Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
This last Saturday’s thrilling Rugby World Cup qualifier in Vancouver opened the 2018 Americas Rugby Championship. The intensity of the match confirmed this year’s competition as being the highest profile yet. Brazil travel to Chile to begin their campaign this weekend.
2017 FORM
Brazil had a dream start to 2017. In the ARC’s opening round Os Tupis knocked over Chile with surprising ease. They were then hammered by the USA and also lost their third round match against Uruguay. After being humbled by the Argentina XV they recovered to stun Canada in the final round.
The 2017 South American Championship doubled as Rugby World Cup qualification. Brazil were competitive but fell to both Chile and Uruguay, eliminating Os Tupis from contention. In their final match they regrouped and put on a show with a rout of Paraguay.
In the June Internationals Brazil made history with an incredible come-from-behind win over Portugal in São Paulo. The highs of victory were then dampened with a crushing defeat at the hands of Romania.
Os Tupis’ year came to a close in November. Their European tour began with a loss against Germany but they immediately rebounded to defeat Belgium, a first-ever win in Europe. Their final match was forgettable with Spain opening up the defense with ease in Alicante.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The strength in Brazil’s pack is the back row. Flankers Matheus Daniel and André Arruda have been top performers for Os Tupis in recent years. For the 2018 ARC they are joined by Angelo Marcucci. The Argentine-born newcomer brings a distinguished reputation with him from playing in Rio Grande do Sul.
Brazil’s Mr. Reliable is Moisés Duque. Whether he is playing inside centre or flyhalf Duque is the go-to man for Os Tupis. In previous editions of the ARC he has put in match winning performances in historic wins over the USA and Canada. Outside centre Felipe Sancery has been among the standout players that the competition has produced.
VERDICT
With wins over Chile and Canada in 2017 and over the USA in 2016 Os Tupis have proven that they deserve to play in the competition. The results have also increased the expectation on the team with wins being considered more attainable and the opposition not treating them lightly. This year, though, looms as being complex as Brazil’s three home games are against teams who enter as firm favorites. Both away matches will demand the best of Brazil.
FIXTURES
| DATE | OPPONENT | VENUE | KICK-OFF TIME |
| Feb 3 | Chile | Estadio de la Pintana, Santiago | 3pm Local, 1pm Eastern |
| Feb 9 | Uruguay | Estádio do Pacaembu, São Paulo | 8pm Local, 5pm Eastern |
| Feb 17 | Canada | Westhills Stadium, Langford | 5pm Local, 8pm Eastern |
| Feb 24 | USA | Estádio Pereira, São José dos Campos | 6pm Local, 4pm Eastern |
| Mar 3 | Argentina XV | Estádio Pereira, São José dos Campos | 6pm Local, 4pm Eastern |
SQUAD
| NAME | POS | HGT | WGT | DOB | CAPS | CLUB |
| Abud, Lucas | LH | 1.88 6-2 |
120 265 |
Aug 26 1993 |
31 | Poli |
| Gomes, Michel “Vanzinha” |
LH | 1.78 5-10 |
113 250 |
Apr 9 1997 |
3 | São José |
| Rebolo, Wilton “Nelson” |
HO/TH | 1.82 6-0 |
118 260 |
Aug 2 1995 |
17 | Bandeirantes |
| Rosetti, Yan | HO | 1.75 5-9 |
96 210 |
May 7 1993 |
26 | CUBA (AR) |
| Rocha, Matheus “Blade” |
TH | 1.90 6-3 |
120 265 |
Apr 23 1997 |
6 | Jacareí |
| Vettorato, Jardel | TH | 1.79 5-10 |
118 260 |
Oct 22 1985 |
24 | Farrapos |
| Dias, Cléber “Gelado” |
LO/FL | 1.93 6-4 |
106 235 |
Jul 3 1994 |
19 | Poli |
| López, Diego | LO | 1.93 6-4 |
105 230 |
Mar 16 1987 |
32 | Pasteur |
| Paganini, Gabriel | LO | 1.92 6-4 |
103 225 |
Mar 3 1993 |
11 | Bandeirantes |
| Piero, Lucas “Bruxinho” |
LO | 1.89 6-2 |
113 250 |
Sep 25 1991 |
42 | Desterro |
| Bergo, Arthur | FL | 1.88 6-2 |
100 220 |
Mar 7 1994 |
13 | SPAC |
| Daniel, Matheus | FL | 1.83 6-0 |
95 210 |
Jun 19 1990 |
30 | Jacareí |
| Marcucci, Angelo | FL | 1.80 5-11 |
97 215 |
Jan 15 1990 |
– | Farrapos |
| Moraes, Michael “Ilha” |
FL | 1.90 6-3 |
95 210 |
Sep 10 1991 |
2 | Curitiba |
| Arruda, André “Buda” |
N8 | 1.90 6-3 |
108 240 |
Jan 9 1989 |
18 | Desterro |
| Bourda-Couhet, Laurent | SH | 1.70 5-7 |
75 165 |
Jul 12 1994 |
16 | Bandeirantes |
| Broderick, Will | SH | 1.68 5-6 |
85 185 |
Sep 17 1992 |
1 | Bandeirantes |
| Ceccarelli, Leonardo | FH | 1.83 6-0 |
95 210 |
Apr 1 1998 |
2 | Jacareí |
| Reeves, Josh | FH | 1.82 6-0 |
90 200 |
Aug 7 1986 |
13 | Bandeirantes |
| Duque, Moisés | CE | 1.75 5-9 |
90 200 |
Dec 21 1988 |
45* | São José |
| Sancery, Felipe | CE | 1.85 6-1 |
92 200 |
May 27 1994 |
27 | São José |
| van Niekerk, De Wet | CE/WI | 1.83 6-0 |
88 195 |
Mar 25 1994 |
12 | Poli |
| Muller, Lucas | WI | 1.84 6-0 |
87 190 |
Feb 13 1990 |
9 | Desterro |
| Rodrigues, Ariel | WI | 1.78 5-10 |
80 175 |
Sep 7 1998 |
3 | Jacareí |
| Tenório, Robert | WI | 1.91 6-3 |
90 200 |
Jul 27 1996 |
12 | Pasteur |
| Tranquez, Lucas “Zé” |
FB | 1.83 6-0 |
93 205 |
Mar 12 1994 |
24 | SPAC |
