Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly exclusive on Americas Rugby News. It covers the best and worst from games involving the Americas players and teams over the previous week. This week’s Up and Under is the final edition of 2020.

UP

Prospective Americas test match Rookies for 2021
2021 will see rounds 1-3 of the RWC 2023 Americas qualifiers. Seven countries, two from the North and five from the South, will compete. Of those two are certain to join Argentina at RWC 2023, with a third capable of qualifying through the Repechage – the method required by Canada to compete at RWC 2019. There are a significant number of prospective test match rookies from the seven countries as well as the pre-qualified Argentina.

Uruguay to Italy
Los Teros have secured a Tier 1 opponent for 2021. Uruguay will face Italy away on November 20, 2021. The match will follow that of Italy vs Argentina one week prior. Uruguay will potentially go into the game on the back of RWC 2023 qualifiers. November 2021 will also be round 3 of the Americas RWC 2023 qualifiers. If Uruguay win round 2, as expected, they will face the North American winner in the Americas 1 final in November 2021.

Seattle Seawolves
The 2018 and 2019 Major League Rugby champions signed two notable players this past week. Test forwards Andrew Durutalo and Mike Shepherd will play on for the Seawolves in 2021. The former has 33 caps for the USA while the latter will play his fourth season for the Washington state MLR side. Durutalo and Shepherd are the 13th and 14th players to renew their contracts with Seattle for the 2021 season.

LA Giltinis
Newcomers LA continue to build their player roster. This past week saw the arrivals of prop Charlie Abel and winger Visesio Leasi. The former joins from Gordon in Sydney, Australia while the later arrives from Belmont Shore, a local club from Long Beach, California. The roster suggests that the team will be competitive in 2021. The same applies to the other new expansion side, the Dallas Jackals. Both teams are well placed for their inaugural MLR seasons.

Jaguares to Melbourne Rebels
Three Jaguares are set to be confirmed as new arrivals at the Melbourne Rebels. Hooker Santiago Socino, tight head prop Lucio Sordoni, and second-rower Ignacio Calas are joining the Australian Super Rugby team. All three were in Australia for the 2020 Tri Nations. Socino and Sordoni received game time, though Calas remains uncapped. The Melbourne Rebels are one of two Australian Super Rugby teams recruiting Argentine players. The Western Force signed five players for the 2021 campaign. They are hooker Julián Montoya, tight head prop Santiago Medrano, flanker Tomás Lezana, scrum-half Tomás Cubelli, and fly half Domingo Miotti.

UNDER

Jaguares and Pro 16
Los Jaguares are absent from a professional competition in 2021. There is no one party to blame for this. Australia and New Zealand Super Rugby will continue and the South African teams will play in the Pro 14. What was two South Africa teams previously will become four. Is South African Super Rugby dead? It looks so, yes. The new competition will involve teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The UAR insist that they continue to seek a solution for Los Jaguares.

Javier Ortega Desio
Additional players joined Los Jaguares player exodus this past week. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro was recruited by the Bristol Bears and Emiliano Boffelli officially joined Racing 92. The former had not been rumored, while the latter was well known months ago. Both players started in the 2019 Super Rugby Final. Only one player who started the final four Los Jaguares has not departed Argentina. Javier Ortega Desio is the lone wolf. He is expected to enter the SLAR Draft after being dropped from the Tri Nations squad. Rookie Santiago Grondona took his opportunity and this past week he joined the exodus; he signed to play for the Newcastle Falcons.

Cancelations across Europe
Matches in professional leagues continue to be canceled across Europe. This past weekend saw games in the English Premiership, Top 14, and Pro 14 all canceled. This affected players from the Americas who would have played had the matches gone ahead. As it stands there is no end in sight for the disruptions. Matters are not helped by controversy. European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup fixtures form the prior weekend was directly responsible for a cancelation in France this past weekend. Bayonne have reason to be furious following an outbreak at the Leiester Tigers.

IN MEMORIAM

Marcos Flegmann
Mexico rugby paid tribute to Marcos Flegmann this past week. The loose head prop passed away. His name will forever be registered as his country’s 105th capped player. Flegmann played for his country in regional competitions and RWC qualifies. He started in Mexico’s 75-10 win over Bermuda in 2016, the 34-24 win that eliminated the Cayman Islands, and the 32-3 win over Guyana that saw Mexico advance to face Colombia in the next round. Flegmann was also a part of the 2017 team that defeated the USA South Panthers.

Con gran tristeza nos despedimos de nuestra serpiente 105, Marcos Flegmann, gran jugador y amigo.

Nos unimos en la pena de su familia y amigos, que sus corazones encuentren paz pronto.

Nuestro más sentido pésame, que descanse en paz. pic.twitter.com/HByJI1sl8p

— FMRU Rugby México (@Rugby_Mexico) December 22, 2020