Uruguay defeat USA to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023

Uruguay have made history with a 34-15 win over the USA at Estadio Charrúa on Saturday afternoon. The result gives them a 50-34 series win on aggregate and sees Los Teros qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2023. It’s the first time they have secured the Americas 1 position, which earns them a place in Pool A opposite hosts France, New Zealand, Italy, and an African nation to be determined.

It was the home side who found the scoreboard first. Multiple phases from an attacking lineout stretched the USA defense, and after Nicolas Freitas nearly reached the line himself a wide ball from Santiago Arata found Rodrigo Silva unmarked for the try. Federico Favaro’s right boot made it seven points with six minutes played.

The USA opened their account soon after with a penalty goal from Will Magie. It was nearly countered on a long-range effort from Favaro that rang off the upright at the 21 minute mark. The two sides went back and forth until the Eagles would find their way to the tryline.

An attacking scrum just inside the 22m line wheeled and allowed Ruben de Haas to break down the short side. He offloaded to Mika Kruse flying at full pace and the winger slide over in the corner to give the Eagles their first lead. Magie’s conversion attempt from the sideline drifted across the face of the uprights.

Uruguay nearly replied with a try of their own just a couple minutes later. Manuel Ardao made it over the line but was held up. The Eagles cleared temporarily but Favaro grabbed the lead back for Uruguay with his second successful kick, this time for three points from a distance of 40 meters.

A nasty aerial collision saw Marcel Brache trudging off the pitch just before halftime, to be replaced by Will Hooley. Soon after Favaro was given another long-range opportunity at the posts and he would find his range to make the score 13-8 to the home side at the intermission.

Barely a minute into the second half Los Teros were on the board again. Gastón Mieres came in from his opposite wing looking for work and on a loop play scythed through the Eagles defense. With only Hooley to beat he stepped off his left foot and dove into the corner for the try. Favaro’s kick from wide out hit the post and went over to make it a 12-point gap.

It wasn’t long before Los Teros were in again. This time it was through the forwards, who pounded away at the line until Facundo Gattas went low under two defenders to score the third try. It was a chip shot for Favaro to add the extra two and make it a three-score game.

A fourth try came before the hour mark. Freitas ripped clean through a gaping hole left open close to the ruck and Silva was there in support for the finish. There was no problem for Favaro to add two more points and no way back for the Eagles.

Christian Dyer would score a consolation try at the end of a wide ball tapped on by Kruse. Luke Carty made good on the difficult conversion but the remaining 15 minutes would pass with no further scoring as the celebrations began in Montevideo.

The Uruguayan capital will host the Americas Pacific Challenge later this month with six development sides in the Americas competing. Los Teros have tests against Romania and Italy scheduled in November. The USA will have to regroup quickly before their home game against New Zealand on October 23. Their next World Cup qualifying series will be against Chile, set to take place in July 2022.

 

SCORING

URUGUAY 34
Tries – R. Silva 2 (5′, 55′), G. Mieres (42′), F. Gattas (48′)
Cons – F. Favaro 4/4 (6′, 43′, 49′, 56′)
Pens – F. Favaro 2/3 (34′, 38′)

USA 15
Tries – M. Kruse (28′), C. Dyer (64′)
Cons – M. Magie 0/1, L. Carty 1/1 (65′)
Pens – W. Magie 1/1 (9′)

 

TEAMS

URUGUAY
1 Mateo Sanguinetti (18 Matías Benítez 75′), 2 Facundo Gattas (16 Guillermo Pujadas 72′), 3 Diego Arbelo (17 Juan Echeverría 70′), 4 Ignacio Dotti (19 Diego Magno 68′), 5 Manuel Leindekar (20 Franco Lamanna 73′), 6 Manuel Ardao, 7 Santiago Civetta (21 Eric Dosantos 62′), 8 Manuel Diana, 9 Santiago Arata (22 Tomás Inciarte 56′), 10 Felipe Etcheverry, 11 Gastón Mieres, 12 Andrés Vilaseca (capt.), 13 Nicolás Freitas (23 Felipe Arcos Pérez 62′), 14 Federico Favaro, 15 Rodrigo Silva

USA
1 David Ainu’u (17 Matt Harmon 56′), 2 Kapeli Pifeleti (16 Dylan Fawsitt 56′), 3 Joe Taufete’e (18 Paul Mullen 56′), 4 Nate Brakeley (19 Greg Peterson 49′), 5 Nick Civetta, 6 Andrew Guerra, 7 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz (20 Benjamín Bonasso 50′), 8 Cam Dolan, 9 Ruben de Haas (21 Nate Augspurger 56′), 10 Will Magie (22 Luke Carty 49′), 11 Mika Kruse, 12 Bryce Campbell (capt.), 13 Tavite Lopeti, 14 Christian Dyer, 15 Marcel Brache (23 Will Hooley 35′)

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Damián Schneider (Argentina)
Assistants: Tomás Bertazza (Argentina) & Cauã Ricardo (Brazil)
TMO: Santiago Borsani (Argentina)