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.

 

UP

Peñarol
With a 3-0 record, Peñarol have the most wins on the field in the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby thus far. Peñarol have two bonus point wins and a third win without a bonus point. The strong start has come with player rotation. The clever use of the roster was evident against Los Cafeteros Pro on Thursday.

Jaguares XV
Los Jaguares XV have played twice and have torn apart their opponents. Their round three match was a dominant display against Selknam. Playing across all positions impressed. Mario Ledesma’s 2020 rookie Pumas center Santiago Chocobares is evidently an elite performer. The uncapped Juan González and Joaquín Oviedo were also both stand-out players. Expect both to make their Pumas debuts in 2021.

Utah Warriors, LA Giltinis
Utah and LA both have a perfect record heading into Week 3. The team from the Rocky Mountains gave the Toronto Arrows an old-fashioned hiding at Salt Lake on Saturday. The Giltinis steamrolled over the Seawolves at Memorial Coliseum on Sunday. LA have a bye this week but Utah will be in action against the Free Jacks, who themselves impressed in a big win over Houston.

Danny Tusitala
Old Glory DC were winners over Rugby ATL in the first MLR match at Segra Field on Saturday. Key to the result was the performance of Danny Tusitala. After playing the first half as a makeshift flyhalf in the absence of Jason Robertson, he switched to his preferred scrumhalf spot in the second half and inspired the come-from-behind result.

McKinley Hunt
The Canadian lock was in top form once again for Exeter defeated Loughborough 17-12. Hunt was named Player of the Match after a barnstorming display that included two clean breaks. USA international Gabby Cantorna kicked seven points for the Chiefs while Rachel Johnson scored her sixth try of the season, though worryingly she left the game in the second half with an arm injury. Another Canadian, prop DaLeaka Menin, was a standout for the Lightning.

Benjamín Urdapilleta, Tyler Ardron, Axel Muller
There were a number of strong performances in Europe. Pumas captain Pablo Matera was a try-scorer for Stade Français. His team were beaten at home by Clermont on Saturday. Further south there were two notable Americase performers in the Top 14. Benjamín Urdapilleta scored 18 points in Castres’ win over Pau. Canadian Tyler Ardron was among the try scorers. Elsewhere, Brive powered past Agen. Axel Muller scored two tries in the dominant victory.

Jerónimo de la Fuente, Rodrigo Bruni
Also in the thick of the action were Pumas Jerónimo de la Fuente and Rodrigo Bruni. Both players scored tries in Pro D2 victories. The later scored the match winning try; a result that sees Vannes maintain a slight lead over Perpignan. The two clubs are dominating the Pro D2 this season. The third placed Biarritz is falling increasingly behind. Of the other Americas players in action Uruguayan hooker Germán Kessler was a try scorer in Charente’s loss. His team are in a serious battle to avoid relegation.

 

UNDER

Cobras
Cobras are winless in SLAR. Game one was officially a 20-0 loss. The match was unable to take place and the Jaguares were awarded a bonus-point win. The Brazilian side was then beaten cleanly by Peñarol, though Cobras claimed a late bonus point. In game three Os Cobras were hammered by the Olímpia Lions. The match against the Paraguayans was a game wherein Cobras ought to have been well placed to win. The team was genuinely demolished.

Rugby United New York
New York were soundly beaten by NOLA on Saturday. The team fell to a 51-28 loss on the road against the Gold.  Joeli Tikoisuva ran in three tries for NOLA, two of which came from interceptions. The match set franchise records for largest margin of defeat and points conceded.

Houston SaberCats
The SaberCats were hammered by New England 32-0 on Saturday. It was the first shutout of the season, and was a particularly poor outcome at home. Houston now have to work overtime to improve ahead of this coming weekend’s Texas Cup match against Austin.

Toronto Arrows
It’s early days yet but that’s two losses from two for last season’s top team in the East Conference. The Arrows have not looked like themselves in either match and must shake off the rust, jet lag, and whatever else is affecting them with a tough match against Old Glory ahead and following that league-leaders LA.

Mateo Carreras
The highly promising Mateo Carreras made headlines for the wrong reasons. In a moment of madness the Tucumán winger made contact with the eyes of an opposition player while playing for the Newcastle Falcons. He was handed a nine-week suspension this past week. The player noted that he was not trying to hurt the player; instead, he was trying to anger him. The action has tarnished his image. He must now work hard to overturn the damage he has caused to his name.

Gastón Cortes
A disciplinary panel suspended Gastón Cortes for two weeks. The Toronto Arrows Pumas prop missed Saturday’s match against the Utah Warriors and will also sit out the next match. He will be free to return for the April 10 game against the LA Giltinis.

Marcos Kremer
Argentina’s enforcer Marcos Kremer left the field early on Saturday. Playing second-row for Stade Français, Kremer was assisted off the field injured. He now faces time off with multiple fractures though there is thankfully no ligament damage. He was injured in a ‘crocodile roll.’ Former Fiji Sevens coach Ben Ryan has repeatedly called for World Rugby to outlaw this from the game.

Ramón Ayarza, Juanjuan Garese
Chilean test prop Ramón Ayarza and Uruguayan test second-rower Juanjuan Garese are also out of action. Ayarza has undergone surgery for an injury picked up in round one of SLAR. He is now in doubt to compete for Chile in the RWC qualifiers which start in June. Garese is out for a month. His return is estimated at being for Round 9 of SLAR. Without Garese, Peñarol’s second row stocks are extremely low.

MLR Scrum Law Trial
It’s not clear where the directive has come from, but what has quickly become very evident is that the current scrum law variations being trialed in MLR are a complete failure. Case in point Sunday’s game in Austin. The Gilgronis had the dominant scrum but when the referee failed to award a penalty try on the initial penalty, they were unable to press their case and were forced to kick for a lineout instead. Fans hate the rule, the players hate the rule, and yet it persists. Scrums are an integral part of rugby. Devaluing them diminishes the sport as a whole.