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

Canada Men’s Sevens
One of the great weekends in Canadian rugby has passed with a new single-day attendance record for the sport and a best-ever Bronze finish for the Senior Men’s Sevens team at their home event in Vancouver. Upset wins over Fiji and South Africa were highlights, and co-captains Harry Jones and Nate Hirayama earned selection to the Dream Team. It’s a huge result for Canada just a few months out from the Olympics. Challenging for a medal no longer looks entirely out of reach.

Marcos Moneta
The youngster was a rare bright spot for the beleaguered Pumas Sevens side this weekend. He celebrated his 20th birthday on Saturday and finished tied for second-most tries at the tournament including a hat-trick against Ireland in Argentina’s final match. He could well have booked his spot on the plane to Tokyo.

Colombia Women
With a win over Brazil, Colombia advance in the Rugby World Cup 2021 Qualifiers. Las Tucanes were 23-19 winners in Saturday’s match played in Medellín, Colombia. Las Tucanes Colombia will now face Kenya in a RWC repechage fixture. The winner of Kenya vs Colombia fixture will join one team from each of Europe, Oceania and Asia in the repechage tournament.

Guatemala Women
History was made in Guatemala City on Sunday. For the first time in history there was a women’s rugby test match played in Central America. The Guatemala vs El Salvador fixture was won comfortably by the home side. It was a game positioned on International Women’s Day. A well-taken decision and one which ought not be a one off.

Súper Liga Americana de Rugby
It is dangerous to make early judgments yet after the opening round of the inaugural SLAR season the signs are promising for the competition. The level of play was vastly better than that seen in past editions of the South American Championship. The public also responded with 4,000 attending the match in Montevideo and 6,000 in Córdoba.

Selknam
The historic first-ever SLAR match saw an upset result. Selknam conquered the Estadio Charrúa, beating Peñarol 15-13. The match was not a classic, but it was nonetheless of vast importance. Selknam were up to the challenge and delivered. Peñarol will now need to double-down to make sure that they do not deliver another ‘Latin performance.’

Ceibos
Los Ceibos oozed class on Friday. In their debut SLAR fixture, the Córdoba-based side won by 40 points against the Olímpia Lions. It was literally and visually the performance of a team that are coached by a RWC 2007 Puma. Ceibos won the forwards battle and had backs who knew their role and did the job. This was a well-oiled team who set down a benchmark.

Major League Rugby
While South America was celebrating the arrival of its new professional competition, the third season of North America’s rugby jewel produced a highly engaging weekend that saw only one match finishing by a difference of more than seven. Such parity makes for compelling viewing while the prediction game is increasingly difficult.

Austin Gilgronis
Austin finally broke their duck on Saturday. The Gilgronis earned their first win as a franchise since June 2018, taking a 24-20 result over the SaberCats in Houston to claim the Texas Cup. It ends a stretch of 22 winless games that included only a solitary draw two weeks ago against Utah. They will enjoy the celebrations but must quickly come back to earth as they host the unbeaten Legion on Sunday.

Colorado Raptors
The Raptors became the first team in 2020 to defeat the Toronto Arrows. Their 22-19 home win on Friday was a nail-biter at Infinity Park. Colorado did not play especially well in what was a sloppy and disjointed effort from both teams. That said the Raptors deserved to win and are in much better spirits ahead of Sunday’s road clash with Old Glory DC.

NOLA Gold
It was a  wild and entertaining game at the Shrine on Airline this past weekend. NOLA Gold were 31-22 winners over the New England Free Jacks. Both teams would score four tries with the accurate goal kicking of Carl Meyer proving the difference. NOLA have a road game against Utah on Friday while the Free Jacks will celebrate their home opener on Saturday opposite the SaberCats.

Utah Warriors
The Warriors claimed a famous 33-31 victory over the Seattle Seawolves on Saturday. An extraordinary finale saw the winning try scored in the 88th minute of play. Continual penalties extended the game well beyond its typical conclusion. It was also a statement win for Utah after the turned down several opportunities to settle for a draw on the road.

