Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
New England have lifted the lid on another unexpected returnee. Slade McDowall follows Jesse Parete in returning from New Zealand, adding to an already stacked New England back row stable. McDowall was a key factor in the team’s success last year and is nearing a full return to action after suffering a back injury during the NPC. Do the Free Jacks have another wild card to play? Watch this space.
Josh Larsen is still awaiting results from an MRI scan on his shoulder but is hopeful he’ll be back in the second half of the regular season. Reegan O’Gorman and Le Roux Malan were both at training on Thursday and are also nearing returns from knee and thumb injuries respectively.
Chicago have reinforced their pack with the addition of former Eagles lock John Cullen. An integral member of Utah’s scrum from 2018 to 2020, he opted for an early retirement but the competitive fires still burn and at 32 years old he should have plenty left in the thank. Expect Cullen to suit up against Seattle this weekend.
Old Glory have been hit hard by injuries. Kurt Baker was concussed early on in the game against the Arrows. Meanwhile captain Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz confirmed on the latest edition of US Rugby Happy Hour that wingers Junior Sa’u and Peni Lasaqa are both sidelined, and vice-captain Stan South’s season is over. DC are in the process of obtaining visa clearance for a replacement second row.
The Arrows also took some knocks at Segra Field. With Shane O’Leary already out with a head injury suffered in training, Noel Reid went down early in the game and failed his HIA. Tautalatasi Tasi twisted his knee awkwardly in a collision with Fa’anana-Schultz and there is no update yet on how long the first choice midfield pairing will be out.
Utah will be without hooker Tuvere Vugakoto for the next three games. The Fijian international was sent off after a TMO review against NOLA Gold for a glancing forearm to the chin and neck area of scrumhalf Luke Campbell. Despite appearing to be a low-end offense, the judiciary decided it was mid-range and he’ll now be sidelined until the April 15 game against Seattle.
Dallas will have the services of Martín Elías against New England as the flyhalf’s own three-week suspension was reduced by one week. They won’t have scrumhalf Pedro Imhoff, however, and there is doubt over hooker Tomás Baravalle and winger Eric Naposki after both came off injured against Chicago.
The mystery over NOLA’s initial lineup against Utah has been resolved. With a limit of 10 players in their match day 23, the Gold named 11 who were not domestic-eligible against the Warriors. The explanation seemed to be that flyhalf Reece Botha was given an exemption by the league office.
A late change before kickoff, however, saw Jordan Trainor drop out of the squad and Jack Webster starting on the wing. That brought the lineup into compliance with their 10-import limit. An MLR representative confirmed that Botha was listed as domestic on the first team sheet, but it was in fact an error that was corrected before game time and Botha does not have an exemption. The former Lindenwood standout will be US-qualified on residency next season.
