Up and Under

Despite what has been a gloomy week for sport – and society in general – there was still rugby news worth lauding. Thus our weekly ‘Up and Under’ continues…

 

UP

Ceibos
Ceibos are top of the SLAR with a perfect 10 competition points from two matches. The Argentine side controlled the second half away to Selknam to win their match on Saturday. The opening half was very tense with the Chileans holding the lead for a lengthy period. While Los Ceibos were the winners, signs from Selknam are also highly positive.

Virtual Rugby
Major League Rugby teams won’ t be taking the field any time soon, but the league has taken a unique and innovative approach amidst the shutdown. A ‘virtual rugby’ tournament will be held with select players representing their MLR teams by playing Rugby20 on popular streaming service Twitch, with proceeds going to local charities.

Mike Te’o
The 26-year-old Eagles speedster has left the San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby and the Eagles Sevens residency program in Chula Vista. His new home is London Scottish in the English Championship, though one wonders if the overseas venture might now be short-lived.

RWC 2019 Broadcasting Audiences
The Japan hosted tournament was the sport’s most watched event of all-time. This included 857 million viewers from around the world or a 26% increase from England and Wales 2015. Viewers from outside of Europe were responsible for 71% of the total TV audience. Booms from viewers in Asia and Germany were recorded. Germany represented the country with the seventh highest viewing numbers for the tournament. It had 10.82 million cumulative viewers, a number greater than both Italy and Ireland.

Halloween Weekend
Fiji will play against the All Blacks XV at BC Place in Vancouver on Saturday, October 31. The neutral venue clash will be the main event of a two-night offering that will see Canada play the USA on Friday evening of what is being dubbed ‘Halloween Rugby Weekend.’

North American Player Combine
Salt Lake City is set to host a World Rugby combine in June to identify up-and-coming talent in North America. International selectors and scouts from MLR teams will run the rule over those picked to participate in a continuation of previous such combines. A new USA academy program was also unveiled at the same time.

Robert Paylor
In May 2017, Paylor suffered a catastrophic neck injury while playing for Cal Golden Bears. This past week he took his first steps on Witter Field since the tragic incident. Paylor’s slow but steady progress continues to be an inspirational story for all.

 

UNDER

Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Rugby across the globe has been brought to a standstill, and it is not alone. The sporting world in its entirety has effectively been cancelled until further notice as society moves to curtail the pandemic. It’s an unprecedented event that leaves a great cloud of uncertainty for the weeks and months ahead.

Matt Evans
The long-time Canadian international confirmed his retirement from the sport at the age of 32. It was not unexpected as injuries have blighted the career of Evans, his 40 caps a remarkable accomplishment given prolonged absences. He has now been appointed Team Manager at Cornish Pirates with immediate effect.

Blaine Scully
Scully announced his retirement immediately following, also at the age of 32. The USA’s captain at Rugby World Cup 2019 ends a career that saw the Sacramento native win 54 test caps for the Eagles while enjoying six years as a professional at the highest levels of European rugby.

Quinn Ngawati
In the space of rugby union, the loss of one of Canada’s brightest young talents to a rugby league side is an under. Long-term, however, the move will surely be a positive for Ngawati. The opportunity to train and play in a professional environment is not one to be missed. We have no doubt Ngawati will one day appear on the ‘Up’ column when he returns to union.