Up and Under

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

 

UP

LA Giltinis
Can the Giltinis be beaten? The expansion side are a perfect six-from-six in the 2021 MLR season. Their latest result was a 47-17 win over Old Glory DC on Saturday evening. The visitors were competitive in the opening minutes but LA pounced on errors to pour on 33 points before halftime.

Rugby United New York
A late penalty goal from Dan Hollinshead gave New York a 23-21 win over Seattle at Starfire Stadium on Sunday evening. In doing so the team jumps back into the lead in a volatile Eastern Conference. It sets the stage for the two conference leaders to collide in Jersey City this coming Sunday.

NOLA Gold
The Gold recovered from a 14-0 halftime deficit against the Arrows to score a 22-14 victory at The Gold Mine on Sunday afternoon. Replacement scrumhalf Damian Stevens help spark the team with all 22 points coming in the final half hour. NOLA will be hopeful of a swift return for goal kicker Carl Meyer, who came off with a head knock in the first half.

Jaguares XV
Los Jaguares completed the SLAR regular season with a perfect record. The Argentine team won all ten matches with a bonus point, and the SLAR title now looks a certainty. It is not a surprise given the talent at their disposal. Moves Argentine teams playing out of additional cities is required. Rosario, Mendoza, Salta, and Tucumán are examples of the possibilities. The resurrection of Los Ceibos in Córdoba would be more than appropriate.

Cobras
It was the best week of 2021 for the Os Cobras. They started with a 22-14 win over Los Cafeteros Pro on Monday and ended with a 21-20 win over Selknam. After a torrid start to the campaign, the Brazilian franchise will be very happy with how the season concluded. It is encouraging news ahead of the all-important RWC 2023 qualifiers which begin next month in Montevideo.

Olímpia Lions
The Lions have given Los Jaguares XV their toughest matches. This past week Olímpia were beaten in what was an early look at the Semi Final this coming Saturday. The Paraguayan side recovered from the loss last Monday to topple Los Cafeteros Pro five days later, scoring over 50 points in the victory.

Canadian Pro Debuts
Three Canadian age-grade internationals made their professional debuts over the weekend. Second row Tyler Duguid was a replacement for Montpellier late in the Challenge Cup Semi Final win over Bath. Midfielder Lockie Kratz was a late call-up to the starting lineup for NOLA against the Arrows. Utility back Nick Taylor came off the bench in the final quarter of Seattle’s game against New York on Sunday.

Americas players win European Semi Finals
Players from the Americas will compete in the final of both the European Challenge Cup and the European Champions Cup. Matías Moroni had a strong performance at outside center in Leicester’s 33-24 Semi Final win over Ulster. Tomás Lavanini boosted the Tigers from the bench. Titi Lamositele and Tyler Duguid were replacements for Montpellier in what was a 19-10 away win over Bath. Juan Cruz Mallía featured for Toulouse and Guido Petti for Bordeaux on Saturday. Toulouse won their way to the Champions Cup Final. They will face La Rochelle in the final. Facundo Bosch helped set up a try in their win over Leinster on Sunday.

Santiago Chocobares, Pablo Matera
Speaking of Toulouse, the club is now home to Santiago Chocobares. The 22-year-old Argentine center has joined the giants of French rugby. Chocobares made his test debut for Argentina in the 2020 Tri Nations. His first cap was the historic Pumas victory over New Zealand. Pablo Matera captained Los Pumas to the win. Matera has signed for the Crusaders, the most successful team in Super Rugby history. Combined with Chocobares joining the most successful French team of all-time, it was a monumental week for Pumas recruitment abroad.

 

UNDER

San Diego Legion
Injuries and form see the San Diego Legion having plenty of work to do. The team was well beaten by the New England Free Jacks on Saturday. A crunching tackle from Wian Conradie knocked Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias out of the game early and forced San Diego to play nearly the entire game with makeshift halfbacks.

Toronto Arrows
The Arrows started with a bang in New Orleans on Sunday, but faded badly in the second half. A 14-nil halftime lead was squandered as they conceded 22 unanswered points in the last half hour. It comes against the run of form that saw Toronto hammering New York and Seattle in recent weeks. A rapid turn-around is needed for Saturday’s clash against ATL.

Cafeteros Pro
Cafeteros were winless in their inaugural SLAR campaign. The 0-10 record does not read well yet the team was competitive in most matches. This saw previously unimaginable opportunities for Colombian rugby players. The long term effect will be progress for the test side. Of note is that Los Tucanes overtook Paraguay during the previous RWC cycle. Colombia will be aiming for history in the upcoming RWC 2023 qualifiers.

Peñarol
Peñarol suffered back-to-back SLAR losses this past week. The Uruguayan side fell to a 27-17 loss against Selknam on Monday and were then beaten 42-18 by Los Jaguares XV on Saturday. The two losses are far from ideal ahead of the Semi Finals though Peñarol did rotate so that the top side will be able to take the field against Selknam in Saturday’s Semi Final.

July 2021 Internationals in Americas
The Americas are set to miss out on hosting incoming tours this coming July. England’s tour to Canada and the USA will be called-off as will Wales’ tour to Argentina and Uruguay. Arrangements are presently being put in to place for Canada, the USA, and Argentina to all play test matches in July in the UK. Uruguay is set to miss out on facing a Six Nations opponents. Los Teros will instead be focusing on the all-important RWC 2023 qualifiers.

RWC 2023 Qualifiers
Disruptions have further affected the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifiers. Following the decision to only involve Canada and the USA in the North American regional qualifiers, regional governing body Oceania Rugby have canceled their regional qualifiers. The decision sees the Cook Islands progressing in RWC 2023 qualifiers. Papua New Guinea had been set to host the qualifying tournament this year.

Taylor Paris
The Pro D2 season has ended early for Taylor Paris. He suffered an Achilles injury while playing for Oyonnax against Grenoble earlier this month. It is a hammer blow for Canada; the outside back will not play again for six months. This means that he is out of contention for the World Cup Qualifying series against the USA targeted for September.

Western Force
The Western Force’s Super Rugby AU title aspirations have ended. The Western Australian franchise were beaten 21-9 by the Brumbies. Pumas Tomás Cubelli, Santiago Medrano, and Domingo Miotti all started. Miotti scored all nine points for the Force while Cubelli was playing against one of his former teams. Cubelli will join Biarritz next season while Miotti is on his way to Scotland. The Brumbies will face the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby AU Final.