Team of the Week

What a busy week it was in the Americas. The Sudamerica 6 Naciones ‘A’ kicked off with three matches, Major League Rugby was in Week 3, the Arrows had a dream home opener in Toronto, and that’s not counting a number of players in action across the pond in Europe. There were lots of selection quandaries and a couple matches required re-watches. We think we’ve got it just about right but there is ample room for debate this week!

1 – Rob Brouwer (Ontario Arrows) The Arrows front row absolutely bulldozed the Mystics once again. It wasn’t the longest day at the office for Brouwer as he came off early in the second half but his work was already done. If we see the same result against the Canada Selects next week there will be some interesting discussions at the selection table.

2 – Cam Falcon (New Orleans Gold) His team were second best overall but up front they were dominant, even after losing Sebastián Kalm to a head knock. Falcon had his best scrum outing as a prop and then switched to hooker with even greater effect. This weekend’s battle against a mighty Seawolves pack will be fascinating. Will he be at prop or hooker, or maybe both at once?

3 – Jardel Vettorato (Brazil) A tip of the cap to Tom Dolezel for his efforts with the Arrows. We’ve opted for another grizzled veteran in Vettorato, who was excellent in Brazil’s stunning domination of Chile. Powerful in the scrum and his usual rambunctious self in the loose which earned him a try.

4 – Mike Sheppard (Ontario Arrows) You couldn’t have asked for anything more from the skipper as he celebrated the Arrows home opener in style. Lineout target, scrum piston, offloader, tackler, line breaker. Oh, and three tries ain’t bad for a second row.

5 – Evan Olmstead (Newcastle Falcons) Made the most of his last run around Kingston Park with another excellent individual effort. A great day with ball in hand, plenty of tackles, several lineout takes, and a try to cap it all off. Falcons fans are certainly sad to see him go.

6 – Gerson Ortiz (Colombia) The back row stocks were overflowing with quality this week. Marcos Kremer was excellent for the Jaguares. The Tucanes came up short against a Uruguay XV but were more than competitive with a couple certain tries bobbled by bumbling backfielders. Ortiz was at their heart of their offensive game with countless carries into heavy traffic, taking two or three defenders with him over the gainline almost every time. His captain Sebastián Mejia was just as good but Ortiz gets the nod this time.

7 – Tomás Lezana (Jaguares) Leading the way in an excellent loose forward trio was the Pumas openside, who will now be asked to shoulder a greater load for club and country in the absence of Pablo Matera. Against the Chiefs he did just that, carrying with purpose and shaded only by Kramer in the tackle department. Argentina have depth in the back row but they will be hoping Lezana stays healthy with some big matches in the immediate future.

8 – Hanco Germishuys (Austin Elite) Cam Dolan, Sebastián Mejia, John Sullivan, Leo Glizt… suffice to say there was no shortage of options here. Hanco simply could not be left out. Splitting his time between the flank and the back of the scrum, he was a wrecking ball once again with two tries and several devastating carries. On form he is a very good bet to be in the first choice Eagles back row next month.

9 – Tomás Cubelli (Argentina XV) He could have gone for Gonzalo Bertranou for directing traffic against the Chiefs but instead we’ve opted for another Pumas halfback. Cubelli was the dominant player on the field in Asunción. Though his opposition was not the greatest he kept his standards high with crisp service, two tries scored, and some accurate box kicking. Andrew Ferguson also looked sharp for the Arrows in similar circumstances.

10 – Josh Reeves (Brazil) On paper the match in São Paulo was one that Chile should have won. Unfortunately for them the game is played on the field and the Tupis, with Reeves running the show, embarrassed the Cóndores in record fashion. Their flyhalf controlled field position beautifully and landed five successful shots on goal. Honorable mention goes to Glendale’s Will Magie.

11 – Kainoa Lloyd (Ontario Arrows) Four tries scored says most of what you need to know about a winger’s performance, but not all. Lloyd also showed his pace in defense, sprinting back to cut down Stephen Dazzo on what looked a certain try on an intercept.

12 – Bryce Campbell (Glendale Raptors) What a classy player this guy has become. With his frame he could be effective just bashing holes in the midfield but he offers much more. His offloading and short passing game turns dents into line breaks and his defensive partnership with Chad London shut down the fearsome Paul Lasike and the Warriors attack.

13 – Anthony Salaber (San Diego Legion) His early season form has been impressive and after his first half hat-trick against Houston it’s hard to see how the Eagles can overlook him. June appears to have come too soon but Salaber is a certainty for the Americas Pacific Challenge and could well force his way into the November test squad. Santiago Resino was also in fine form for the Argentina XV and continues to show his class on both sides of the ball.

14 – Juan Imhoff (Racing 92) Wing was another position with several options and the absence of the right wingers from the match at Salt Lake – Harley Davidson and Tonata Lauti – says something about what kind of game Imhoff had. Two tries scored and another created, several defenders left for dead, and a pretty solid day defensively.

15 – Emiliano Boffelli (Jaguares) This might have been Joaquín Tuculet’s spot had he not been forced off with a dreadful season-ending knee injury. Boffelli was on the wing but is more than happy at the back and we had to find room for him somewhere.