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

Argentina cap 7s season with Cup victory in London
Argentina put a wrap on a highly successful World Sevens Series campaign with a 35-14 Cup Final victory over Fiji in London on Sunday. It marks the third Gold result for Los Pumas this season with overall winners New Zealand above them on the final standings. Agustín Fraga’s double led Argentina past Ireland in the Quarter Final, and then a late try from Santiago Álvarez was the difference against Samoa in the Semis. Rodrigo Isgro and Marcos Moneta both touched down twice in the final against Fiji.

Canada retain World Series Core Status
Canada’s Men team will be one of 12 core teams on next season’s World Sevens Series. A late try from Alex Russell gave them a dramatic 12-7 win over Kenya in the Relegation Playoff Final. As a result the Shujaa drop out of the circuit having held core status since the 2004-05 campaign. The Maple Leafs booked their place in the Final with a blowout win over Tonga in their final round-robin match. Russell and Jack Carson each notched hat tricks.

Dallas upset ATL for first ever road victory
The Dallas Jackals celebrated their first ever victory away from home as they upset Rugby ATL 27-19 at Silverbacks Park on Saturday afternoon. It was an historic achievement for the Jackals who are still celebrating. Their next match will be against New York on June 04.

Three Argentines Named in World Sevens 2023 Dream Team
The end of the World Rugby Sevens Series season sees the naming of the Dream Team. Argentina is the most represented team. Three Argentines were named in the Sevens Dream Team on the 2023 World Sevens Circuit. The trio are Marcos Moneta, Rodrigo Isgró, and Luciano González Rizzoni. All three had outstanding seasons.

Pampas Book Semi Final by overcoming champions and Torrential Rain
Los Pampas secured a place in the Super Rugby Americas Semi Finals. The team from Buenos Aires upset Peñarol in Montevideo on Friday. Joaquín de la Vega Mendía scored all 16 points for Los Pampas in what was a 16-10 win. Los Pampas now turn their attention to Yacare. The teams will meet in Buenos Aires in the final round of the regular season.

Joel Sclavi becomes two-time European Champion with La Rochelle
Joel Sclavi is now a two-time European champion. Sclavi featured as a replacement at loose head prop for La Rochelle. The French Top 14 side defeated United Rugby Championship (URC) side Leinster 27-26 in Dublin, Ireland. Sclavi entered the match late in the third quarter. When he entered Leinster held a 26-20 lead. Sclavi helped claim the lead. His bulk was part of what is a gigantic pack of forwards. A year ago he and La Rochelle defeated Leinster 24-21 in the final.

Facundo Isa wins European Challenge Cup Title
It has been an excellent season for Facundo Isa. He has been on top of his game; a place on the World Cup roster is a forgone conclusion. Isa is well placed to have a starting role for Argentina at the World Cup. He recovered rom injury to feature for Toulon in the Challenge Cup Final against the Glasgow Warriors. Toulon won with ease. Italy’s former Argentine captain Sergio Parisse scored for Toulon while former Puma Sebastián Cancelliere scored for Glasgow.

Argentines Win Try of the Season in English Premiership and URC
Argentines have made a massive impact in Europe this season. So much so that the best tries in two of the three elite competitions were scored by Argentines. The winners are both from the northern Argentine rugby stronghold of Tucumán and are from the same club: Los Tarcos. The best try of the 2022-2023 English Premiership season went to Mateo Carreras. The best try of the United Rugby Championship (URC) season went to Joaquín Riera.

Agustín Pichot returns to World Rugby Council
The former captain of Los Pumas and Vice Chairman of World Rugby now has a seat as an Argentine representative. It comes at a notable time. Under Beaumont, the Men’s Rugby World Cup has not been expanded. RWC 2003 and 2007 hosts France and Australia are back hosting the 2027 and 2023 tournaments. Player eligibility tightening has been loosened with Beaumont’s actions enabling RWC 1999 eligibility cheaters Scotland and Wales to actively approach and select players capped by Australia and England. The top three positions at World Rugby are all occupied by British men. World Rugby’s referee appointments for Rugby World Cup 2023 are also British-Centric.

 

UNDER

SOS sent out for Canadian Men’s test team
The full list of summer internationals includes a busy schedule for World Cup participants and for the USA. Canada, however, are conspicuously absent. A tour to the South Pacific to play Tonga and two unrevealed teams appears to have been cancelled, with Ikale Tahi coach Toutai Kefu confirming that they are now in search of a new opponent.

Cruel Blow for Uruguay 7’s
While Canada retained their Core Status, Los Teros are out. Los Teros 7’s were the first to defeat Kenya, but the 14-10 result meant that Uruguay missed out on the Final on points differential. It was a cruel blow to both Kenya and Uruguay, who will now have to suffer the financial implications of losing core status. This was the first full season on the circuit for Uruguay, who entered the Relegation Playoff as the highest-ranked of the four teams.

Shock Horror for ATL
A home loss against the Dallas Jackals comes as shock poor for Rugby ATL. The catastrophic result saw the home side taking no competition points from the match. ATL now need help from others to have any hope of making the Eastern Conference playoffs. Next up is a tough match on the road against the Utah Warriors.

Make it a Double Draw for Toronto Arrows
The Toronto Arrows competed to back-to-back draws in MLR. The second was a 29-29 stalemate against Old Glory DC at York Lions Stadium on Thursday. A late try from D’Shawn Bowen evened things up and left DC disappointed after missing out on two competition points that could prove vital in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Early Exit for Rotating Selknam
It was a cliffhanger of a match. Both Selknam and Yacare were competing for a Semi Final spot. Yacare pulled-off a 20-19 win to join Peñarol, Los Dogos and Los Pampas in the Super Rugby Americas 2023 Semi Finals. Selknam ultimately did not perform to the required level often enough this season. At the center of analysis will be player rotation; World Cup priorities meant stability in selection was weak compared to other sides.