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

Argentina Sevens the best of the Americas in Singapore
Argentina were convincing 42-24 winners over the USA Eagles in Singapore. The win handed Los Pumas fifth place in the tournament with the USA finishing one place lower. Earlier on Los Pumas had been beaten 29-5 by Australia in the Cup Quarter Finals. That outcome send Argentina to a match against the Series leading South Africa. Los Pumas put on an extraordinary performance to complete a 22-15 victory. The Eagles booked their place in the 5th place final by defeating Samoa 24-17. Earlier on the USA fell to a 14-12 loss against Ireland.

Peñarol reach the SLAR Peak
Peñarol are the undisputed leaders of the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby 2022. The Uruguayan side completed a strong win over Selknam on Friday in Ciudad del Este. The 31-3 victory saw an excellent second half display wherein Peñarol converted a 7-3 half-time lead into a win by a 28 point margin. The five tries to zero victory sees Peñarol collecting the maximum. Peñarol gain the win and the bonus point while Selknam miss out on competition points.

Jaguares Fight Back
Los Jaguares XV were given a scare by Os Cobras on Friday evening. Played in Ciudad del Este, the fifth round SLAR 2022 clash between the Argentine and Brazilian entrants was a dogged performance from the underdogs; Os Cobras held the lead at half-time. The final score of 35-11 is a reflection of how the final quarter unfolded. Los Jaguares XV were far from convincing in the opening half and were under further pressure during the game’s third quarter.

Cafeteros Pro Make Further History
Los Cafeteros Pro completed an upset win over the Olímpia Lions on Friday. The 16-12 result sees the Colombian side now well clear of Os Cobras and pressing the Olímpia Lions for 4th place in the SLAR 2022 standings. Eliseo Morales landed a match-winning strike. His late penalty put Los Cafeteros Pro 16-12 ahead with just over three minutes remaining.

Resurgent Toronto
The Toronto Arrows held on to take a 32-27 result over Old Glory DC at York Lions Stadium on Saturday. While it was a much-needed bonus point win for the home side, it was a nervous final quarter as they saw a 19-point lead diminish rapidly and played the final moments with only 13 men on the pitch. The Arrows are now just five pois behind the 3rd place team in the East, New York.

Colombia and Mexico to get a taste of USA South Panthers
The USA South Panthers will play matches in Colombia and Mexico in August. The Colombian Caribbean city of Barranquilla will play host to at least one match of the tour. The series is to be played shortly after the 2022 Major League Rugby (MLR) final. The tour falls more than two years after the USA South Panthers had been confirmed for a visit in July 2020.

MLR 50 Club is the Sam Windsor Club
Sam Windsor made history this past weekend, becoming the first player to hit 50 starts in MLR. He had already become the 3rd player to hit 50 caps. Incredibly Windsor’s first 49 starts were consecutive and his replacement appearance against NOLA was the first time he had come off the bench in an MLR game.

Austin Back in charge of the MLR West
The Austin Gilgronis recovered from a slow start to defeat the San Diego Legion 35-21 at the Sports Deck on Sunday. It was the tale of two halves, as the AG’s trailed by two scores at halftime only to come roaring back with a dominant second forty that stretched their lead at the top of the Western Conference

Free Jacks in Charge of the MLR East
Make it six wins in a row for the New England Free Jacks. They defeated the Seattle Seawolves 24-22 at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday. While the scoreboard slightly flatters the visitors, they showed resilience to secure a vital losing bonus point on the final play. Not only are the Free Jacks leading in the Eastern Conference, they are on top spot overall in MLR 2022.

Houston Are Moving on Up
Two tries from Louritz van der Schyff on debut highlighted a 31-6 victory for the Houston SaberCats over the Dallas Jackals on Saturday. It was a largely pedestrian affair with both sides content to play territory in the wind, and the home side proved more efficient at the set piece.

Career Best for Santiago Socino
Santiago Socino was the hero for Gloucester in the team’s European Challenge Cup win over the Dragons. The Puma scored a hat-trick in what was a tight-battle. Gloucester were 26-21 winners away to the Dragons, in Newport, Wales. Socino touched down in the try zone in the 13th, 62nd and 67th minutes. His three tries were  75% of Gloucester’s tries during the match.

UNDER

Uruguay Miss Out Again on Hosting Tier 1 Test Match
Uruguay have secured a two-match home series against Romania in July 2022. The mid-year series will the second of a two-part international program for Los Teros in mid 2022. First, the South Americans will tour Japan in June. With 2022 marking the final July home series for Uruguay before RWC 2023, it means that no Tier 1 team will play in Uruguay during the RWC 2019-2023 cycle. Wales were due to in July 2021.

Pittman Cut from Warriors
The axe fell on another Major League Rugby Head Coach. Shawn Pittman was relieved of his duties at the Utah Warriors. General Manager and Director of Rugby Brandon Sparks will take over the lead role for the remainder of the season while a search for a permanent replacement begins. Pittman suffers the same fate of Old Glory’s Andrew Douglas and comes after the Warriors posted a 2-6 record in the first half of the season including three consecutive defeats at home. The 34-year-old was named MLR Coach of the Year in 2021 after leading Utah to a Western Conference Final.

Raids Continue at the Gold Mine 
Rugby ATL maintained their perfect record against NOLA Gold with a 34-17 win at The Gold Mine on Saturday evening. It was a high tempo game with both sides looking to stretch the defense early, but the power of the Ratlers pack took its toll and ultimately proved the difference. NOLA Gold are 3-6 for MLR 2022. This is the 4th worst in the league.

Rugby New York Humiliated by LA Giltinis
The LA Giltinis fired a warning shot with a 43-0 thrashing of Rugby New York at the Coliseum on Sunday. There will be no joy in the visiting camp as they suffered their worst-ever defeat and saw five players exit with injuries. The defending champions meanwhile showed that they are alive and very much still in title contention.

Old Glory DC at 0-9
Old Glory DC are yet to register a win in MLR 2022. The slow start to the season saw heavy defeats which culminated in the change of the coaching regime. Results are yet to change in terms of the win column, though the team has come close recently. Friday’s battle against the Utah Warriors is to officially be the battle of the new coaches.

Dallas Officially Bottom
The Dallas Jackals are winless in MLR 2022. The rookie club is 0-9, the same season record as Old Glroy DC. Improved recent performances have resulted in Old Glory DC now having 5 competition points, this is one more than that of the Dallas Jackals. The race is on to see which team will be the first of the two to register a win in MLR 2022.

Expect the Worst for Axel Muller 
Two Argentines were red carded this past weekend while playing for their European clubs. Juan Cruz Mallía was sent-off for an accidental foul play incident. He is likely to be suspended. Axel Muller is certain to be suspended. His red card was not for an accident. He made deliberate, late and danergous contact to an opposition player’s head; doing so by leaing iwht his shoulder in a no-arms-tackle. A heavy ban is set to be handed out.