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

Toronto Arrows find their Target
The Toronto Arrows enjoyed their best outing of the season against Old Glory DC in the latest round of MLR. Playing at Segra Field, the Canadian side put on a dominant display to win 29-5. The result means that the Toronto Arrows season is now 2-2. Toronto now has a week off before returning on March 12 to play the New England Free Jacks in Boston.

Awesome AG’s at the top of MLR
In a battle of two undefeated MLR teams, the Seattle Seawolves played host to the Austin Gilgronis on Saturday evening. With an impressive second-half showing, the Gilgronis’ won 25-18 on the road. With it Austin are top of the MLR with a 4-0 record thus far in MLR 2022. Next up for the AG’s is a home match against the LA Giltinis.

New York trample Jackals in Dallas
Unseasonably cold weather wasn’t enough to throw Rugby New York off their game in Dallas. The visitors came away with comprehensive 41-5 victory over the Jackals at Choctaw Stadium on Saturday evening. The set piece set the stage as New York’s forwards had their way with their opposites.

San Diego Conquer Houston
The San Diego Legion secured a 31-20 win over the Houston SaberCats at a chilly AVEVA Stadium on Saturday evening. A back-and-forth first half saw the home side holding a slender lead, but the visitors took control in the second half to score 13 unanswered points.

Competitive Cafeteros Pro for SLAR 2022
A 30-man roster will take to the field wearing the colors of Los Cafeteros Pro in the 2022 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby. The Colombian entrant will have 10 players from Colombia and 20 from Argentina. It is more Argentines and less Colombians than in 2021 but with there being no RWC qualifiers for Colombia this year, the design of the team as being competitive is the outcome. On paper the team looks very capable of winning games this year.

Angus MacLellan Reaches MLR 50
Angus MacLellan was recognized by the Utah Warriors at their March 5 home opener against the Dallas Jackals for becoming the first player in MLR history to reach 50 appearances. The USA international has remarkably appeared in every single game for the Warriors to date. He came off the bench for the first time on May 15th of last year, a run of 37 consecutive starts at tighthead prop.

Paul Lasike Homecoming
Paul Lasike will return to the Utah Warriors next month. Harlequins have agreed to release the USA Eagles star from his contract early. Lasike is currently on loan to RFU Championship side London Scottish but will continue to be available for the Premiership side during the international window. His return is a boost to the Utah Warriors as well as to the USA Eagles who face Chile in RWC Qualifiers in July.

 

UNDER

World Cup Dream over for Colombia
The dream came to an end on Friday for Colombia; Los Tucanes will not play at the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup. The Colombians were eliminated in the final qualifying match, losing 59-3 against Scotland in Dubai. The South Americans return home proud of themselves.

Questionable Referee Appointments
Colombia’s two matches in Dubai were officiated entirely in English. This was a clear disadvantage for Colombia, where English fluency is not common. South America has full-time professional referees who are bilingual. Appointing one of them from Argentina, Chile, or Uruguay would have ensured clear communication for all players.

Dallas Jackals Searching for It
The Dallas Jackals are now 0-4 in their inaugural MLR season. After a positive performance against Houston their scrum fell apart against New York. Without bringing in some tight five personnel it’s hard to see how they can fix that issue. Next up they have to face the Utah Warriors, who have two USA Eagles tightheads licking their lips.

Wooden Spoon beckoning for Old Glory DC
Old Glory DC were handed a heavy defeat this past weekend. The 29-5 loss against the Toronto Arrows continues the winless season. Old Glory DC are 0-4 and in danger of claiming the wooden spoon. The immediate future is not so promising either as Old Glory DC take on the San Diego Legion in California this coming weekend.

Jamason loses control against Arrows
This might be a joint ‘under’ both for Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz and the match officials in Saturday’s game. Old Glory’s star No8 is understandably frustrated, but clubbed Toronto’s Lucas Rumball twice in the head in an unsavory incident that forced the Arrows flanker off with his eye swollen shut. The officials completely missed the act during the game despite a brief TMO review. No doubt the officials in question face a harsh post-game review, while Fa’anana-Schultz is likely to be in front of a judiciary early this week.

Red Card for 2022 World Rugby u20’s
World Rugby announced the cancellation of the 2022 u20 Championship and Trophy tournaments, at the same time confirming the return of the flagship age-grade competitions in 2023. In other words, the tournaments will not take place in 2022. This is the third consecutive year that the events will not take place due to the pandemic.

Iván Nemer the hooker for 13-man Italy
Argentine prop Iván Nemer was an early replacement for Italy against Ireland on Sunday. He came on to play hooker after Gianmarco Lucchesi had left with a broken arm and his replacement, Hame Faiva, was red carded for a dangerous tackle. With no specialized hooker left, Italy were forced to remove another player to enable uncontested scrums. The farce directly ended the prospects of a competitive contest. To make matters worse Italy finished the match with 12 men.