows defeated the Seattle Seawolves 29-7 on Sunday. The four-try bonus point win gives the team a vital boost to their playoff hopes, with New York now just five points ahead. Dan Moor starred with a superb individual effort, while Uruguay’s Leandro Leivas scored his first try as a professional rugby player. Next up for Toronto is a date with the new league-leaders – the San Diego Legion.

Utah Warriors
It was all smiles in Salt Lake City as the Utah Warriors picked up their second win of the MLR season. The 35-19 result over the Austin Elite takes the Warriors clear of the Houston SaberCats in the standings. For a team that has come close on several occasions it was a welcome relief. Also notable were the big-name signings of former All Blacks flanker Adam Thomson and Fiji Sevens star Vatemo Ravouvou, announced by the club at halftime, that will see the duo sticking in Utah through the 2020 season.

Glendale Raptors
With a last-gasp 20-16 win over RU New York the Glendale Raptors edged closer to returning to the playoff zone. The win also happened to come against a team one position above them to make it all the more significant. Chad London was the hero as the veteran midfielder broke through for the winning try with just a minute left on the clock.

Samu Manoa
The wait is over – Samu Manoa will finally play professional rugby in his home country of the USA. The decorated professional player won the English Premiership with the Northampton Saints and went on to play for Toulon before a brief stint with Pro 14 side the Cardiff Blues. The Californian signed for the Seattle Seawolves this past week.

Mathieu Bastareaud
All but confirmed two weeks ago, Rugby United New York has put the speculation to rest. The French giant is coming to Major League Rugby in 2020. Bastareaud is a household name in France and among the most prominent figures in European rugby. Whether that translates into more bums in seats for RUNY remains to be seen, but at the very least they have added a world class midfielder to the ranks who will hopefully raise the standards of teammates and opposition alike.

Women’s Eagles vs Barbarians
The Infinity Park faithful were treated to a thrilling spectacle of running rugby ahead of the Raptors match. It delivered on the Barbarians brand with a four-try performance from Great Britain star Jasmine Joyce ultimately giving the famous invitational side a 34-33 win over the Women’s Eagles on Friday evening. There was one significant downside, however… more on that below.

Jaguares
Gonzalo Quesada’s Jaguares were 20-15 winners on Saturday, downing the Brumbies in Buenos Aires. The hard-fought win was based on defense, a notable sign ahead of the toughest international campaigns of them all – RWC year. Emiliano Boffelli, Tomás Cubelli, Domingo Miotti, Tomás Lavanini, Pablo Matera, and Mayco Vivas all played very good rugby.

Facundo Bosch
In France, Bosch was a try-scorer for Agen in their vital win over Lyon. The result puts Agen six points ahead of Grenoble with three rounds remaining. Bosch scored the game’s opening try, crossing in the 15th minute. He did so playing at flanker. With Argentina notably short of players in the position his utility value as both a flanker and hooker makes him an interesting prospect for Mario Ledesma ahead of the World Cup.

Benetton Treviso
Argentina’s hooker options are arguably at their strongest level in the modern era. In addition to Bosch in France, the Jaguares have Agustín Creevy and Julián Montoya in outstanding form; Santiago Socino is playing well for Newcastle in the English Premiership; and Tomás Baravalle has thrived with Benetton in the Pro 14. This weekend saw history made with as an Italian side qualified for the Pro 14 playoffs for the first time ever. It came under the guidance of former Canada coach Kieran Crowley.

Shane O’Leary
While Baravalle pushes for World Cup consideration with Argentina, the same is true of O’Leary. The Canadian international has been out of favor of late though his recent form will surely see him back in the picture come July. O’Leary wrapped up the RFU Championship scoring title over the weekend, starting every match for Nottingham and playing 97% of all possible minutes.

Alcobendas
In a fierce final, Sanitas Alcobenas of Madrid were 24-23 winners over FC Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey on Saturday. Argentine players Tury Brasca, Nicolás Griffiths, Santiago Ovejero, Evaristo Paz, Ramiro Robledo, and Federico Villegas were all involved, thereby becoming champions of Spain’s second-most important competition.

