Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly feature on Americas Rugby News which reviews the best and worst from games involving the Americas teams over the previous week.

UP

Puerto Rico
Rugby is off the ground in Puerto Rico. Although the sport had existed on the island previously, it was the Get Into Rugby event in May which stood out. The event was organized with the support from Rugby Americas North, the regional governing body for Rugby in North America and the Caribbean. At this event aspiring coaches had a chance to complete the Rugby Ready qualification and the sport was introduced to a group of youth players between 9 and 16 years old. It continues this month with a summer camp run by Antonio Pirillo, a well-known soccer club manager and sports leader in Puerto Rico who is a former rugby player from Argentina.

Jaguares
Playing their best rugby of the year, Los Jaguares notched up a 40-27 win over the Waratahs in Sydney. The five-tries-to-three triumph would arguably have been bigger had the Argentine side not been down to 13 men late in the first half. Los Jaguares led 25-3 prior to the yellow carding of first Benjamín Macome and then Guido Petti  The pair would return with the match much changed at 25-24. Tries were scored by Macome, Pablo Matera, Matías Moroni, Matías Orlando, and captain Agustin Creevy. A similar performance against the Melbourne Rebels next weekend will have the players well-placed to prepare for The Rugby Championship.

Jerónimo de la Fuente
A special mention to de la Fuente. The Rosario inside center has had a solid Super Rugby campaign. Against a backdrop of defeats, he has been a shining light. This continued in the Waratahs match, impressing on both sides of the ball. He is a natural inside center, not a makeshift one. This is of note when considering Pumas sides going back well over a decade. Regulars at 12 have included Felipe Contepomi, Santiago Fernández, and Juan Martín Hernández. All are flyhalves by nature. Los Pumas have rarely had such options in the midfield. The strong, hard-running center has traditionally been the exception rather than the rule in Argentina. de la Fuente changes this entirely.

Washington DC Joining Pro 12
Expansion to the Guinness Pro 12 is reportedly to include a range of countries. They include Germany, South Africa, and the USA. Washington DC’s inclusion is to be in 2018, according to Iain Morrison of The Scotsman. Houston had initially been proposed as the location for a USA side. Sources close to Americas Rugby News have said the Texan bid was considered underwhelming by Pro 12 authorities. Investors were also keen on New York but logistics and timing have proved a major obstacle. The proposed venue for home games is Audi Field, a new stadium currently under construction that will also house Major League Soccer franchise DC United. Its planned capacity is 20,000. Current USA Rugby Chairman of the Board Will Chang is a former investor in DC United but sold his 35% stake in 2016.

Argentina vs British & Irish Lions
Is Argentina going to face the British & Irish Lions in 2021 and 2025? According to The Telegraph there is a strong chance. The British & Irish Lions’ authorities are presently finalizing plans for their 2021 and 2025 tours to South Africa and Australia. Lions management are said to be interested in having a 2021 test match against Argentina and for that match to be in Argentina. Such a fixture would be part of the tour to South Africa with the British and Irish side potentially playing in Buenos Aires prior to playing three tests in South Africa. The 2025 tour is to be to Australia. There is also a desire to have a match against Argentina included on that tour. This match would be in Australia.

UNDER

Fixing Canada
Mark Anscombe admitted his side had been steamrolled by a ‘truck load’ of big men, particularly from the bench. While one might have some sympathy for the Canadian coach in that regard, Anscombe also admitted in the lead-up to the first test that Jamie Cudmore’s mysterious absence was in fact his decision. That said it’s hard not to feel there are perhaps greater issues than Anscombe’s selections or coaching style, issues that point to those higher up the food chain. Canada must now seek RWC 2019 entry via the Americas 2 route where Uruguay awaits in January, a team that has already beaten them earlier this year. If they are unsuccessful they must run the gauntlet in the Repechage.

Americas 2
Fiji qualified for Rugby World Cup 2019 on Saturday. This is not good news whatsoever, not for Americas 2 that is. Fiji are clearly the best Pacific Islands union today. This has been the case for a number of years on end now. It was not always though. Samoa in 2017 is no match for the level of years gone by. Samoa is playing poorly due to the players being inferior to those of the past. Tonga has caught up to Samoa and playing with more consistency. Samoa from Rugby World Cups 1991-2003 was a strong side. In 2007-2015 the level was below but not as much as it is today. Argentina and the USA will face either Tonga or Samoa in 2019. Americas 2 (Canada or Uruguay) will face Fiji, a far more difficult task.

Pumas Props
Daniel Hourcade seeks a dominant Pumas scrum, but one with mobile props. Hourcade is picking vastly younger players than previous coaches. Ayerza, González Bonorino, Figallo, Grau, Hasan, Reggiardo, Roncero, and Scelzo all had years of experience playing in the Top 14, Aviva Premiership, or both upon playing in World Cups. Against England last month Hourcade started Lucas Noguera Paz and Enrique Pieretto, aged 22 and 23.  The above mentioned players were all older and, aside from Figallo, all in their 30’s when starting at the World Cup. Argentina has alternatives today such as Francisco Gómez Kodela, Juan Figallo, and Bruno Postiglioni. They will be aged 34, 31, and 32 when RWC 2019 gets underway.

UAR Selection Policies
Attending to the above issue of props would be easy – pick those playing abroad. This is not going to happen though. Both Hourcade and UAR President Carlos Araujo have now ended speculation – the UAR is holding firm on its policies. Araujo clarified that the rules are to protect a system that is believed to be the right one. Both he and Hourcade also hold firm in believing that players will come home from Europe in time for international selection. In order to play in the World Cup players must be contracted by the union from June 2018. Many are contracted until the following June. Facundo Isa or Axel Müller appearing in Japan 2019 thus appears to be out of the question.

Super Rugby
Both the Cheetahs and Southern Kings are now officially out of Super Rugby. After one more match each this coming weekend they are then gone from the competition from next year. Either the Western Force or Melbourne Rebels will join them. This means that in 2018 the competition will be 15 rather than 18 teams. The identity of the competition is under question. Many from founding unions are feeling like the competition they have followed since 1996 has vanished. In its place is a commercial entity which leaves many uninterested. This is reflected in crowds, including strongholds like Sydney. The Allianz Stadium had a very low turnout for Waratahs match against the Jaguares on Friday. At the same time European leagues continue to gain popularity. The 2016 Top 14 final in Barcelona had nearly 100,000 in attendance. Super Rugby pales in comparison.