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 Women
Canada won both matches of the Can-Am Series in decisive fashion this past week. A 19-0 shutout in poor weather on Wednesday was followed up by a 52-27 result in the San Diego sunshine on Sunday. The Maple Leafs move up to No3 on the World Rankings and and their 2019 campaign on a high.

Olivia DeMerchant
It was a memorable tour for Olivia DeMerchant. The Woodstock, New Brunswick, native captained her country for the first time and celebrated her 40th test cap in the first match against the Eagles. She also picked up a try for good measure on Sunday. DeMerchant has firmly established herself as one of the world’s best props in the build-up to RWC 2021.

Brianna Miller, Ashlee Byrge, Alycia Washington
The three North American players were named in the Barbarians squad to play against Wales in Cardiff this coming weekend. Miller had a strong Can-Am Series for Canada including seven conversions across the two games. Byrge and Washington won’t have been excited about the results but now get to take the field alongside some of the greats of the world game.

Tyler Ardron
Canada’s World Cup captain was given the honor of leading the Barbarians against Brazil on Wednesday. While not the first to lead the invitational side, it’s the first time a Canadian has captained the Baa-Baas against international opposition. Ardron has been the standout men’s player from Canada this year by a wide margin.

Rodrigo Capó Ortega
History was made on Saturday when Rodrigo Capó Ortega his 400th match for Castres. The former Uruguayan captain became just there second player in French rugby history to reach the milestone for a club, following Aurélien Rougerie. Castres were 17-9 winners in the match with Argentine fly half Benjamín Urdapilleta kicking 7 points.

Juan Imhoff
Also scoring on Saturday was Juan Imhoff. The Argentine winger scored a 47th minute try for Racing 92 who competed to a 21-21 draw away to Munster in Limerick. While the loss was disappointing for the team coming away with points at Thomond Park is always complicated. Imhoff has scored points in 7 editions of the Champions Cup. This is an Argentine record with Felipe Contepomi, and Marcelo Bsocht the next best having both score in 6 editions.

Juan Ignacio Brex
In Italy, Argentine center Juan Ignacio Brex scored an impressive individual try for Benetton Treviso against the Northampton Saints. The Italians were unlucky to lose 35-32 with 50-50 refereeing calls going in favor of the opposition.

AJ MacGinty
On Sunday MacGinty was a part of a winning Champions Cup effort. The Eagles flyhalf scored eight points for the Sale Sharks who were 25-15 winners over 14-man La Rochelle. The win sets up an interesting third round match against the Exeter Chiefs. La Rochelle will take on Canadian winger DTH van der Merwe and the Glasgow Warriors.

Jaguares name 8 Rookies
Los Jaguares’ roster for the 2020 Suepr Rugby campaign contains eight new players. Of them winger Mateo Carreras; flanker Santiago Grondona; N8 Juan Bautista Pedemonte; and tight head Joel Sclavi had already all signed in advance of the roster announcement. They are to be joined by fly half Tomás Albornoz, second-rower Ignacio Calas; flanker Santiago Montagner; centers Juan Pablo Castro, Santiago Chocobares, and Lucas Mensa as the rookies.

Korea qualify for Tokyo 2020
South Korea are headed to the Olympics after upsetting Hong Kong in the Asia Rugby qualifier at Incheon this past weekend. It’s an enormous result for Korean rugby, one that could significantly boost the profile of the sport in the country. Former Cal Golden Bears and Seattle Seawolves player Andre Coquillard played a key role in the team’s success.

Utah Warriors
Under new majority ownership, the Warriors seem to have completely turned around their off-field situation in the off-season. In 2019 their roster wasn’t confirmed until literally days before the season started. This past week the team unveiled a 33-man initial roster before a ball has even been kicked in preseason training. After a poor season in 2019, Utah fans have reason to be optimistic for 2020.

Ben Tarr
Of all the signings announced in MLR over the past week, this was the most satisfying. Tarr suffered what was thought to be a career-threatening neck injury part way through the 2019 campaign but has now been given the all-clear to take the field in 2020. NOLA now have two Eagles internationals at tighthead along with Dino Waldren, and the competition could push Tarr back into test consideration after a two year absence.

UVic Vikes
The top two men’s university programs in Canada went toe-to-toe in the National Championship Final on Sunday, with UVic ending UBC’s two-year tournament reign by the slimmest of margins. Vikes captain James O’Neill led the way, scoring two tries in a man-of-the-match performance to seal a famous victory.

 

UNDER

USA Women
It’s not the end of the world, but the Women’s Eagles must be disappointed with their results in the Can-Am Series. Defense was a big issue as Canada piled on 33 points in the second half of Sunday’s game. Rob Cain might be scratching some names off his World Cup list but there is still reason for optimism with the team set to receive a big boost in talent once their star sevens players complete their Olympic commitments in August.

Brazil
A strong start from Brazil saw Daniel Lima crossing early against the Barbarians. The 7-0 lead would not be retained for long as the Barbarians were 47-22 winners. The extent of the defeat was not a letdown as a loss by under 30 was the pre-match aim for Os Tupis. With the same players set to be announced in Brazil’s first professional team later this week there is reason to be excited about the RWC 2019-2023 cycle for Brazil.

Shaun Davies
Shaun Davies retired from international duty this past weekend, doing so at the age of 30. The scrum-half was the 431st Eagle and completes his time as a test match player with 27 caps and 23 points to his name. Following a busy 2017-2019 period Davies played in RWC 2019. The void is expected to be filled by Ruben du Haas who had two starts at RWC 2019, the same as Davies.

Lucas Duque
Playing for the final time for his country this past week was Lucas Duque. The 35-year-old qualified physician officially hung up his boots following Brazil’s home game against the Barbarians. Tanque was a 2016 Olympian and played for Brazil for four RWC cycles. He was a national champion with São José Rugby, meaning that he truly did it all.

Ignacio Mendy
One of Argentina’s most promising players, Ignacio Mendy has been ruled out for six months. He was named in Los Pumas 7’s roster for the Dubai and Cape Town Sevens events but will instead undergo surgery and not play again until the second trimester of 2019. Mendy is placed to be a Jaguar and Puma sooner rather than later.

Bautista Ezcurra, Santiago González Iglesias
Both Bautista Ezcurra and Santiago González Iglesias played in the Barbarians win over Brazil on Wednesday. They were point scorers in the win but their places in Los Jaguares for 2020 have gone to rookies. Neither player was named on Gonzalo Quesada’s roster. Both must now look for alternate options either in the Súper Liga Americana or abroad.