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

Rugby ATL
The once-unbeatable Giltinis suffered their second loss of the season on Saturday. It was a tremendous display of defense from ATL, who were credited with a revised total of 214 tackles (initially reported as 263) in the 17-12 win. Spectators at home and in person were treated to an absorbing contest that stands among the best games MLR seen in its four seasons. LA likely remain favorites to lift the MLR Shield for now, but the Ratlers have proven that it is far from written in stone.

San Diego Legion
Is it possible for the Legion to sneak into the playoffs? Time is against them now but San Diego suddenly look a markedly improved team to the one that suffered heavy defeats to ATL, LA, and New England. Their 39-11 win over Houston on the weekend redeemed an earlier two-point loss to the SaberCats. With Chris Robshaw set to return from injury and a potential return to Torero Stadium soon, there is renewed optimism among The Cohort.

Utah Warriors
Billed as a potential playoff decider, the Warriors took a convincing 45-24 win over the visiting AG’s. Utah led 38-10 at the hour mark before taking their foot off the gas. With six games to go they are now in prime position to push through for their first Semi Final spot since 2018, though a June 12 clash against the Legion now looms as a potentially vital contest.

Rugby United New York
Taking a big step towards a spot in the Eastern Conference final was New York, who trounced Old Glory to the tune of 46-10 in Leesburg. It was a statement of intent from the visitors who showed their ability to score from almost any situation. They now have a bye week to rest up before the final run-in that begins with ATL on June 13.

13 players earn first selection call-up for USA Eagles
USA coach Gary Gold has named a squad of 41 players in his first Men’s Eagles squad since Rugby World Cup 2019. Included are 19 of the 32 players who traveled to Japan, with 13 of the 31 selected from Major League Rugby uncapped. New blood includes front rower Matt Harmon; back rows Andrew Guerra, Moni Tonga’uiha, and Riekert Hattingh; halfbacks Michael Baska, Ryan Rees, and Luke Carty; and outside backs Mika Kruse, Harry Barlow, Ryan James, John Ryberg, Conner Mooneyham, and Mike Dabulas.

Cóndores roster to prepare for RWC qualifiers 
Chile’s roster for the upcoming RWC 2023 qualifiers has been confirmed. Los Cóndores will face Colombia in a must-win match on July 3, the winner advancing to the South American finals. The 35-man roster consists entirely of professional players. There are 30 from Selknam with the others based in MLR or Europe. This is undoubtedly Chile’s best chance to date at securing a spot in a World Cup.

Argentina name uncapped duo
Argentina quickly went from a long-list of 67 players to an official July roster of 32. It contains two uncapped players, both loosehead props – Facundo Gigena from London Irish and Federico Wegrzyn of Los Jaguares XV. Likely starter Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro returned to action this past Friday for Bristol. Potential alternatives Mayco Vivas and Ignacio Calles were not considered due to injury.

Julián Montoya takes charge of Los Pumas
Julián Montoya is the new captain of Argentina. The hooker replaces flanker Pablo Matera as the leader of Los Pumas. Both Montoya and Matera played Super Rugby and featured in RWCs 2015 and 2019. Montoya overtook Agustín Creevy to be Argentina’s starting test hooker in the later of the two tournaments. His rise to the captaincy gives Club Newman a second Pumas captain in a decade; the same club also produced Felipe Contepomi.

Argentina and Uruguay u20s set for South Africa
South Africa will play host to a Four Nations competition in June and July. Competing will be the Junior Boks, Argentina, Georgia and Uruguay in what is a u20 tournament. The competition will run from June 11 to July 3 in Stellenbosch. The teams will fly to South Africa one week before the tournament begins.

Increased rest days for 2022 Women’s World Cup
World Rugby has made changes to the match schedule for the postponed Rugby World Cup 2021, which will now kick off in October 2022. The revised schedule sees all matches moving to Saturday or Sunday fixtures, guaranteeing a minimum of five days rest. Two teams from the Americas have qualified to date. Both Canada and the USA have been drawn in Pool B.

Emily Tuttosi
Canadian hooker Emily Tuttosi has been named Player of the Year for Exeter Chiefs. The honor was voted by her teammates, which included internationals from a variety of countries – three more from Canada and five from the USA. Tuttosi started all 18 games for Exeter in her first season with the club, scoring two tries. Second row McKinley Hunt was recognized as the club’s top try scorer.

