Pampas See Off Champions Peñarol in Commanding Victory

Los Pampas completed a commanding 38-20 home victory over Peñarol on Friday. The result gives the Buenos Aires team back-to-back Super Rugby Americas 2024 wins after downing Selknam in Chile last weekend. Meanwhile, Peñarol have plenty to think about with two wins and three losses thus far in 2024.

Peñarol started strong. Juan Andrés Zuccarino landed an early penalty and then converted a fortunate try. The combination of Santiago Medrano failing to take a high ball and Joaquín de la Vega Mendía tapping the ball back in hope resulted in a gift try with debutant Diego Ardao scoring.

The 10-0 start did not last. de La Vega Mendía slotted a penalty before a penalty try level the scoring. While the first two tries were not the culmination of creativity and execution the next certainly was. Los Pampas’ winger combined with Santiago Pernas scoring 90 metes down-field. The half ended with the home side in front and looking good.

Peñarol found inspiration from Pernas’ try with Tero Carlos Deus scoring an outstanding run-in try. Flying down the wing, the flanker got passed one defended and ran over another. Los Pampas then lost both replacement props to yellow cards.

Any suggestion of a Peñarol comeback ended with Pernas’ second try. It came before his team was back to fifteen players. Captain Manuel Bernstein scored the bonus point try eight minutes before full-time before Manuel Diana and Rodrigo Fernández Criado exchanged tries in the final minutes.

The victorious Pampas travel to Jacareí, Brazil to face Os Cobras next weekend. Peñarol return to Montevideo to take-on the best team thus far in Super Rugby Americas 2024, Los Dogos.

SCORING

PAMPAS (38)
Try – Penalty Try (30′); S Pernas 2 (38′, 56′); M Bernstein (72′); R Fernández Criado (78′)
Con – No Kick (30′); J de La Vega Mendía (39′, 56′); M Nogues 2 (73′, 79′)
Pen – J de La Vega Mendia (23′)
YC (2) – J Corvalán (64′); J Corvalán (66′)

PENAROL (20)
Try (3) – D Ardao (11′); C Deus (50′); M Diana (77′)
Con (1) – JA Zuccarino (13′)
Pen (1) – JA Zuccarino (10′)

LINEUPS

PAMPAS
1 Matías Medrano, 2 Ramiro Gurovich, 3 Estanislao Carullo, 4 Eliseo Fourcade, 5 Marcelo Toledo, 6 Manuel Bernstein (capt.), 7 Santiago Montagner, 8 Joaquín Moro, 9 Ignacio Inchauspe, 10 Joaquín de la Vega Mendía, 11 Jerónimo Ulloa, 12 Justo Piccardo, 13 Bruno Heit, 14 Santiago Pernas, 15 Marcos Eliçagaray

Replacements: 16 Ignacio Bottazzini, 17 Javier Corvalán, 18 Javier Coronel, 19 Rodrigo Fernández Criado, 20 Eliseo Chiavassa, 21 Manuel Nogués, 22 Juan Pablo Castro, 23 Benjamín Elizalde

PENAROL
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Joaquín Myszka, 3 Santiago Martirene, 4 Manuel Rosmarino, 5 Lucas Bianchi, 6 Santiago Civetta (capt.), 7 Carlos Deus, 8 Manuel Diana, 9 Santiago Álvarez, 10 Juan Andrés Zuccarino, 11 Mateo Viñals, 12 Juan Manuel Alonso, 13 Diego Ardao, 14 Juan Bautista Hontou, 15 Ignacio Álvarez

Replacements: 16 Francisco García, 17 Mateo Perillo, 18 Duban Silvera, 19 Agustín Morales, 20 Tomás Etcheverry, 21 Dante Soto, 22 Pedro Hoblog, 23 Joaquín Suárez

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Damián Schneider (AR)
Assistants: Nicolás Cotic; Federico Longobardi
TMO: Maximiliano Miranda