Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly exclusive on Americas Rugby News. It takes a dive into the best and worst involving Americas Rugby from the past week.

UP

Eagles earn victory over Leonas in Madrid
The USA overcame a stern challenge from Spain on Saturday with a late try from Hope Rogers securing a 20-14 result in Madrid. It was a close contest throughout, with Las Leonas trailing by just two points at halftime and fighting back to hold a one point lead after 70 minutes.

Canada hammer South Africa
Canada scored a one-sided 66-7 victory over South Africa in Madrid on Saturday. Seven different players scored tries for the Maple Leafs, including a hat-trick from Fancy Bermudez on debut. Both teams will be back in action at the same location this coming Saturday. South Africa will look for a better result against hosts Spain, while Canada face the USA in a neutral-venue clash that will double as the first round of the Pacific Four.

No World Cup spot but healthy Fixtures for USA
Romania will play one home test match and two away test matches in August. The Americas is included with Romania’s first match in August to be against the USA in Bucharest. The match is the second confirmed match for the USA in August. The Eagles missed out on qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2023. The USA were eliminated at the final hurdle by Portugal. The outcome is that RWC 2023 will be the first Men’s Rugby World Cup without a North American competitor.

Argentina’s World Cup Radar
Argentina’s target is in sight. The target is Los Pumas’ opening match of Rugby World Cup 2023. Argentina face England in Marseille on September 09. Indications are very good for Argentina. There is fierce competition for places on the roster; notable names will miss out. Argentines are in fine form across Rugby’s elite leagues around the world.

Red Hot Finish by Peñarol
It was tough. It was tense. It was competitive. It got personal at times. There were no Argentines playing in this match. It was El Clásico. Chileans and Uruguayans competing for Selknam and Peñarol put on a Super Rugby Americas’ match to remember on Friday. The match featured seven tries. The final result was a 35-24 win by the visitors from Uruguay. They sealed it with three late scores. The rugby played was Caliente.

Dogos Hold On to Super Rugby Americas Top Spot
With Peñarol in hot pursuit of Los Dogos‘ spot at the top of the Super Rugby Americas table, the Córdoba side responded well on Friday. Los Dogos completed an away win over the American Raptors at Infinity Park in Colorado. Teenagers Agustín Moyano and Juan Bautista Baronio are emerging as Pumas of the future.

Gold Shining Bright
After a rough start to the season, the Gold are starting to shine after securing their third win in a row with a 20-17 result over Old Glory at Segra Field on Saturday. It was a tight contest from start to finish with the boot of Tito Díaz Bonilla giving DC a 12-10 lead at the half, only for a late Rodney Iona penalty goal to secure the victory for NOLA.

Sensational 40 from Utah
A sensational 39-point second half scoring explosion gave the Utah Warriors a 47-19 victory over the Toronto Arrows at Zions Bank Stadium on Saturday. The injury-depleted visitors remarkably led 12-8 at halftime and 19-18 at the hour mark, but ran out of gas in the final quarter. Joe Mano led the way for the Warriors with a hat trick.

Explosive Start from Houston
The SaberCats scored a 40-28 victory over Rugby ATL in Houston on Saturday evening. It saw the home side exploding with 35 unanswered points to start the game, but the visitors fought back to salvage a losing bonus point with a more concerted effort in the second half.

Argentines Score Tries in Leading Professional Leagues
There were many tries from Argentines in leading professional leagues over the weekend. Martín Bogado scored two for the Highlanders in their big win in New Zealand. Domingo Miotti completed his comeback with a try for Glasgow in the United Rugby Championship while Joaquin Riera did so for Benetton. In England Julián Montoya scored two for the Leicester Tigers. In France Santiago Chocobares scored for Toulouse, Joel Sclavi scored for La Rochelle and Bautista Delguy scored for Clermont. Facundo Bosch scored for Bayonne in the Top 14 match relocated to San Sebastián, Spain.

