Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The fourth round of the European Rugby Champions Cup will kick-off later today. Involved will be players from around the world with the Americas having four countries involved. Argentina, Canada, Uruguay and the USA will all be represented.
First up this weekend will be a match in England with the Northampton Saints hosting Racing 92. In the corresponding fixture last season the French side completed a comprehensive away victory. Racing 92 did even better last weekend and on both occasions Juan Imhoff scored tries.
Argentina’s top try scoring from Rugby World Cup 2015 will play left wing tonight. Also involved will be Manuel Carizza with the former Puma named on the bench as Racing 92’s replacement second-rower. A win over Samu Manoa’s former club will see Racing 92 put one foot in the door of the play-offs.
Also playing well is Saracens. The London-based club will host Oyonnax on Saturday in a match which may be a gift five competition points. Such is the struggle that Oyonnax faces that the club will again be fielding a depleted lineup. Changes to Saracens’ team see Juan Figallo named on the bench.
The Gonzalo Quesada coached Stade Français will be looking to complete back-to-back wins over Italian side Benetton Treviso on Saturday afternoon. The 2015 French champions will feature Sergio Parisse at the back of the scrum. Robert Barbieri has been named on the Treviso bench. Both are from the Americas but are Italian internationals.
Toulon’s away trip to Leinster on Saturday will see the early return of Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe from injury. He returns to take a place on a bench featuring no specialist second-rower. Instead Georgian captain Mamuka Gorgodze will cover for French internationals Jocelino Suta and Romain Taofifenua. Suta comes in for the injured Manoa.
Argentina, Canada and the USA will all have representation in Bordeaux on Saturday evening as the home team welcomes Welsh region the Ospreys. Former Puma Francisco Gomez Kodela will play on Bordeaux’s bench while USA junior Hanno Dirksen will do so for the Ospreys. Canadian flier Jeff Hassler will start on the Ospreys’ right wing.
Hassler’s World Cup wing colleague, DTH van der Merwe will play left wing for the Scarlets in Saturday’s final game. The Welsh region will be looking for a notable better performance against the Glasgow Warriors who humiliated them in round 3. Starting at the back for the Scottish city side will be Tommy Seymour. The Tennessean is an Scottish international.
Former Puma Patricio Albacete continues sidelined and will thus play no part in Toulouse’s home match vs Ulster on Sunday. The hammering the French side took last weekend sees Toulouse under all kinds of pressure and with no Albacete two back-rowers have been named on the bench.
Also looking to rebound is Clermont Auvergne who blew a good lead to lose away to the Exeter Chiefs in round three. Starting in the pack will be Jamie Cudmore who is now playing his final season for the French giants. The much younger Patricio Fernández from the Argentine city of Rosario has been named as the replacement fly half for France’s Camille Lopez.
The Leicester Tigers will be looking to complete a double over Munster in the final match of the round on Sunday. Starting at loosehead prop will be Tigers and Pumas veteran Marcos Ayerza. His countryman, the Italian capped, Matías Aguero will be his deputy from the bench. Munster, meanwhile, will have two South American reserves in Uruguayan Mario Sagario and Argentine Lucas González Amorosino.
