Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly exclusive on Americas Rugby News. It takes a dive into the best and worst involving Americas Rugby from the past week.

 

UP

San Diego break away from the pack
San Diego have now won eight consecutive matches as they stretched their lead at the top of the table with a 26-16 result over the Utah Warriors on Saturday night. The Legion were trailing after a difficult 40 minutes but broke away from their hosts with a convincing second half performance. San Diego will look to make it nine in a row when they face the Gold in New Orleans.

Forward power gives ATL win over Chicago
Rugby ATL earned a 27-12 win over the Hounds at Silverbacks Park on Saturday. While the home side couldn’t quite secure a bonus point, the strength of their forward pack in the scrum and maul set the platform for the much-needed victory. For Chicago it’s another disappointing result as the team continues to search for their identity in their inaugural campaign.

Selknam feast on Cobras with Chileans wanting RWC selection
Selknam enjoyed a feast of Cobras on Saturday. Played in Curicó, Selknam completed a 33-17 bonus point win. The result sees the Chileans storming back into play-off’s contention. The forwards showed Pablo Lemoine that they want to play at the World Cup. Clemente Saavedra, Joaquín Milesi, Augusto Bohme and Vittorio Lastra touched down in the try zone.

Dogos claim the SRA Derby Double
Los Dogos and Los Pampas fought until the end. Their round 11 Super Rugby Americas 2023 clash in Córdoba went down to the wire. Having been overtaken in the final ten minutes the home side recovered to score a late try and seal a 34-29 bonus point win. Los Dogos also won away in Buenos Aires earlier this season and defeated Los Pampas preseason.

Magnificent Raptors vs Yacares Showdown
Yacare won in Denver in what was a match of contrasts. The Paraguayan side played old-fashioned forward dominated rugby. The lineout and rolling maul combination was a hallmark of their performance. In contrast, the Raptors played with brilliant flair. There was something for everyone. The match went down to the wire as players from both teams delivered.

Diana in a League of his own
Manuel Diana is in a league of his own. The 27-year-old is far and away the best player in Super Rugby Americas 2023. After ten rounds of the season, the Peñarol N8 has a return of 12 tries. He has scored tries for Peñarol in all but one match this season. Coincidentally or not the one match without Diana’s name on the scoresheet was the team’s only defeat thus far. Diana did not enter the try zone in the 20-19 away loss against Los Pampas.

El Milagro? Brive remain alive
The battle to avoid relegation from the Top 14 to the Pro D2 is going down to the wire. Brive completed an amazing come-from-behind win away to Montpellier on Saturday. Puma Rodrigo Bruni scored with time up and Nicolás Sánchez converted for the win. Brive are now one win behind Perpignan. A home win is a must for both next weekend. Brive face Castres while Perpignan face Toulouse.

Race for Pumas World Cup Selection
In addition to the heroics of Bruni and Sánchez other Pumas impressed over the weekend. Juan Martín González scored a double for London Irish. Pedro Rubiolo scored for Newcastle. Juan Imhoff scored for Racing 92 and Santiago Grondona scored for Pau. Given that 33 will be selected there will be some notable exclusions from the final roster.

 

UNDER

Lightning Strikes Again in Dallas
For a second time this season lightning has forced a Major League Rugby game to be abandoned after just 40 minutes. Old Glory DC’s 7-3 lead over the Dallas Jackals will stand as a complete result after a nasty weather system moved too close to the stadium shortly after the whistle sounded for halftime.

Ironworkers blast through battered Gold
New York redeemed their earlier defeat in New Orleans with an emphatic 54-19 victory over the Gold at Memorial Field on Sunday. While it was a good day for the Ironworkers, it could hardly have gone worse for NOLA. Eric Howard pulled out before kickoff and within 20 minutes they were without Dougie Fife, Devin Short, and Billy Stewart. Numerous mistakes compounded their misery and the failure to secure even a bonus point is a significant hit to their playoff aspirations.

Pumas Gladiators sidelined in France
Stade Français are without Marcos Kremer for three weeks. Kremer missed this past weekend’s match against Clermont. Facundo Isa also missed Toulon’s match against La Rochelle. Isa is out of action with a thumb injury. Even the toughest need time off. Meanwhile, Bordeaux continue to wait on Guido Petti. His injury-plagued season may have consequences for Pumas selection in the coming months.

New York wait on Conor McManus
New York are also suffering major injury woes with the latest being Conor McManus. Their first choice scrumhalf had missed time earlier this season with a thigh injury. Against the Free Jacks on the weekend he landed awkwardly after catching a high ball in the air and twisted his ankle. No word yet on how long McManus will be out.

Watch your mouth Jesse Parete
New England will be without Jesse Parete for a little longer than originally anticipated. The second row was initially suspended for two weeks after being sent off against ATL. He has now been admonished for speaking to the match officials following that game, and miss another three weeks. Parete won’t be eligible to play again until the June 11 match against the Seawolves.

Suspension for Maciu Koroi
Maciu Koroi is the latest Major League Rugby player to fall foul of the judiciary. The NOLA Gold back row has been suspended for three weeks after being cited for a dangerous clear-out against the Toronto Arrows. It should be noted that this is the second time Koroi has been suspended in MLR.

Dogos and Pumas lose Franco Molina for the year
A blow has taken place to Argentina’s World Cup planning. Franco Molina is out of Super Rugby Americas 2023 and will not recover to be considered for the World Cup. The second-rower was carried off injured against Selknam. He suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and has since undergone surgery.