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

Chile on top of the South American 7’s World
Chile are the 2022 South American 7’s champions. Los Cóndores 7’s won the title by defeating Argentina 21-12 in the final. This was after a comprehensive 29-5 Semi Final victory over Paraguay. Brazil defeated Paraguay 29-12 to win the Bronze Final. In all seven countries competed at the Costa Rica Sevens event. They were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Brazil end 2022 on a high with away win over Paraguay
Brazil ended 2022 on a high. Os Tupis defeated Paraguay 34-19 to finish the Cross Border tournament in Asunción, Paraguay. The match was officially contested between the national ‘A’ sides, meaning it was an uncapped contest. Brazil outscored Paraguay by four tries to three. In doing so Brazil claimed their first win of the Cross Border. Robert Tenório and Leonardo Silva both scored two tries each.

Paraguay down Argentine provincial stronghold Tucumán
Paraguay celebrated a home win over Tucumán on Wednesday. The Paraguayans defeated the Argentine province by 31-23 at the Estádio Héroes de Curupayti in Asunción. The match was game four of six of the Cross Border competition. Los Naranjas fielded an experimental line-up against a Paraguayan team stacked with players from the Olímpia Lions. There was nonetheless some rotation with regular starting fly half Sebastián Urbieta on the bench. Martín Sitjar and Gianfranco Parodi were additional names of note who featured as replacements.

Brazil book place in 2023 Pan American Games
Brazil secured the 8th and final place at the Men’s Rugby Sevens at the 2023 Pan American Games. Brazil qualified on Saturday after beating Paraguay at the Costa Rica Sevens. Brazil will compete in Santiago 2023 alongside Argentina, Canada, Chile, Jamaica, Mexico, Uruguay, and the USA. Brazil’s Women will also compete at the 2023 Pan American Games.

Olympic veterans return for Canada in Dubai
Canada welcomes back two members of the Tokyo Olympic team to the roster for Dubai next weekend. Julia Greenshields and Charity Williams return after an extended absence to bolster the squad for the opening tournament of the season in Dubai. With this season doubling as a qualifier for Paris 2024, there will be real pressure on the team to build on a fairly average 2021-22 campaign.

Utah Warriors unveil roster for 2023 season
The first Major League Rugby team to confirm their full roster for the coming season is Utah. There is unprecedented strength in depth for the Warriors heading into 2023, with a dozen reinforcements all told between new signings and Collegiate Draft picks. With Greg Cooper joining as Head Coach, the team looks poised to make a serious push for a return to the postseason this coming year.

No Shortage of Argentine Tries in Europe
It was a productive weekend in Europe for Argentines. Captain Julián Montoya scored for the Leicester Tigers in their 33-31 win over London Irish. Mateo Carreras scored in a win for Newcastle while Santiago Socino scored in a Gloucester defeat. Sebastián Cancelliere scored for Glasgow in a heavy loss against Leinster. Juan Imhoff and Bautista Delguy scored tries for rival teams in Racing 92 vs Clermont. Facundo Isa scored for Toulon who won away to Stade Français. Martín Bogado scored for a losing Bayonne.

 

UNDER

Jamaica fall to Gibraltar
Jamaica took on Gibraltar in an international match on Saturday. Played at Billesley Common in Birmingham, England, the fixture had a neutral setting for what was the second fixture between the teams in three years. A strong second-half showing from the Europeans saw them going on to complete a well-earned 36-18 victory.

Venezuela Arrive late in Costa Rica
Venezuela fell to 28-0 defeats against Brazil and Paraguay on Saturday. The losses were without playing; a late arrival following flight problems meant two W.O’s. Venezuela were able to play in their final match on Saturday. A strong performance saw Las Orquídeas handing Costa Rica a 31-0 defeat.

Chile and Uruguay lacking RWC warm-up vs Pumas
Los Pumas’ fixture list for 2023 is being finalized. There are presently no matches between Argentina and Chile or Uruguay. Both teams will play at the World Cup. The plans are for Los Pumas to rest in August; though, there is room for rotation and experimentation ahead of the roster announcement. Argentina’s Rugby World Cup campaign will begin on September 09 against England.

Canada and Henry Paul Part Ways
Henry Paul stepped down as Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Sevens team this past week. The change comes ahead of the Dubai Sevens, and two weeks after the opening tournament of the World Series in Hong Kong where Canada finished in 10th spot. Sean White takes over for now.