Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly exclusive on Americas Rugby News. It identifies the tops and the flops from the past seven days of everything involving Americas Rugby.

 

UP

Chile Write History against Argentina XV
Chile wrote history on Saturday. Los Cóndores were 28-0 winners over the Argentina XV. The uncapped match was the Chilean Senior Men’s team up against Argentina’s next-of-XV. It was Chile’s second win over the Argentina XV and by a much larger margin than the 2021 result. Captain Martín Sigren led by example. He scored the opening try. Benjamín Videla also scored bye Nicolás Garafulic went over for two.

Opportunities for all in South America
Colombia will play host to Rugby World Cup Qualifies in September. The first match day will see Colombia vs Costa Rica as well as Venezuela vs Peru. The second match day will se the winners from the opening day go head-to-head in one fixture and the losers battling it out in the other. The teams are contesting the bottom tier of Sudamerica Rugby. The winner will advance in qualifying.

New Blood in Los Pumas
The uncapped Santiago Pernas has earned his first call-up to Los Pumas. He joins Justo Piccardo as uncapped backs on the roster. Felipe Contepomi has uncapped Super Rugby Americas props Matías Medrano and Pedro Delgado on the roster. Back-rower Joaquín Moro debuted against Uruguay in July. The Pampa is also on the roster.

Miotti Stars on debut for Montpellier
Domingo Miotti scored 14 points on debut for Montpellier. His new club were 26-7 winners against Jerónimo de la Fuente’s Perpignan. The win sends a reminder to Felipe Contepomi. Meanwhile, Lucio Sordoni made his debut for Racing 92. The tight head prop recently joined the club. He is on the roster to take-on South Africa this coming Saturday in Santiago del Estero.

Pair of Pro D2 Tries
Two Argentines were try scorers the past week in France’s second division. Facundo Pomponio scored a second-half try for Montauban. His team fell to a 30-26 defeat against Provence. Former Pumas loose head prop Facundo Gigena scored for Nice. His side lost the match; in fact, Nice were well beaten, losing 39-24 to Charente.

Latham to Lead Chicago Hounds
Chris Latham is the new Head Coach of the Chicago Hounds. The 49-year-old Australian has been given the full-time role following Rob Webber’s return to England with Saracens. Webber had replaced Sam Harris late in the regular season after mixed results. It is the second lead role for Latham in MLR. He coached the Utah Warriors in 2020 but had to step down from the role ahead of the 2021 campaign for personal reasons.

MLR Over Australia 7’s
Stepping into the lead role for Lee at Snapdragon Stadium is John Manenti. The 53-year-old makes the move from the Australia Men’s 7s side, reportedly turning down a contract extension in favor of Major League Rugby. Manenti has been mostly a sevens specialist in recent years, leading Australia’s Women’s side from 2018 to 2021. Before that he won three Shute Shields with Eastwood and led the Wallaroos to a 3rd-place finish at the 2010 Women’s World Cup.

 

UNDER

Tonga overpower Canada in Tokyo PNC clash
Tonga powered past Canada by a final score of 30-17 to secure a 5th-place finish in the Pacific Nations Cup on Saturday. Played at a neutral venue in Tokyo, the Maple Leafs were outmuscled in the collisions and struggled to make inroads with ball in hand against a punishing Ikale Tahi defense. Canada finish the PNC bottom and winless.

Eagles come up short but earn Fijian respect
The USA came up short against Fiji on Tokyo on Saturday but stout defense earned a respectable 22-3 result in the Pacific Nations Cup Semi Final. High humidity affected ball handling at times, while the Eagles scrum was under huge pressure for much of the game. Both teams remain in Japan for next week’s PNC finale.

Injury Ends the Rugby Championship and 2024 for Eduardo Bello
Eduardo Bello is out of the remainder of the 2024 Rugby Championship. The tight head prop from Córdoba was injured playing for Argentina against Australia in Santa Fé. Bello is facing between 6 and 8 months out of rugby. He suffered an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will undergo surgery. It means he is out of the Rugby Championship and the November Internationals.

Changes See Some Pumas Out of Rugby Championship
Argentina’s update roster came with changes. Agustín Creevy has retired and Eduardo Bello is injured. Veteran second-rower Matías Alemanno was added to the roster during the Australian series but did not play and is not on the roster any longer. Santiago Cordero has also been released; he started in La Plata against Australia. Matías Orlando is the latest veteran out through injury.

Brett Gone from Los Angeles
Steve Brett’s time with the organization has come to a close. He was initially hired as Attack Coach at Rugby ATL for the 2021 season but took over as Head Coach following Scott Lawrence’s resignation just ahead of the 2022 campaign. Brett made the relocation to Los Angeles but will not stay on in 2025.