Up and Under

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

 

UP

USA
A perfect 3-0 record in the June test series sees the Eagles as the team of the year front-runners from the Americas. In total the USA have played eight games this year, winning each of them. A Grand Slam in the Americas Rugby Championship and wins over Russia, Scotland, and Canada in June see the Eagles as a team rapidly on the rise. They have now fully embraced professionalism and are determined not to be going to Japan next year just to make up the numbers.

Eagles to Dublin
The USA will play in Dublin, Ireland, in November. Confirmation of the eagerly awaited opportunity see the Eagles playing at the home if Irish rugby on November 24. It will be the USA’s first November fixture against a Tier 1 team in many years and their first away to Ireland since 2004. The Eagles are to also play against the New Zealand Māori in November, giving them solid preparation ahead of 2019.

Brazil Land World Rugby u20 Trophy
Brazil is to play host to the 2019 World Rugby u20 Trophy. The unprecedented move sees South America’s country set to host the tournament for the first time in history. Brazil has been both rewarded and encouraged by World Rugby. The tournament will be played at the Estádio Martins Pereira in São José dos Campos, the heartland of Brazilian rugby. It takes place from July 9-21 of next year, a month earlier than this year’s tournament in Romania which begins in August.

Utah Warriors
It was looking pretty shaky in the second half, but the Warriors recovered to claim their spot in the Major League Rugby Semi Finals thanks to a pair of outstanding tries late in the game. Alex Tucci’s score will go down as one of the best individual efforts of the season and Tonata Lauti’s second on the back of a huge break from Fetu’u Vainikolo was the icing on the cake. With key players Kurt Morath and Paul Lasike set to return in time to face Glendale this coming weekend, Utah are well positioned to have a real crack at the title favorites.

San Diego Legion
What an incredible result for the Legion, and at the perfect time. They upset the previously unbeaten Glendale Raptors by 23-5 at Torero Stadium on Saturday evening. It wasn’t just the win, it was the dominance they showed throughout, holding the Raptors scoreless until the 78th minute in a stunning display of defense and control at the set piece. They now face the Seattle Seawolves on neutral ground at Infinity Park in a Semi Final that suddenly looks far less predictable than it did a week ago.

Los Europeos
Daniel Hourcade had been set to select four players from Europe for the June Internationals. Props Juan Figallo (Saracens) and Francisco Gómez Kodela (Lyon) in addition to lock Mariano Galarza (Gloucester), and fly half Patricio Fernández (Clermont) were all to play for their country. A late change in decision from the UAR ended this and now a new coaching team will replace that of the Daniel Hourcade regime. Confirmed is that the new coach will be free to select from Europe for the Rugby Championship. Details are yet to be finalized though leaks indicate a policy of 5 Europeans in the match-day 23 is preferred.

 

UNDER

Canada
A full house at Wanderers Grounds in Halifax was unable to lift Canada to a win. As such Canada finish their June Internationals with a record of three losses. Saturday’s defeat against the USA was expected given the disparity between the two sides both in momentum and professionalism. While the performance was an improvement of the shambles in Ottawa a week before, it leaves Canada in a troubling spot ahead of November’s World Cup Qualifiers. The Americas Pacific Challenge, an ‘A’ level competition hosted by Uruguay in October, will be the last opportunity for the team to get a win under their belt before the Repechage series in France.

Argentina
From bad to worse is an understatement. Argentina is in a dark, miserable place and only has itself to blame. Daniel Hourcade had to go and did, but this was a week before Saturday’s horror show in Resistencia. An uninterested Argentina were shamed by Scotland. Captain Agustín Creevy was not giving it his all and neither were his teammates. Of the starters the one shining light was Bautista Delguy who was dangerous throughout. The bench helped with Gonzalo Bertranou, Tomás Lavanini, and Julián Montoya playing vastly better than those they replaced.

Glendale Raptors
It’s certainly not the end of the world, but Raptors coach Dave Williams would have had a different result in mind heading into their final regular season match against San Diego. Instead what unfolded was a flat performance against a team that were clear underdogs on paper and simply showed greater desire to win. Glendale will regroup during the week and welcome home their Eagles stars just in time for their Semi Final against the Utah Warriors at Infinity Park on Saturday.

Manuel Montero
The comeback of the giant left winger has hit a wall. Montero was suspended for 6 weeks for a dangerous high tackle in the URBA Top 12. It sees his potential involvement for Los Jaguares in the remainder of Super Rugby this year ended. A place in Los Pumas’ roster for the Rugby Championship is now very much doubtful as well.

Juan Manuel Cat
The 22-year-old Uruguayan midfielder has been sidelined for several months after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured pectoral tendon. Cat is hopeful of being fit to travel with Los Teros to Europe for the November internationals. The final tour before RWC 2019 will see Uruguay playing against Ulster in Northern Ireland and two full tests in Europe.