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

Los Pumitas fly past Georgia u20s
After over a year of no activity, u20s resumed for Argentina this past Friday. Los Pumitas completed a massive win over Georgia in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The 82-10 win sent a warning to the Junior Springboks ahead of their meeting in the Under-20 International Series. Flyhalf Ramiro Waisberg ran the show with a 32-point personal haul.

Growth evident as Teritos earn respect against Junior Boks
South Africa u20s were 29-10 winners over Uruguay on Friday. The story of the match is a tale of progress. Uruguay is a union on a low budget but one that is gaining returns. The test team and u20s side are made up of home-produced players. The combination of a strong club game and Peñarol is contributing to growth. At the senior level South Africa has won all three matches easily: 39-3 at RWC 1999, 72-6 at RWC 2003, and 134-3 in 2005.

Women’s Eagles ready to fly in Tokyo
A star-studded roster has been named by Chris Brown to compete at the Olympic Games next month. Abby Gustaitis and Kris Thomas are co-captains of a squad that includes the likes of Kristi Kirshe, Naya Tapper, and Alev Kelter. On paper they look like a team capable of winning a medal. First on the agenda is one last warm-up tournament, the ‘Quest for Gold’ in Los Angeles this weekend.

Benetton with three Argentines lift Rainbow Cup
Benetton ran rampant against the Bulls to claim a 35-8 victory on Saturday. The win was historic for Italian professional rugby. It is a first trophy in the cabinet for the Central Europeans. Argentines Thomas Gallo, Juan Ignacio Brex, and Ivan Nemer all featured in the final for Benetton.

Kieran Crowley
It’s been quite the month for the former Canada Senior Men’s coach. In January it was announced that Crowley was leaving Benetton a year early, but as it turns out he was only moving up the ladder to become Head Coach of the Azzurri. On Saturday he closed the book on his time at the Treviso club with an historic win over the Bulls to claim the Rainbow Cup title. If Canada can get past the USA and the top South American challenger this fall, Crowley could find himself coaching against Canada at RWC 2023.

Atlanta back in control of the East
Rugby ATL are back in control of MLR’s Eastern Conference. On Saturday they earned a bonus-point win over Houston in the Marietta rain. Combined with New York’s loss against Utah, it puts the Ratlers in pole position to earn home field advantage for the Semi Final. They will play their final home game of the regular season against Old Glory this weekend.

Utah Warriors Comeback yet again
The Warriors have done it again. For a third game in succession Utah came from behind to earn a late victory. This time it was New York who slipped away, with the final score reading 29-28 to the visitors. The result is a major step towards a playoff spot for the Warriors. Only Austin have a chance to catch them now, and a bonus point win over Houston could put the AG hopes on ice.

NOLA remain in the hunt in the East
A positive result for NOLA over Toronto keeps their playoff hopes alive. New York’s loss means the gap has closed to just three points with four games remaining for both. The two sides are scheduled to collide in the final round of the regular season, though the path immediately ahead of the Gold looks decidedly more difficult with all of their matches coming on the road.

Austin hang on to keep Semi Final hopes alive
The AG’s came through a potentially ruinous trip to Seattle with a bonus-point win. Despite conceding 31 points that is a notable achievement against a team that is much tougher than their record suggests. Most importantly it keeps them within arm’s reach of Utah, though their upcoming road matches against San Diego and LA will be a major challenge.

Lauina Futi
Not many outside of Seattle will have been familiar with the 25-year-old before his call-up to the Seawolves just a month ago. The American Samoan has made an instant impact with his electric pace and footwork. On Sunday he made all of MLR stand up and notice with a superb hat trick against the AG’s. He looks set to play a big part of Allen Clarke’s rebuild.

UNDER

Absentees aplenty from Canada roster
Canada will travel to the UK without several of their top professionals next month. Five France-based forwards are absent – Tyler Ardron, Matt Tierney, Tyler Duguid, Evan Olmstead, and Matt Beukeboom. Kyle Baillie will now travel with the team though his ability to play with a broken hand remains in question, while Matt Heaton is another injury doubt. In the backs Shane O’Leary has been overlooked leaving Will Percillier and Peter Nelson as the only European-based players in the squad.

No light at the end of the tunnel for Arrows
The Arrows fell short again on Saturday, beaten by NOLA in what was technically a home game for Toronto. This has been a season to forget for the Arrows, and as their internationals prepare to depart thoughts will be turning to 2022 and a long-overdue return to Canada. New players have arrived to fill out the roster for the last month and management will have some interesting decisions to make. Some have under-performed this campaign. How much will be attributed to the never-ending road trip?

Houston we have a problem
The SaberCats conceded a bonus point defeat to ATL on Saturday. Once again they opted for the boot of Sam Windsor to kick penalties, while their opponents backed their set piece to score tries. Houston have nothing to lose but are seemingly unwilling to take risks. Expectations are low for their remaining three games, with the Wooden Spoon staring them straight in the eye.

New York lose momentum against Utah
Saturday was supposed to be when New York showed their class against another playoff contender playing away from home. Instead they got more than they bargained for as the Warriors brought their big guns off the bench to take a late victory. Making matters worse were first half injuries to captain Dylan Fawsitt and prop James Rochford. Home field advantage in the Semi Final is likely gone and their anxiety levels will be up with NOLA suddenly breathing down their neck.

Legion bow out of the playoff race
San Diego returned to their spiritual home of Torero Stadium on Sunday but did not get the result they wanted. Despite LA losing key players to injury on the eve of the match, the Legion were still on the wrong end of a low-scoring game. As a result they are now 14 points back of Utah and are effectively out of the playoff race. Stability with be needed to return to form next season.

Yamada’s Moment of Madness
His overall performance for Seattle wasn’t bad but where on earth was Akihito Yamada’s head early in the game? He inexplicably tossed a no-look between-the-legs pass from a ruck in the shadow of his own goal-posts that gifted seven points to the AG’s. That’s the kind of thing one might expect to see from a rookie, not a 35-year-old veteran of 24 test matches.

Uncapped shining Argentine prospect off to Italian Top 10
Gonzalo García will continue his career abroad. The Argentine scrumhalf has signed to play in Italy for ValoRugby Emilia in the Italian Top 10. While the European move sounds nice, it is below his potential. García was the standout as his position in SLAR, and yet was not named on Argentina’s roster for July with Mario Ledesma opting for Felipe Ezcurra instead.

Scarlets-bound Tomás Lezana out of July tests vs Wales
An untimely knee injury has ruled Tomás Lezana out of the July Internationals against Romania and Wales. His unavailability sees an opportunity for another SLAR standout in flanker Juan Martín González. With Pablo Matera also unfit, the 20-year-old from Mendoza is expected to make his Pumas debut against Romania on July 3.