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

Turks & Caicos Islands
Test match rugby this past weekend saw the Turks & Caicos Islands traveling to the British Virgin Islands. The visitors were far too strong, putting in an impressive performance to complete a 31-12 victory. The results takes the team to a 2-0 record in international competition in 2019.

Glendale Raptors
It was a record-setting performance for the Raptors as they put the Warriors to the sword by 64-22. The total points scored tied Toronto’s mark set earlier this year against the same opponents, while the 42-point winning margin sets a new Major League Rugby record. Also setting a new standard was South African center Robbie Petzer who added nine kicks at goal to his hat trick for a personal haul of 34 points.

Toronto Arrows
If last weekend’s win over Seattle wasn’t enough, the dramatic victory over San Diego on Sunday has surely convinced doubters of Toronto’s playoff chances. Nearly 3,000 fans showed up at Lamport Stadium to watch an exciting match unfold. In the end the Legion’s discipline let them down and the Arrows had the composure to score when it mattered most. It’s a busy week ahead as they will play Austin on Thursday, before welcoming Utah to town on Sunday.

NOLA Gold
It wasn’t their best performance of the season, but the bonus-point win over Austin Elite was enough to propel NOLA back to the top of the table. Next up is a pivotal battle against second-place San Diego on Saturday. An interesting selection for the Gold saw Ignacio Dotti playing as a blindside flanker and scoring a try. It may give Uruguay coach Esteban Meneses an idea to possibly start him alongside a second row of France-based duo Manuel Leindekar and Rodrigo Capó Ortega at the World Cup.

Rugby United New York
RUNY needed a win this weekend and they got it, though they may be disappointed not to get a bonus point against a well-beaten Houston side. Despite the difficult conditions there were more than enough chances to score a fourth try. At the very least the victory keeps them in the playoff hunt though Toronto’s momentum is building rapidly.

Jaguares
It was not a strong performance by Los Jaguares on Saturday though it was a win. The 30-25 victory over the Stormers gives Gonzalo Quesada’s team 4-straight victories. The team’s win featured a notable showing from Domingo Miotti. The Tucumán flyhalf landed all his goals, assisted in tries and was tactically on his game. Flankers Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer were the other standout performers.

Tyler Ardron
In one of the best matches of the Super Rugby season thus far the Chiefs secured a 31-31 away draw against the Highlanders on Saturday. Scoring for the Chiefs was Ardron who is hands down the leading Canadian player in the world today.

Club Olimpia
Club Olimpia will be Paraguay’s team in the Super Liga Sudamericana (SLAR). Confirmation was made today on twitter by Club Olimpia President Marco Trovato. he six competition teams for the 2020 season are to come from countries from within this region, with a further two sides to join the competition in 2021. Paraguay’s Club Olimpia is to join Uruguayan clubs Nacional and Peñarol in the SLAR. Of note is that all three are existing professional soccer clubs which gives them notable financial backing.

Nicolás Sánchez
The Argentine flyhalf was outstanding for Stade Français on Sunday. Playing against Racing 92, Sánchez directed play brilliantly as he put players into space, enabling the backs to play around him. One day earlier Domingo Miotti had made a further positive impression for Los Jaguares in Super Rugby. All told Argentina’s options at 10 are well placed four months out from RWC 2019.

UBCOB Ravens
Make it two in a row for the UBC Old Boys, who cruised to a 30-22 win over Burnaby Lake in the BC Premier League final on Saturday. The scoreline flattered Burnaby somewhat as the Ravens held a 30-5 lead at the hour mark before taking their foot off the gas. For some it’s a continuation of a dynasty that started with the UBC Thunderbirds, who claimed three consecutive Rounsefell Cups before the Old Boys took over. Aaron McLelland was the star of the show for the Ravens. The Kiwi fullback qualifies on residency for Canada later this year.

Life Running Eagles
On the same day another double was being recorded. Life University toppled the Cal Golden Bears for a second consecutive year to claim back-to-back D1A Collegiate National Championships. The 29-26 score was painfully close, a match that saw Cal come back from a 15-point deficit… only to see the game slip away with a late try by Conner Mooneyham. Life came through the season undefeated and a number of their graduating players are expected to appear on Atlanta’s MLR roster next season.

UNDER

Justin Fitzpatrick
The first major coaching casualty in Major League Rugby comes in Houston. It wasn’t a surprise, though many thought the change would come in the off-season. Paul Emerick is now running the team in an interim capacity while the search for a new Director of Rugby begins in earnest.

Houston SaberCats
The first match in the post-Fitzpatrick era for the SaberCats wasn’t all bad. Aside from a poor stretch that saw them concede two tries and two yellow cards, Houston competed reasonably well against New York. At the end of the day, however, discipline was a problem and there were zero points on the board.

Josua Vici
Also confirmed during the week was the departure of Houston’s enigmatic winger at season’s end. Vici has signed for Colomiers in the Pro D2. The SaberCats will miss his pace and power, but not his anger management issues. In his first game back from a five-week suspension for foul play he again felt the ire of the referee. He was lucky not to be carded for a dangerous tackle and punch feint, but on the very next play he killed the ball in a scoring position and received a yellow card.

Utah Warriors
An early 10-0 lead Raptors being reduced 14 men looked to be the dream start. It was too good to be true. Glendale turned on the afterburners and Utah capsized, conceding 31 unanswered points before halftime. They scored a couple tries in the second half but defense continues to plague the Warriors as they have now conceded a record 64 points on two occasions this season.

Austin Elite
In their 12th match of the season the Elite were beaten for the 12th time. It stretches their losing streak to 14 games dating back to 2018. The task of finding a way to record a first win this season continues to elude the Texans. Utah and Houston have both conceded more points, but Austin’s offense has sputtered with individual efforts largely to thank for their points this season.

Joaquín Tuculet
What was supposed to be a precaution has turned-out to be something more serious. Officially Joaquín Tuculet was pulled from facing the Brumbies but was also unfit to face the Stormers this past weekend. Now the no 1 Argentine fullback will miss Los Jaguares four match tour of Oceania. Rookie Santiago Carreras has been named on the tour in his place.

Nigel Owens
Who is the best rugby referee today? Who should referee the RWC 2019 Final? If you answered Nigel Owens to these questions you would not be alone. Unfortunately for rugby history the Welshman made a grave error in Saturday’s Pro 14 play-off between Munster and Benetton. He awarded a penalty in favor of Munster from which they kicked a goal to win. TV footage clearly showed that Munster’s CJ Stander had played the ball without supporting his body weight. A wrong call which cost the Italians an historic Semi Final in the Pro 14.