Pacific Pride
The Pride is back. After more than a decade’s absence, Canada’s senior academy side will once again compete in the BC Premier League beginning in the 2019-2020 season. This has the potential to be a significant boost to Canada’s playing resources, but needs to be managed correctly. Expanding the player pool rather than drawing from existing structures such as the Arrows Academy and top University programs should be the central focus of the team’s rebirth.

 

UNDER

USA-Barbarians Paywall Letdown
While those at Infinity Park were treated to the historic Barbarians match, relatively few would have enjoyed the live broadcast. The match was only available (and remains) behind a paywall on FloRugby. It’s a remnant of the poorly-executed RIM / Rugby Channel idea that has left the best parts of USA international rugby unavailable to a wider audience. It might be argued that the initial deal was beneficial to both organizations, but times have changed and USA Rugby must find a way to exit the the locked room it currently operates under. Both the players and the public deserve better.

Major League Rugby Broadcasting Hiccups
This is starting to get repetitive. On March 31, following another spell of broadcasting issues surrounding its international stream, the league issued a statement saying they were confidant such problems would not reoccur in the future. Evidently they spoke too soon. Saturday’s match between Glendale and New York, with all its playoff implications, was not available to a wide international audience until near the 15-minute mark. Now that MLR and USAR have a strategic agreement in place, perhaps they can discuss a better solution for their broadcasting woes.

Austin Elite
The Wooden Spoon is looking very likely now for the Austin Elite. Still yet to win a match this season, their best hope to erase the goose egg is now the all-Texas derby in Houston on May 25. Upgrades at key positions will be required next season, but in the meantime some players still have potential World Cup spots up for grabs.

Seattle Seawolves
It’s hard to say what happened to Seattle on Sunday. While Toronto’s win was far from unpredictable, the size of the victory was an eye-opener. Only the 33-11 loss to Glendale to end the 2018 regular season matched the 22-point deficit. The presence of Ben Cima was certainly missed, while Seattle’s front row stocks were further depleted when starter Kellen Gordon was stranded in Calgary due to inclement weather. After the big win over NOLA, it was a big letdown for the Seawolves.

Houston SaberCats vs San Diego Legion
Only a week removed from the wonderful contest in Seattle, fans were forced to endure a positively awful event in Houston. Dyer Stadium’s pitch was in shabby condition and the standard of play wasn’t any better. Houston were poor in defense and committed a litany of handling errors. Ill-discipline from both sides left the referee understandably frustrated. If there was any enjoyment to be had it was for San Diego fans who saw their backline tear the SaberCats to shreds. The sour tone overshadowed San Diego’s rise to the top of the MLR table. A match best forgotten.

Javier Ortega Desio
Having been the starting No8 throughout last year, all eyes were on Ortega Desio as a potential starter for RWC 2019 ahead of Toulon’s Facundo Isa. Such a possibility is out of the discussion now with his form in Super Rugby having been a shadow of 2018. Ortega Desio went into Saturday’s match against the Brumbies with a season total of 36 tackles made and 16 missed in 7 matches. Not the kind of numbers that win you a ticket to Japan.

Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Injury to the Argentina prop in October saw Tetaz Chaparro sidelined until recently. Yet his return has not gone as well as hoped with him not being the same force in 2019. In his absence, rookie Mayco Vivas held down the loosehead position and looked very solid. Against the Brumbies he came on for Tetaz Chaparro and impressed. Vivas now has a chance to further his claim with Tetaz Chaparro sidelined again with a shoulder problem.

Leicester Tigers
With two rounds remaining in the English Premiership season the Leicester Tigers are second from bottom. Either they or the Newcastle Falcons will be relegated to the RFU Championship. This is a remarkable position for the most successful English team of all time and easily one of the best structured professional clubs on the planet. It means World Cup hopeful Facundo Gigena will be playing for more than just to impress the Pumas selectors.