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

Canada overwhelms USA to open Pacific Four
Canada opened the Pacific Four in convincing fashion as they crushed the USA by a final score of 50-7 in Los Angeles on Sunday. While the Eagles were still in touch at halftime, five tries in the second half by the Maple Leafs underlined their strength in depth with the forwards dominant throughout.

Narrow victory for Guyana over Trinidad & Tobago
Guyana were winners over Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday. Played at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain, Guyana’s success was by the narrowest of margins. The 24-23 result was the first of two matches between the countries this year. They will met again on June 1.

Free Jacks recover their swagger in LA
The Free Jacks bounced back from their home defeat with a convincing 34-12 win on the road against RFC Los Angeles on Sunday. New England’s set piece was improved while their defense left their hosts frustrated for most of the contest.

Impressive Jackals earn bonus point road win over Sharks
The Jackals earned their fourth win of the season in impressive fashion on Saturday night, scoring six tries en route to a 38-17 result over the Sharks in Miami. Dallas were the superior side throughout and held a 21-nil lead at the break with their hosts scoring two tries late to soften the scoreline.

Warriors earn tight victory over Old Glory
Utah made it back-to-back wins as they held off a late comeback by Old Glory to take a 31-24 victory at a rainy Zions Bank Stadium on Friday night. The Warriors were dominant in the first half and pushed out to a 28-5 lead in the second, but DC stormed back in the final quarter to salvage two bonus points on the road.

Selknam combine power with skill to beat Cobras
Selknam were too good for Os Cobras in Santiago. In what provides insight into this year’s soon-to-be-confirmed Rugby World Cup Qualifying match between Chile and Brazil, it was the Chilean side who dominated the contest. Selknam won 43-15 by scoring six tries to two.

Peñarol start slowly but finish well against Raptors
Peñarol overcame a slow start to bounce back and win well on Sunday. The Uruguayans downed the American Raptors in a bonus point victory. The Uruguayans played the match like it was a final. The 24-17 victory set them back on track.

UNDER

Historic defeat for San Diego as SaberCats shut out Legion in Texas
Houston are back at the top of the Western Conference after a stunning 33-0 victory over San Diego on Saturday night. It’s the first time in the Legion’s eight-year history they have been shut out, and also sets a new franchise mark for greatest margin of defeat.

Defense again lets Anthem down against NOLA
NOLA had no trouble in North Carolina as they coasted to a 40-5 victory over Anthem on Friday. The home side struck first but then it was all Gold as they scored six tries to claim a bonus point result on the road to leave them with an even record through the first half of the campaign. This was Anthem’s poorest result on attack to date, but it’s their porous defense that is of greatest concern.

Dogos suffer first defeat of 2024 campaign against Yacare
Los Dogos unbeaten run in Super Rugby Americas 2024 is no more. Los Dogos outscored Yacare by three tries to one but lose the match 22-19. Joaquín Lamas’ goal-kicking was the vital factor. He landed five penalties while Julián Hernández missed one conversion and a late penalty.

Injuries mounting for MLR’s defending champs
The Free Jacks have now lost two of their star players from their championship campaign with No8 Wian Conradie joining scrumhalf John Poland on the sidelines with season-ending injuries. They now have a third player in doubt as Reece MacDonald dislocated a shoulder in the act of scoring against LA. New England has strength in depth but that will now be put to the test.