Old Glory DC vs Rugby ATL
It’s hard to call either side a loser in this match with both teams playing their part in an exciting 31-29 tilt won by Old Glory. The home side even managed to win a scrum penalty, a memorable moment that saw the DC forwards celebration as if the match was won. ATL came away with two bonus points in defeat and can hold their heads high.

San Diego Legion vs Rugby United New York
In similar fashion, both San Diego and New York came away from Sunday’s match at Torero Stadium with their reputations enhanced. Though much of the match was an arm wrestle between the two packs, the collisions could be felt in the stands with every ball contested to the end. The Legion emerged 24-20 winners to remain the only undefeated side in MLR.

 

UNDER

Jaguares
Los Jaguares were outplayed for 80 minutes by the Sharks in Durban. The loss gives the Argentine side a 1-2 return from their South African tour and Gonzalo Quesada’s team are 3-3 overall for 2020. The players were not up to the task and there may well be casualties. Many were off their game including Gonzalo Bertranou, Joaquin Tuculet and captain Jerónimo de la Fuente. With others putting their hands up for opportunities, do not be surprised to see others involved against the Highlanders.

Peñarol
The match was dour, yet it should not have been. The URU and Peñarol had gone out of their way to prepare the team for the SLAR campaign. Instead of a win coming against Selknam, the Chileans maneuvered their way to a win with goal-kicking being the method. Peñarol were out-coached and have some changes ahead of them.

Olímpia Paraguayans
The starting XV that faced Los Ceibos in Córdoba was 0% Paraguayan. That is to say that Paraguay’s debut in a professional rugby competition did not see a local product in the starting line-up. There were replacements, though which must be taken into consideration. Above all else, the lack of Paraguayans was a reminder of the standing of Paraguay compared to the other four countries involved in SLAR.

Olímpia Medics
On a different note, Olímpia’s medical staff should be admonished by SLAR officials for their poor assessment and reaction to the head knock suffered by Enzo Ocampo early in the game. The flanker was clearly in no condition to continue, but allowed to play on until finally replaced 15 minutes later. By contrast the staff at Torero Stadium had no hesitation in correctly ordering RUNY center Will Leonard off the field after he was wobbled in a similar situation. SLAR must demand higher standards of player safety.

Seattle Seawolves
A two-point extra-time loss after a valiant defensive stand is not cause for panic, or is it? The Seawolves are now just one win from five and simply aren’t producing the quality of performance expected from the two-time defending champions. Injuries are no excuse with the depth of talent available. All is not fine at Starfire Stadium.

Houston SaberCats
Frustration is also creeping in at AVEVA Stadium. The SaberCats held a 10-point halftime lead over Austin that ought to have been good enough to see them through at home. Injuries have left them short on bodies but Saturday’s loss was not helped by poor discipline at key moments. Houston are now in last place overall and must front up against New England on Saturday.

Toronto Arrows
The unbeaten run ends in Colorado and it’s fair to say this was Toronto’s worst performance of the season. Being asked to play on just four days rest in their fifth straight week on the road was a significant challenge but one they were prepared for. The Arrows can take some solace in a losing bonus point and will enjoy a much-needed bye week to regroup before making the short trip to New York on March 20.

Santiago Socino
The Jaguares replacement hooker has been cited for foul play. A suspension of several weeks should be expected based on the footage. The incident occurred late in the loss against the Sharks. It shows Socino stomping on the head of an opponent who was defenseless on the floor, a red card offense by law.

Los Pumas Sevens
Argentina had a weekend to forget in Vancouver. Los Pumas were just as bad as Los Jaguares. The South Americans finished 14th in the tournament, a woeful outcome for a team that is being prepared to compete for Olympic Medals. Little went well for Argentina in the Canadian event and plenty of re-thinking is required between now and the London Sevens.