Up and Under – June Tests Edition

It’s a special edition of the Up and Under. Following the completion of the June international series Americas Rugby News takes a look at the great and not-so-great from Americas teams last month.

UP

AJ MacGinty
There is no need to beat around the bush, AJ MacGinty is on his way to being top class flyhalf. Having performed well for Life University he had a dream rise that saw him starting for the Eagles throughout 2015. From there he would win the Guinness Pro 12 with Connacht and has now signed with Sale Sharks for the upcoming Aviva Premiership season. MacGinty  was in prime form against Italy and Russia, and if his consistency continues we could well be talking about the all-time best no10 in Eagles colors some day.

Djustice Sears-Duru
An untimely injury to incumbent Hubert Buydens gave young Sears-Duru an opportunity to start all three matches for the Canucks, and oh, how he delivered. His abilities in the loose have deserved attention for some time, and while there’s always room for improvement his scrum work is definitely on the rise. A full season with Glasgow Warriors can only improve his technical skills. With Buydens set to miss out on the November tour as well, Sears-Duru is set to continue as first choice for now, and could stay there for the foreseeable future.

Tony Lamborn
Two months ago it’s doubtful many people on this side of the universe knew who Lamborn was, never mind that he was eligible for the Eagles. Now he has two test caps to his name, with a try on debut, and has catapulted himself into first choice contention with two fine displays in an American jersey. An astute selection by new coach John Mitchell, one that immediately bolsters an already solid group of US-eligible loose forwards.

Manuel Montero
What better way to come back from injury than to score two tries in three test matches. The Buenos Aires flier was a notable absentee from World Cup but is now a certainty for the Rugby Championship. After looking understandably rusty in his first forays in Super Rugby, his play against Italy and France were both skillful and mesmerizing. With Juan Imhoff in world-class form with Toulon and Santiago Cordero now a bone fide star, the Pumas boast finishers that can stand with anyone.

Todd Clever Breaks Eagles Record
Back from the dead to now be the most capped Eagle in history. It’s a great reward for Clever, who was curiously and perhaps unjustly dumped by previous coach Mike Tolkin. There are two sides of every coin, of course, but we are now past that and Clever has played his part in a very respectable beginning to Mitchell’s tenure as top dog. At 33 years old it seems unlikely that his career will extend to the next World Cup, but he looks set to play a key role as a builder in the new frontier that is the professional American domestic scene.

Taylor Paris is back!
A joyous scene for Canadian fans was the return of the golden boy. It was an awful day when he limped off the field in the dying moments of the World Cup warm-up against the Eagles. All is forgotten now as he looked nothing short of spectacular in the red jersey again, an incredible fact given that he missed the entire Top 14 season with Agen recovering from surgery. Canadian fans now hope to see a dream realised in November – a backline with Paris, Jeff Hassler, and DTH van der Merwe all on the same field at once.

Santa Fé Crowd and Stadium
Argentina’s 30-24 win over Italy took place at the Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López in Santa Fé. A crowd almost as strong as its name attended, with 30,000 screaming fans at the world class venue creating a terrific atmosphere. The occasion was a genuine success with a Rugby Championship match now a certainty to take place there in the future. Tucumán, sadly, is a different story…

Evan Olmstead
Not everything went Canada’s way in the forwards in June, but Olmstead truly stood out. The 25-year-old showed what the team was lacking at the World Cup – aggression and a lineout presence. It’s not that he wasn’t selected, he was there after all, but the coaching staff bizarrely limited him to a support role. Thankfully new coach Mark Anscombe has recognized Olmstead’s obvious qualities, as have his new club Newcastle Falcons. Onwards and upwards, as they say.

Langi Haupeakui
Stardom awaits the Californian. Thanks to PRO Rugby, the previously unknown destroyer of men has quickly risen up from nowhere to now being a capped international in a matter of weeks. The Sacramento no8 is big, deceivingly quick, and awesomely powerful. His impact in the all-important contact area is something to be heard, never mind seen. A 20 minute cameo against Russia demonstrated just how prosperous his future could be.

UNDER

Only one game for Brazil
The Hemispheres Cup fixture was Brazil’s only test match this month. The one-off match against Kenya in Amapá saw Northern Brazil host a test match for the first time. Os Tupis dropped the tightly-fought fixture, with the African tourists narrowly sneaking home, a disappointing result after the promise of the Americas Rugby Championship. Brazil was also to host Guyana only for the Caribbean nation to call it off.

Only two tests for Uruguay
Russia did not qualify for World Cup but got a two match tour of North America the following June. Uruguay did play and secured a place in the World Rugby Nations Cup. Nothing wrong with that per se, in fact the competition was most welcome. In doing so, however, Uruguay had three games squeezed into too few days. The biggest disappointment, though, is arguably no test match against Namibia.

…and the USA too
Left out in the wilderness on June 11 was the USA. With no test match to play the Eagles were let down by administrators. A home test match against Scotland on this date had been sought but was turned down, and no alternative came to fruition. Surely there was something – anything is better than nothing – that could have been arranged? A missed opportunity to capitalise on the rising profile of the sport in America.

Argentina Scrum
With a reputation as the world’s best scrum all eyes are on Los Pumas when teams pack down. On evidence this month, however, the 2016 version is substandard. Italy got the better of Argentina which saw Santiago García Botta dropped. Against France, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro moved to loosehead and the result was improvement in the first test, but not in the second. France shoved back Argentina to underline the importance of recalling veteran pros Marcos Ayerza and Juan Figallo for the Rugby Championship.

Canadian set piece
While the scrum performed surprisingly well against Japan, it was soundly beaten by the Italians and got little purchase against Russia. The lineout was a problem throughout the series, though they did manage to pinch a couple against the throw, largely thanks to Olmstead’s efforts. Anscombe has shown a clear desire to return Canada to its traditional strengths of dominance in the forwards, but a big effort is needed to revamp a second-rate set piece that continues to be a major impediment to success against stronger sides.

Argentina Forwards Discipline
Countless penalties were conceded by Los Pumas at scrum time and in general play, notably by forwards. Of great concern is that Argentina were yellow carded in each test match. Coincidentally the cards all went to second rows – Guido Petti for a dangerous tackle, Javier Ortega Desio for persistent infringements, and Tomás Lavanini for foul play. Daniel Hourcade needs his young locks to learn discipline, and soon. In the meantime a phone call to in-form exports Manuel Carizza and Mariano Galarza for the Rugby Championship would make sense.

The Rugby Channel
Streaming issues during live broadcast saw viewers unable to watch the conclusion of the Eagles match against Italy in a reliable manner. Other complaints of freezing and difficulty to get registered have also been voiced over social media. Disclaimers that some matches may be subject to territorial restrictions – without naming which ones – is not wooing potential customers, nor is the requirement for a credit card to access the one-month ‘free’ trial subscription. The Rugby Channel is a great idea if implemented well. For now it remains very much a work-in-progress.