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

Seattle Seawolves
The two-time defending champions breathed a sigh of relief after earning their first win of the season over the Free Jacks on Saturday night. Fans who braved some inclement Seattle weather on Saturday night were treated to a thrilling contest that saw the Seawolves defeat New England 44-29. Seattle will now look to make it back-to-back wins as they prepare to host Utah.

Colorado Raptors
Just like Seattle, the 2018 Finalists were waiting for their first win of the campaign and it came on Saturday. A decisive 22-14 win over the visiting Warriors featured starring performances from their New Zealand imports Rene Ranger and Mason Emerson.

San Diego Legion
Two tries from Ma’a Nonu helped San Diego win their fourth in a row as they came away from New Orleans with a 25-21 result over the Gold on Saturday. The Legion held NOLA scoreless in the second half with two late penalties from Joe Pietersen sealing the come-from-behind victory.

South American Arrows
Also continuing their unbeaten run to start the season were the Arrows. They took a hard-earned 28-18 win over Rugby ATL at Lupo Field on Sunday afternoon. Their South American contingent led the way with Uruguay’s Leandro Leivas scoring a double and singles from countryman Gastón Mieres and Argentine flanker Tomás de la Vega.

Old Glory DC
The impressive rookie season continues for Old Glory as they beat the Gilgronis 28-19 in San Antonio on Saturday. After running out to an early 20-nil lead, their hosts made it interesting but a last-gasp try from Renata Roberts-Te Nana sealed the win and denied Austin a losing bonus point.

Rugby United New York
It was a tough battle at the windy AVEVA Stadium but RUNY got the result they wanted, even securing an elusive try bonus point thanks to some Marcus Walsh magic in the last minute. The ‘Roosters’ have now notched three wins in a row since their crushing season opener against the Free Jacks.

Jaguares
Los Jaguares rebounded on Saturday, defeating the Bulls in Pretoria. The win saw six tries scored and came with a rotation wherein nine different players started compared to the prior week. It is this sort of coaching and selecting that Argentina’s players require in 2020.

Peñarol
Peñarol romped past Corinthians, winning 45-14 in the official debut appearance of both teams. The match marked the first game of professional rugby involving teams from both Uruguay and Brazil. A dominant first half showing paved the way for a comprehensive Peñarol victory.

Paul Lasike
The Eagles center was a try scorer on Saturday. Lasike crossed in the first half for the Harlequins who defeated the English Premiership leaders, the Harlequins. The result was a timely boost for the London-base side. The club sit mid-table, yet are in reach of the play-off’s zone.

Rodrigo Capó Ortega
Aged 39, Capó Ortega made his return from injury on Sunday against Top 14 leaders Bordeaux. His comeback was not accompanied with a win, instead a narrow loss. The Uruguayan scored a try in the match and he was also the team captain.

Carlin Isles and Perry Baker
The LA Sevens saw the Eagles finishing fifth, a fair result but not enough to prevent them from dropping one spot in the overall rankings. Their twin flyers Isles and Baker both reached career milestones on the opening day, with the duo becoming the 7th and 8th men respectively to reach 200 career tries on the World Series. Isles was named to the tournament Dream Team.

UNDER

MLR Visa Delays
ARN readers have asked why Pumas great Juan Manuel Leguizamón is yet to play for Seattle. The same applies to other high profile Major League Rugby signings such as Wallabies pair Adam Ashley-Cooper and Digby Ioane. All are among several players still awaiting visa clearance. It has been a very slow process this season, and the same might now be expected in the UK following Brexit and with the Kolpak agreement set to end in January 2021.

Austin Gilgronis
The Gilgronis carried hope into Saturday’s game but their poor start handed them defeat before they even fired a shot. To their credit they fared better in the second half. More reinforcements are on the way – caught in the web detailed above – but in the meantime Austin have to find a way to get over the winless hump with or without the cavalry.

Utah Warriors
Injuries have hampered the Warriors with key flyhalf Hagen Schulte the latest to fall in Colorado. Against the Raptors their offense sputtered, failing to score a single point until the 75th minute. A late flurry brought respectability to the scoreline but it was a disappointing outing from Utah.

Corinthians
The Brazilian franchise was comprehensively outplayed by Peñarol on Wednesday. They were expected to be beaten after being thrown together only recently, but the 28-0 halftime score was a grave indication of how much work is to be done ahead with the regular season just days away.

Santiago Medrano
Gonzalo Quesada dropped Medrano for Joël Sclavi. The decision was expected due to the superior scrummaging of the former France-based Sclavi. Against the Bulls this was clear as the scrum again lost power when Medrano entered as a replacement. Sclavi now looks a front-runner for the Pumas spot come July.

Ignacio Dotti
NOLA Gold have lost their Uruguayan lock for at least two months. Dotti suffered a fractured forearm in the recent match against the Colorado Raptors. He is now likely to be out of action until May. It is a blow for both the player and club, with Dotti a key figure in NOLA’s pack.