Santiago Cordero
Santiago Cordero was named in the official Champions Cup Team of the Season. The Pumas flyer is one of two Bordeaux Bègles players to make the cut, with selections based on official Opta statistics. Cordero led the competition with four tries scored – a mark matched three others – despite missing both the Round of 16 and Semi Final matches. Most notably he scored a hat-trick against the Dragons in December.

Pro D2: Argentine and Canadian into Final
The French Pro D2 will be contested between Perpignan and Biarritz. Perpignan were 27-15 winners over Oyonnax while Biarritz downed Vannes 34-33. The Americas was represented by players in both winning line-ups. Canada’s Evan Olmstead was a replacement for Biarritz while Argentina’s Jerónimo de la Fuente started for Perpignan and Patricio Fernández was a replacement. Tomás Cubelli will join Biarritz for the new season and Bautista Delguy will head to Perpignan if they are promoted.

UNDER

Eagles squad notable omissions
Along with surprise inclusions there were several notable omissions from the USA roster. There was no place for World Cup selects Ben Landry and Thretton Palamo, or France-based pair Nafi Ma’afu and Deion Mikesell. MLR standouts Jason Damm and Calvin Whiting can be considered unlucky. Among those ruled out with injury are flanker Tony Lamborn, scrumhalf Nate Augspurger, and utility back Dylan Audsley.

Big names dropped from Los Pumas
Argentina have a 32-man roster confirmed to tour Wales in July. The roster is packed with talent; the depth is arguably unparalleled in Pumas history. Julián Montoya captains a side lacking London Irish hooker Agustín Creevy, Brive second-rower Lucas Paulos, Toulouse center Juan Cruz Mallía, Toulon winger Ramiro Moyano, SLAR player of the year Sebastián Cancelliere, and Castres fly half Benjamín Urdapilleta.

Luke White
A moment of madness cost Luke White dearly in Saturday’s match at The Snake Pit. The former Colorado Raptors captain landed a headbutt on ATL scrumhalf Rowan Gouws after taking exception to a clear-out attempt. It was in full view of referee JP Doyle who had no hesitation in sending White from the pitch. LA were reduced to 14 players for 20 minutes and ultimately lost a close contest to the Ratlers. White now faces a certain suspension.

New England Free Jacks vs Toronto Arrows
The Free Jacks were 14-12 winners over the Arrows on Saturday in a dour affair heavily affected by wet and windy conditions. New England will celebrate a gritty victory but in truth neither side impressed. Toronto had opportunities to win with a missed penalty kick and a controversial last-minute penalty ruling out what looked like a try for Tomás de la Vega. It will take a herculean effort from either to make the Eastern Conference playoff now.

Houston SaberCats
The SaberCats lost their sixth consecutive match on the weekend, falling heavily to the Legion in Chula Vista. It is an unflattering scoreline yet Houston were competitive for much of the second half. They have now conceded more points than any other team. With a Semi Final spot gone, eyes now turn to the future with several players fighting for a contract next season.

Austin Gilgronis
It’s hard to imagine Saturday’s defeat at Salt Lake going any worse for the AG’s. They conceded 5 competition points to their Western Conference rivals while taking away none for themselves. Adding injury to insult was the loss of Dom Bailey, Ned Hodson, and Will Magie before halftime while Dominic Akina did not return to the field after the break. Austin are not mathematically out of the playoff race but may not be physically capable of mounting a challenge.

Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz
Old Glory lost Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz for three MLR games. Their star ball carrier at No8 was suspended after receiving a red card near the end of Saturday’s game against the Houston SaberCats. He missed Sunday’s game against New York and will miss the upcoming matches against the Free Jacks and NOLA Gold. If he travels with the Eagles as expected in July, DC will have Fa’anana-Schultz available for only two of their remaining six games.

Rodrigo Bruni’s Top 14 dream
The Pumas No8 recently signed a new deal with Vannes. It was done with the strong chance that the club would earn promotion to the Top 14. This dream ended on Sunday; Vannes were beaten by Biarritz. It was a cruel blow as Biarritz won with the final play. Whether or not this will impact Bruni’s opportunities with Argentina is unknown. He is on the roster for July as is Toulon’s Facundo Isa.