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

Rodrigo Fernández es el tipo
Rodrigo Fernández has done something that no Chilean has done before him – win a prestigious World Rugby award. Fernández won the World Rugby Men’s Try of the Year award for 2022. Fernández’s remarkable try saw Fernández receiving a kick ahead from which he proceeded to weave his way through the entire Eagles team for a sensational individual try.

North American trio gets the nod in Women’s Dream Team
There was something for North American fans to cheer about from an otherwise painful weekend. Canadian pair Sophie de Goede and Emily Tuttosi join the USA’s Hope Rogers in World Rugby’s Women’s Dream Team for 2022. For Rogers the honor is particularly notable as she is the only inclusion outside of the four World Cup Semi Finalists.

Pablo Matera makes Men’s Dream Team
World Rugby named Pablo Matera on the Men’s Dream Team. The Argentine was named as the best No6 in the world. Matera is the only player from the Americas to make the prestigious Men’s Dream Team. He joins players from six other nations in the select XV.

MLR get Chicago Hounds boost
Major League Rugby’s newest team will be called the Chicago Hounds. Based at SeatGeek Stadium, they will play their first regular season game on the road against Old Glory DC on February 18 with a home opener against the Utah Warriors on March 4.

Los Dogos send SLAR message
Paraguay played host to Córdoba on Saturday. The battle between one South American country and a strong rugby province of another saw the visiting side winning 43-30. Córdoba players Federico Simondi, Conrado Roura, Facundo Villalba, Julián Quetglas, and Nicolás Cantarutti are all examples of PladAR academy graduates. Will they play for a new Argentine professional team?

Tucumán deliver against Brazil
Tucumán were impressive winners over Brazil on Sunday. The teams battled it out in the second match of the Cross Border competition in Asunción, Paraguay. Tucumán were 34-17 winners against Brazil’s Senior National Men’s team. Similar to Córdoba against Paraguay, Tucumán win begs the question of whether those involved are going play for a new Argentine professional team?

Three Changes for first time in World Cup History
Each World Cup qualification cycle typically results in one change to competing teams from one tournament to the next. That was the case in each edition from 1999 to 2019. France 2023 will see three changes from Japan 2019. Dropping out are Canada, Russia, and the USA. They are replaced by Chile, Portugal, and Romania.

 

UNDER

USA World Cup Flop
An 18-all draw against Portugal saw the USA fail to qualify for RWC 2023. The decisive moment came in stoppage time. Samuel Marques landed the penalty goal, sending Os Lobos to France on overall points differential. The Eagles had ample opportunities to close out the game but couldn’t get it done. They now join Canada on the sidelines wondering ‘what if?’

North America Missing in Action
Rugby World Cup 2023 will be the first Rugby World Cup without North Americans. Canada misses out for the first time and it’s a second miss for the USA. The two governing bodies are in desperate need of new ideas. There is still time to right the ship if a new course is plotted in the coming months.

Canada add Namibia to String of Poor Results
A last-gasp try gave Namibia a 43-37 victory over Canada at NRCA Stadium in Amsterdam on Saturday. It’s the first-ever victory for the Welwitschias over the Maple Leafs, and it comes three years after the two sides were meant to square off during the 2019 World Cup in Japan. So ends another year of underwhelming results for the Canadian men.

Argentina and whistle-blowing havoc 
Scotland claimed a home win over Argentina on Saturday at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. The home side won by a record scoreline of 52-29. Los Pumas lost a player to an early red card and three other forwards were yellow carded in the second half. Karl Dickson also handed out out a pair of yellow cards to Scotland.

All Blacks playing against Uruguay 
Tonga were winners in the first ever test match between Tonga and Uruguay. Played at the neutral venue of Bucharest, Romania, the Pacific Island team were 43-19 winners over Los Teros. The Ikale Tahi were boosted by the presence of four former All Blacks in their lineup – Vaea Fifita, Augustine Pulu, George Moala, and Malakai Fekitoa.

Planning time for Chile 
Chile’s historic year concluded on Friday in Dublin, Ireland. Los Cóndores fielded an experimental lineup to take on former European club champions Leinster. The Irish province were 40-3 winners. The result was not what Chile were after but was a kind reminder of what is in front of them. There is much to look forward to in 2023, namely Chile’s World Cup debut.

Tony Lamborn calls it a day
Former Eagles flanker Tony Lamborn has announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 31. He made the announcement on social media, bringing a close to an 11-year career as a professional. He made his test debut for the USA against Italy in 2016 and would go on to earn selection to the 2019 World Cup, finishing with 23 test caps.