The Uruguayan Cat is back
Juan Manuel Cat is back only playing on the other side of the Rio de La Plata. Cat debuted in the URBA Top 12 for CUBA on Saturday. CUBA were 54-17 winners over Pucará. Cat had a strong performance for the Buenos Aires club. Maybe, just maybe could there be a pathway for Cat to return to the test arena for Uruguay? Cat was a leading back for Los Teros at RWC 2019. He scored in the historic win over Fiji.

Two Argentines debut in Super Rugby Pacific
Ariana Pérez made her debut for the Melbourne Rebels. From Córdoba, Argentina Pérez played flanker for the Rebels against the Reds. In the professional Men’s competition Pedro Rolando made his debut for the Brumbies. The scrum-half did so at the age of 33. There was also a debut in England. Mayco Vivas completed his return from injury to make his first appearance for Gloucester.

UNDER

World Rugby’s plans lock out World Cup 2031 hosts
World Rugby is pushing ahead with an inter-hemispheric competition every two years. What was once presented as the Nations Championship is back as a World League. It is a lose-lose for the Americas. Neither Canada nor the USA will return to hosting a Six Nations opponent in the mid-year windows. They will miss out on playing these teams both at home or away. It is a hammer blow to both after having missed out on qualifying for RWC 2023.

Jamaica lose at the death against Gibraltar
Jamaica fell to a loss at the death against Gibraltar on Saturday. Played in front of a full-house at Europa Sports Park, the home side came back from a 12-7 half-time deficit to complete a 20-15 win. The match continues the growing rivalry between Jamaica and Gibraltar.

Game Over for Nick Civetta
Nick Civetta has brought a close to his rugby career. The New York native hangs up the boots at the age of 33, having played 35 tests and playing for professional clubs in Italy, England, France, and the USA. A relative latecomer to the sport after taking it up in college, Civetta’s size and athleticism made him a natural fit. At 6’8″ (2.03m) he was a towering figure at the lineout but developed his overall game leading to selection for the 2019 World Cup.

Major League Rugby Kick-Off Times
Match scheduling in Major League Rugby continues to be a frustration. Matches begin before another finishes or two matches begin simultaneously. This was the case on Saturday. Old Glory DC vs NOLA Gold was at 3pm Eastern. New England Free Jacks vs Dallas Jackals and Utah Warriors vs Toronto Arrows both started at 4:30pm. While broadcasters, venues, and teams all have their say, with a maximum of six games each weekend more must be done to spread out the schedule and encourage fans to take in neutral action.

Lightning strikes in Chicago
In a first for Major League Rugby, the match in Chicago between the Hounds and Seawolves was forced to be abandoned at halftime due to a lightning storm above SeatGeek Stadium. The fans lost 40 minutes of action and Seattle missed out on a certain bonus point as they held a 27-5 lead after 40 minutes.

Dallas Jackaled by Free Jacks
For a second straight week the Dallas Jackals came oh-so-close to ending their losing streak, only to be denied by a single point at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday. New England did just enough to squeak through with a 10-9 victory in wet and chilly Quincy conditions.

Utah lose Vugakoto to suspension
Utah are without hooker Tuvere Vugakoto for 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.

Ilona Maher Out of World Sevens Series
Women’s Eagles stalwart Ilona Maher has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Sevens Series. The 26-year-old suffered a broken ankle in training last weekend and will miss out on the tournaments in Hong Kong later this month and Toulouse in May. Maher has been an ever-present in the USA side since first earning selection in 2018.

Concerns for Matías Orlando and Argentina’s Plans
Friday’s match between the Newcastle Falcons and Gloucester saw Matías Orlando off early. He left holding his right arm following a collision. The nasty incident is certain to see him out of action. The question is for how long? Orlando has his name carved onto Argentina’s roster for Rugby World Cup 2023. He covers both center positions and is a strong shot at starting in the biggest matches.