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

Peñarol outlast Dogos to become Super Rugby Americas Champions
Peñarol can add a star to their jerseys. The Uruguayan are the Super Rugby Americas 2023 champions. Peñarol overcame Córdoba side Los Dogos in the final at Montevideo’s Estadio Charrúa on Friday. A first half blitz put Peñarol into a dominant lead before Los Dogos fought back as the match was only decided at the final whistle.

Chile Begin Rugby World Cup Preparations
Chile is in Rugby World Cup mode. Head Coach Pablo Lemoine has confirmed a list of 46 players to begin preparations for France 2023. The final roster will see 33 men named on Chile’s World Cup roster. Of note is that every player is home-grown. As expected, Lemoine’s roster is heavily based on Selknam. The professional Chilean team was established following RWC 2019.

USA to represent North America at u20 Trophy
The USA have qualified for the World Rugby u20 Trophy after sweeping Canada in their two-game qualifying series in Spartanburg. A final score of 39-14 in the second match on Saturday left the aggregate score of 82-35 in favor of the Americans. It’s the first time they have qualified for the tournament since 2016. It was last contested in 2019 due to the pandemic.

USA Edge Colombia in Historic Showdown
The USA Women’s u23 side overcame Colombia 27-24 in what was an historic showdown. Played at the Estádio Nogueirão in Greater São Paulo, USA u23 were the winning team. Their narrow win followed what was a 15-15 draw against hosts Brazil in their opening match.

NOLA hang on against Dallas
The NOLA Gold did just enough to hang on for a 15-10 victory over the Dallas Jackals at Choctaw Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Played in stifling heat, the conditions made for a largely stop-start affair with both teams struggling to build any continuity. Their frustration boiled over in off-the-ball scuffles that left the referee exasperated at times.

Another win record for the Legion
San Diego recovered from a poor start in Toronto to brush aside the Arrows by a final score of 50-17 on Sunday. The Legion remarkably trailed 17-7 at the intermission, but put in a try-scoring clinic in the second half to both clinch the Western Conference title and set a new Major League Rugby record for most regular season wins with 14 eclipsing the mark set by New England last year.

No worries for New York against ATL
It was a formality at this stage, but New York have now ticked all the boxes required for re-entry to the postseason. The defending champion Ironworkers outscored Rugby ATL five tries to three en route to a comfortable 39-24 victory at Silverbacks Park on Saturday.

Free Jacks pass Seattle test with flying colors
The New England Free Jacks made it nine wins in a row with a 34-26 result over the Seattle Seawolves on Sunday. It was an impressive performance from the visitors who were resting several frontline players, though it ultimately has no bearing on the final standings of the regular season.

Pumas into French Top 14 Final
The French Final will be between La Rochelle and Toulouse. The former earned their place in the final with a dominant win over Bordeaux. Joel Sclavi and Santiago Cordero were involved. The later will continue his career in Ireland. Juan Imhoff and Santiago Chocobares started on opposing teams for Racing 92 and Toulouse. Juan Cruz Mallía is expected back fit to join Chocoabres in the final.

 

UNDER

Brazil winless at home
Colombia were 18-15 winners over Brazil on Sunday. Played at the Estádio Dutrinha in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso the away team rebounded from their narrow loss against the USA u23 to end the Americas Rugby Trophy on a high. The match was the third and final fixture of the Americas Rugby Trophy. Brazil and Colombia will meet again next month in Medellín. Matches are set for July 05 and 09 in the Colombian city. A place is on the line at the WXV, the new world league.

Utah’s playoff hopes dashed thanks to Domínguez magic
The Chicago Hounds pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season as they defeated the Utah Warriors 26-24 at Zions Bank Stadium on Saturday night. Julián Domínguez was the star of the show with a hat trick including the knockout blow with time expired. The Warriors are now out of the playoff race to the benefit of the SaberCats, who will return to the postseason for a second straight year.

Second-choice DC no match for Houston
The Houston SaberCats cruised to a 31-7 bonus point win over Old Glory on Friday night to take another step towards a spot in the postseason. DC took a calculated risk by resting several of their front line players with an eye towards bigger games, but it may well have conceded home field advantage to New York for the opening round of the playoffs.

All-Canadian Arrows fall short against Legion
It might have felt good for the 60-odd seconds it lasted, but one has to wonder the wisdom of Toronto choosing to advertise an ‘All-Canadian’ (*eligible) team against San Diego instead of playing their best from the start. They held their own in the first half – even taking the lead – but once San Diego shook off the jetlag it was one-way traffic.

No Room for all of them from Peñarol
Peñarol were deserved Super Rugby Americas 2023 champions. With the celebrations ending now the attention turns to World Cup preparations. ARN has estimated a big number, 21 players, for Los Teros‘ World Cup roster. Even then there will be casualties. Nervous month ahead for many. Consider back-row – Manuel Ardao, Lucas Bianchi, Santiago Civetta, Manuel Diana, Eric Dosantos, Carlos Deus, Juan Manuel Rodríguez are all competing for spots as are professionals based abroad.

London Irish Gone, English Rugby in Crisis and Pumas now on the Market
London Irish is the third Premiership club to go bust this season. This follows the demise of Wasps and the Worcester Warriors. England Rugby (RFU) removed London Irish from next season on the basis that the club is unable to guarantee payment for the 2023-2024 season. The outcome means that Pumas will now be on the market. Lucio Cinti, Agustín Creevy, Facundo Gigena, Juan Martín González and Ignacio Ruiz played for the club in the recently completed 2022-2023 season. Some are certainties for the World Cup this year.