Up and Under

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

 

UP

USA Men’s Eagles Sevens
Fiji were crowned champions in Sydney but it was a much-improved showing from the Eagles, who would close the tournament in 3rd place. The blowout win over Australia was a tournament highlight. Perry Baker and Carlin Isles both moved up to 199 career tries and stand-in captain Ben Pinkelman was outstanding, earning both Impact Player and Dream Team recognition.

Canada Women’s Sevens
For the second week in a row Canada’s Women reached the Cup Final. As in Hamilton, New Zealand were a step above at the final asking and it would be a brave soul who would bet against the Black Ferns winning gold in Tokyo. Silver, however, looks very much on offer for the Canadians who took home bronze at Rio 2016.

Karen Paquin and Kaili Lukan
Two Canadians were named in the Women’s Dream Team at the Sydney Sevens. Veteran forward Paquin earned her first selection of the season, a reward for the signature all-action style while Lukan continues to impress with her athleticism. This was her first career Dream Team nomination.

Cross-country Canada internationals
Rugby Canada have confirmed their home venues for the 2020 summer season. Matches will be played in four different cities across the country including two who will enjoy first-ever internationals – Winnipeg and Montreal. There are positives and negatives from the announcement, with the latter below.

Jaguares
Los Jaguares opened the 2020 Super Rugby season in style, defeating the Lions 38-8 in Buenos Aires. It was encouraging for the teams effort to go one better than in 2019. Involved in the match were debutants, and players yet to be capped by Argentina. Joël Sclavi gave Mario Ledesma a look at why playing abroad can mean development into a prime proponent of the scrum while Domingo Miotti will not remain uncapped this year.

Tony Lamborn
The Eagles flanker was the scorer of the opening try of the 2020 Super Season. His performance in general was sharp, an indication of big things ahead of the 28-year-old this year. The Blues started well yet were beaten by the Chiefs in what was a northern New Zealand derby to kick off the season. Canadian captain Tyler Ardron started for the winning side.

MLR Referee Review process
Major League Rugby will have a new video review process for match officials in 2020. Team coaches will be able to flag decisions for weekly meetings and a new group of assessors are dedicated entirely to working on those reviews. Also confirmed is the senior referee panel which includes former Super Rugby regular Jamie Nutbrown and Americas Rugby Championship test veteran Henrique Platais.

Clermont partners with NOLA Gold
The Gold have some new investors in the team, and ones of considerable reputation. French Top 14 giants Clermont Auvergne have agreed a partnership with the New Orleans MLR side, a deal that will see student-athlete and cultural exchanges and open doors to many other exciting possibilities.

New owners for Austin
A stunning announcement this past week saw the Austin franchise handed over to new owners with immediate effect. While the timing is far from ideal, the influx of financial support is a huge boost for the players amidst uncertainty over the future of the team. A new home stadium, new coach, and new players on the way – Adam Ashley-Cooper among them – are all very good news. That said, we don’t agree with every part of this deal…

 

UNDER

Austin Gilgronis
What, exactly, is a ‘Gilgroni’? That’s what many were asking when the changes in Austin went public. The franchise claims it stems from a ‘Texas-sized cocktail’ that will be available at home games. Others suggest it is the nickname of Loyals LLC owner Adam Gilchrist. Whatever it is, it’s clear the renaming is a marketing gimmick and one we just can’t support. Hopefully a proper moniker will be given to the team in the not-too-distance future.

Tristan Blewett
NOLA Gold fans also got bad news this weekend as it was confirmed that their star attacking player has returned home to South Africa. Instead of terrorising opposition defenses this season, Blewett will work on completing his university studies and seemingly skip out on professional rugby entirely. The team is well covered in the backline but it’s still a significant loss to both the Gold and MLR.

Toronto test snub, Canada July window
While the positives are a connection with ‘smaller’ Canadian rugby communities, the absence once again of a premium match in the nation’s biggest market is disappointing. Canada hasn’t played at BMO Field in Toronto since June 2016. Also a letdown is the absence of a third match in the July window, leaving Canada with just one full test. A more ambitious schedule would have been appreciated after the disappointing World Cup campaign.

Corinthians
The dates for the 2020 SLAR season are known but Corinthians are silent. When will be horror show conclude? The roster for the Súper Liga season not only remains unconfirmed but not a single player has been announced following the Arthur Bergo’s presence at the competition launch in November. There have been no public releases of staff nor of home venue. Brazil had been the pioneers who pressed for a professional league in South America, yet their administration has been a failure.

RWC 2023 Draw
One day after World Rugby announced the seeding process and the draw for RWC 2023, the organization’s Vice-Chairman – Agustín Pichot – publicly slammed the decision. His astonishing comments shakes the credibility of World Rugby. Pichot said he was completely against the early draw, and says he and other league board members were not even informed prior to the announcement. The decision to have the draw for RWC 2023 in 2020 dispels a myth that a safe option requires less preparation to sell tickets.

World Rugby Rankings
World Rugby uses the World Rankings to determine RWC seedings. This is the case, despite the fact that the rankings are flawed. Canada and Namibia played at RWC 2019, yet are ranked 23rd and 24th in the world, while Hong Kong are 21st. How can this be? It is based on who Hong Kong plays against and not that Hong Kong are genuinely the 21st best team in the world.

Joaquín Díaz Bonilla
Gonzalo Quesada put faith in ‘Tito’ to start for Los Jaguares on Saturday. It was a decision that had supporters divided due to the team having other players, notably Domingo Miotti. Unfortunately for Díaz Bonilla, he would be off within six minutes of the kick-off with a hip injury. Miotti scored 18 points in an excellent general performance.

Franco Sábato
In the days leading up to the Sydney Sevens, Argentina lost regular their star winger to a shoulder injury. Sábato was replaced by Francisco Ulloa. Los Pumas did not have the best tournament, with the absence of Sábato’s leadership and strike running keenly felt.