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

Coastal Cup kicks off with High Performance dreams
A new competition kicked off this past weekend in Canadian province, British Columbia. If successful it could restore the province’s status as the leading source of amateur talent in North America. The pilot season of the Coastal Cup features seven teams with a long-term goal of providing a high performance option to bridge the gap between the amateur and professional game. Several players attached to Major League Rugby clubs took to the field on Saturday with UBC, Pacific Pride, and the Crimson Tide emerging victorious in Round 1.

Damian McGrath
The former Canada Sevens coach can take a bow after his Germany side produced some truly remarkable results at the Edmonton 7s. Their upset of Great Britain on Day One was arguably topped by the win over the USA on Day Two that saw the Wolfpack finish in 5th place. One-score defeats to Ireland and Kenya suggest that Germany deserves a chance to prove themselves in a fully fledged tournament when the Series reconvenes in November.

Los Pumas – La Nueva Generación
Changes are under way in Los Pumas. They are taking place in front of our eyes. There is a new generation or La Nueva Generación taking shape. Numerous names from RWC 2019 are unable to command positions as fresh faces are being selected instead. The changes come across the team and include switching of positions with a center at fullback, a fullback at fly half, and a flanker at N8. Based on evidence in the ongoing Rugby Championship places in the team are wide open.

Creevy and MacGinty star in high-scoring draw
The Sale Sharks and London Irish competed to a 31-31 draw on Sunday. The English Premiership fixture featured strong performances from former Argentine captain Agustín Creevy and current U.S. captain, AJ MacGinty. Creevy was a try scorer for London Irish and MacGinty was for Sale. MacGinty also kicked five goals to finish with a personal haul of 16 points. Creevy’s team came back from a 17 point deficit. Meanwhile the Eagles will be hoping MacGinty’s departure at halftime was only precautionary.

Dream start for Tomás Albornoz in URC
Tomás Albornoz made his debut for Benetton this past weekend. It was a tough assignment for the Argentine fly half. His first taste of the United Rugby Championship (URC) was against South African side the Stormers. Benetton pulled-off a 22-18 upset, doing so with Albornoz being named as man of the match. He was not the only Argentine involved in the win; indeed, Iván Nemer was a try scorer for the Italian side.

Lucas Mensa is on fire in the Pro D2
Unwanted by Mario Ledesma in 2021, Lucas Mensa is putting up his hand for the November Internationals. The 25-year-old ran in two tries for Mont-de-Marsan this past week. His double was part of a 43-8 victory over Agen. He also scored against Bressane in week two. Mont de Marsan are top of the Pro D2 after five rounds.

 

UNDER

Las Vegas Rugby Cup cancelled
The October 30 test between the USA and Ireland is officially off. Dubbed the Las Vegas Rugby Cup, the match was due to take place at Allegiant Stadium but ongoing border restrictions which prevent Irish fans from traveling to the game have put the plans on ice. Organizers hope to reschedule in 2022. The good news is there are no such restrictions in place that will prevent the October 23 match against New Zealand at FedEx Field from taking place.

Wheels fall off for Argentina in Rugby Championship
Argentina were well beaten on Saturday by Australia in Townsville. The wheels of Los Pumas came off as the Wallabies were on top for the full 80 minutes and never looked like losing. The 27-8 loss was very different to the 2020 fixtures wherein Mario Ledesma’s team competed to two draws against the Wallabies. Los Pumas go in to the final match with a 0-5 record in the 2021 Rugby Championship.

Uruguay lose veteran scrum-half for Americas 1 showdown
Agustín Ormaechea will not play for Uruguay next month. The veteran of 51 test caps and 2 Rugby World Cups has been ruled out of October’s test matches through injury. Ormaechea was the starting scrum-half for Los Teros in July. Uruguay defeated Chile and Brazil in Montevideo to secure the South America 1 spot for the October series against North America 1, the USA.

Rugby Championship Captains Photo minus a captain
Julián Montoya was missing from the official Rugby Championship captain’s photo. The photo was supposed to be taken earlier in the competition but was postponed twice after requests from New Zealand and South Africa. Early last week Argentina were told the photo would not be taken, only for it to then take place without their presence. This left a sour taste in the mouth of coach Mario Ledesma and drew heavy criticism on social media. SANZAAR and Rugby Australia have since offered a formal apology to Argentina for the embarrassing PR blunder.

Lezana and Moroni join Argentina’s injured list
Mario Ledesma has changed players throughout the Rugby Championship. There is a willingness to try new players; notwithstanding, starting players, reserves, and wider roster players have all been hit with injuries. Matías Moroni and Tomás Lezana both missed this past weekend’s match. Neither player will feature in the final round. They join a host of players such as Rodrigo Bruni, Facundo Isa, Tomás Cubelli, Jerónimo de la Fuente, Matías Orlando, and Nicolás Sánchez in missing matches.

World Sevens Series status
While the events in Vancouver and Edmonton produced some entertaining rugby with many new names taking the stage, it must be questioned why World Rugby insisted in granting the tournaments full Sevens Series status. No doubt the marketers had to be appeased. South Africa won at a canter without the likes of Fiji, New Zealand, or even a full strength USA side to challenge them. The Blitzboks will have enjoyed the afterparty but even they will be laughing at the suggestion that they are World Series champions after two glorified training sessions.