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

Colombia Strike Double Gold at Central American & Caribbean Games
Colombia enjoyed an outstanding campaign at the XXIV Juegos Centroamericanos y del Caribe in San Salvador, El Salvador. Colombia won Gold in both the Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens events at the  2023 Central American & Caribbean Games. In the Women’s Mexico claimed Silver and Venezuela Bronze while in the Men’s Jamaica claimed Silver and Mexico Bronze.

National Pride and Independence at heart of Argentina 2023 Jerseys
Unveiled on Wednesday, Los Pumas showed what they will be wearing throughout the year. In sticking to tradition, the UAR has retained the white and sky-blue hooped jersey as the main jersey. The alternative jersey is a new look. The model pays tribute to Los Granaderos. It brings together the idea of Argentina’s independence and the passion of the players led by Julián Montoya and all those who have worn the shirt before them.

New Names Get Eagles Opportunities 
Uncapped players Jake Turnbull and Mason Pedersen got the call, along with San Diego hooker Shilo Klein, Utah prop Takaji Young Yen, and Irish loose forward Paddy Ryan. Former Italian player Tommaso Boni also receives a call-up. The roster is dominated by MLR players.

Pumas with surprise scrum-half inclusion for All Blacks in Mendoza
Uncapped Ignacio Inchauspe received a late call-up from Michael Cheika. Inchauspe joins Los Pumas with neither Tomás Cubelli nor Gonzalo García is consideration to face New Zealand in Mendoza. Both played little this past season due to injuries. The latter is in a race against time to be fit in time for warm-up matches.

Free Jacks overwhelm Old Glory to claim East Conference title
The New England Free Jacks punched their ticket to their first ever Championship Final with a dominant 25-7 win over Old Glory DC on Saturday. A strong crowd at Veteran Memorial Stadium watched their home side claim the Eastern Conference title in style with a shutout for over 70 minutes.

Legion dominate Seawolves en route to Championship Final return
The San Diego Legion are heading to their second Championship Final after dominating the Seattle Seawolves 32-10 at Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday. A stifling defense left the visitors frustrated while the home side punished every mistake by their guests. It’s off to Chicago for the Legion, who will face off against the New England Free Jacks at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday.

 

 

UNDER

Canada, USA, Uruguay and Chile miss out in New International Competition
Canada, USA, Uruguay and Chile are among those set to miss out in the new International Competition. The new competition will alter the July Internationals and November Internationals. No longer will they be for tours; instead, matches will be played in a World League format. The catch is that the competition is for a select group of teams. Tier 2 teams will play other Tier 2 teams.

Pumitas Stung Hard by Georgia in Junior World Championship
Los Pumitas were blown off the park of Danie Craven Stadium on Thursday. Georgia were 20-0 winners over Argentina in the second round of the World Rugby Junior World Championship. The result was the second loss Argentina has suffered at the hands of Georgia at u20 level. The previous defeat was 26-25 in 2017.

Suspension ends Blair Cowan’s season
The San Diego Legion finish the season without their captain. Blair Cowan was handed a four-week suspension after being sent off in the second half against the Seawolves in the final round of the regular season. He missed the Western Conference Final against Seattle this past weekend. Cowan received his walking orders after a head-high tackle on Seattle winger Jeremiah Sio.

Trio Suspended Following MLR Brawl
Three players have paid the price for the brawl during Chicago’s win over the Jackals in Arlington. Conrado Roura and Maclean Jones each received three-week bans after being sent off, and Alejandro Torres received the same punishment after being cited. None of the suspensions will carry over to next season.

Howard Departs MLR
NOLA hooker Eric Howard was plagued with a recurring knee injury in MLR 2023. He has decided to call it a day to pursue a career in law enforcement. The 29-year-old joined the Gold for their inaugural season in 2018 and has made over 50 appearances since to go with 32 test caps and selection the 2019 World Cup.

Thomas is Arrowed Out
Versatile Arrows forward Corey Thomas has been forced to call it quits after suffering concussion just one game into the 2023 campaign, his only regular season appearance for the club. The 28-year-old was part of the title-winning LA Giltinis side in 2021 and played 11 internationals for Canada.

Eagles add Azzurri center after losing Lamositele
The musical chairs that has now beset international rugby continues. Former Italy center Tommaso Boni has been called up to the USA Eagles squad for their August international series against Romania, Portugal, and Georgia. He previously played 11 tests for the Azzurri between 2016 and 2018. The 30-year-old from Zebre is eligible to switch allegiance through his grandfather who was born in New York. This follows the USA losing star homegrown prop Titi Lamositele to Samoa.

Rugby World Cup Dream Ends for Ignacio Calles
The Rugby World Cup dream has ended for Ignacio Calles. The Argentine loose head prop suffered a ruptured achilles tendon which will require surgery. He will miss all of Argentina’s test matches in 2023. Calles is the second Puma forced out of the World Cup. Scrum-half Eliseo Morales was ruled-out in June. Morales has undergone surgery.