Up and Under

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

 

UP

South American 4 Nations
International rugby has resumed at last! The South American 4 Nations got underway on Saturday. The two matches were not only eagerly awaited viewing, but both were highly competitive. One match was decided in overtime by a single point, and the other finished with eight points between the teams. Such a scenario was all but impossible in prior RWC cycles. What is different today is that Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay all have High Performance today. This has eroded Argentina’s longstanding massive advantage.

Home-Grown Talent in South American 4 Nations
In addition to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay all now have High Performance programs, they also all have developing junior structures. A result if this is that there is a pathway in place for developing youth and converting them for international duty. All Argentina XV, Chile XV, and Uruguay XV players were products of their respective systems. Only Brazil has players produced by other unions, and of them, Devon Muller and Josh Reeves are unique in qualifying as adults.

Uruguay XV
It was a hard-fought win for the Uruguay XV. The Brazil XV held the lead at half-time. In the end, the Uruguay XV did not panic and got the job done. The hero was Federico Favaro who scored 20 points. It was a personal career best, outperforming his 19 point haul against Paraguay in 2004. Unfortunately, the South American 4 Nations matches are uncapped. The Uruguay XV looked to be the best team on day one of the tournament.

Chile XV
The Chile XV were well organized and played with purpose against the Argentina XV. Los Cóndores’ showing underlined the progress made during 2020. The creation of the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) resulted in Chile’s first professional team. The same players were back in Montevideo, this time for the Chile XV. The Argentina XV were captained by Tomás Cubilla of Los Ceibos. He was one of many Ceibos in the match. Among the non-Ceibos were the Jaguares’ duo of Javier Díaz and Javier Ortega Desio. In short, Chilean rugby is on the rise.

Canadian High Performance Camp
There were new names included for Canada’s High Performance Camp. Cooper Coats earns a first opportunity. Other first timers include former Laval football player Marc-Antoine Ouellet and new Toronto Arrows scrumhalf Jason Higgins, Irish-born but qualified through his Canadian father. There are also a quartet of UBC forwards – hooker Connor Sampson, locks Frank Carson and Izzak Kelly, and loose forward Michael Smith.

Juan Imhoff
Another week, another try for Imhoff. This time, though the Rosario speedster was a scorer in losing effort. It was no ordinary game, rather it was the Championship Cup Final. Imhoff scored a simple but impressive try. He darted over as a stand-in halfback. His try cut the gap, but ultimately the Exeter Chiefs won the title against Racing 92. Imhoff is now on his way to Australia. He last played in the RWC 2015 Semi Final. Now he looks assured of being Los Pumas’ starting left winger in the Tri Nations.

Lucas Mensa, Francisco Gómez Kodela
Having been cut from the original roster, Lucas Mensa and Francisco Gómez Kodela will play in the Rugby Championship after all. The French-based duo are both capped, the former earned his two caps in 2019. Mensa captained Los Ceibos in the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby. Gómez Kodela has been a notable absentee for a number of years. ARN regards him as the premier Argentine tight head. No Argentine player was better in the scrum than him during the RWC 2015-2019 cycle.

RWC 2023 Venues
Paris will host 10 matches at RWC 2023. This is a reduction when compared to the RWCs since France hosted in 2007. Hub cities from the RWCs in between have all hosted more matches. They have all also done so at multiple stadiums. France 2023 will se all ten Paris-allocated matches at the Stade de France. The 80,000 venue will host the tournament opener, Semi Finals and Final. It will be supported by Lyon and Marseilles. These two cities are being groomed to host the Quarter Finals.

 

UNDER

Argentina XV
Despite winning on Saturday, the Argentina XV fall in ‘Under’ this week. It will not come as a surprise to those who watched Saturday’s match against the Chile XV. The Argentina XV did not play well. There was a mix of complacency and that of an out-coached side. The Argentina XV won in overtime. It took a penalty from Teo Castiglioni to save the Argentina XV from a shock loss. The Chile XV led the match for the majority of the contest.

Rugby Championship
The 2020 Rugby Championship will be a Tri-Nations competition. South Africa will not compete in Australia, thereby reducing the tournament to a Tri-Nations. The participants will be Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. The Springboks’ withdrawal from the Rugby Championship brings SANZAAR into disrepute. It follows South Africa’s move from Super Rugby to the Pro 14.

South Africa
As noted above, the world champions pulled out of the 2020 Rugby Championship. SA Rugby cited player welfare and the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour as priorities. This is very disappointing. It is a clash in philosophy with Argentina. Past Pumas players, teams, and supporters know what it is like to lack opportunities. Until 2012 Argentina played 5 or 6 matches per year. Moreover, Argentina’s domestic-based players have been in Australia preparing for the Rugby Championship. They were previously in Uruguay in September.

Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, Enrique Pieretto
Two UK-based Pumas were ruled out of the Rugby Championship. Joaquín Díaz Bonilla (Leicester Tigers) and Enrique Pieretto (Glasgow Warriors) will not be able to travel to Australia. They have lost their places to French-based players. The bizarre situation cannot be simply down to UK regulations during COVID-19. After all, Matías Alemanno (Gloucester) remains on the roster and will travel to Australia today.

Bautista Pedemonte and Leonel Oviedo
Bautista Pedemonte and Leonel Oviedo exit the South American 4 Nations early. Neither will be fit to play for the Argentina XV for the two remaining matches. The Argentina XV will face the Brazil XV on Wednesday, and the Uruguay XV on Sunday. Both Pedemonte and Oviedo played on Saturday. The pair were in the starting line-up against the Chile XV. Pedemonte played N8 and Oviedo hooker. The latter scored the opening try for the Argentina XV.

Benjamín Urdapilleta
Castres were an utter shambles on Saturday. The Tarn fell to a 62-3 defeat against La Rochelle. This was not a shadow Castres line-up. Indeed, there were many regular names involved. One of the was Benjamín Urdapilleta. The result will have been hard for the RWC 2019 Puma. He was recently left out of the Rugby Championship roster. A player who was recalled, Facundo Bosch was a replacement for La Rochelle.

COVID-19 and Schedules
Rugby administrators are stuck somewhere between a rock and a hard place. This is arguably no truer than anywhere other than in France; the show must go on. The Top 14 and Pro D2 are continuously being affected with cancelations. There matches were called-off in the second division this past weekend. One of the was Oyonnax vs Biarritz, a match set to see a battle between two RWC Canadians: Taylor Paris and Evan Olmstead.

World Rugby Decade Awards
The nominees for the World Rugby Best of Decade Awards were released this past week. One can only call their nominations list lazy, with the organization simply listing all players who won individual yearly awards instead of considering sustained excellence. Canada’s Ghislaine Landry – for example – does not receive a mention in the Women’s Sevens category despite being the all-time leading scorer on the circuit and having been selected to four overall season Dream Teams.