Record-setting win for Brazil over Paraguay

Brazil routed Paraguay by a score of 57-6 at the Estádio do Pacaembu in São Paulo on Friday evening. The 51-point difference is a record margin of victory for Os Tupis over the Yacarés, eclipsing the previous mark of 51-14 in 2011. Seven different players crossed for eight tries in total with Moisés Duque contributing 17 points with the boot, landing eight of nine kicks for goal.

It was a poor start to the game for Brazil, who conceded the opening points to Héctor Gayoso and should have conceded a second penalty goal had the Paraguayan flyhalf not missed an easy shot at the 10 minute mark. When Jonatas Paulo was sent to the sin-bin after only 15 minutes things looked very bad for the Tupis, but Duque’s successful penalty kick in the 25th minute looked to settle his team down a bit.

The first try of the game finally came at the half-hour mark from a bit of individual magic. With Brazil on attack Daniel Sancery spotted a gap behind the defensive line and cleverly chipped ahead into the space, regathering to score before the cover could get across to stop him. Gayoso responded with his second goal after his forwards won a scrum penalty, but then it was the other Sancery, Felipe, who fired back as he broke through some soft tackling to walk in under the posts and give Brazil a 17-6 lead at the break.

A foreboding sign came immediately from the restart when André Arruda bashed straight through the Paraguayan line. He was stopped short but soon enough the space opened up again and Stefano Giantorno went over for Brazil’s third try. That opened the floodgates and within seven minutes two more tries were on the board, the first from Josh Reeves and the second to captain Yan Rosetti after a rampaging Cléber Dias was halted just inches short.

Replacements began to stream into the game and disrupt the flow for several minutes but then it was time for more Brazilian might. Matheus Daniel touched down twice in the space of five minutes to bring up the half-century and the exhaustion on Paraguayan faces began to show.

What should have been a memorable send-off for retiring hooker Daniel ‘Nativo’ Danielewicz, playing in his 66th a final cap for his country, was instead marred by a moment of madness only six minutes from time. The veteran hooker clumsily attempted a charge down and in the follow through the Paraguayan kicker collided face-first with the Brazilian’s leg.

Despite no malicious intent or any real damage done to the Paraguayan player, referee Damián Schneider bizarrely decided that the act was worthy of a red card and promptly sent Danielewicz from the pitch. It was as unceremonious an exit from test rugby as you could hope to find.

Danielewicz, to his credit, did not protest the egregious decision and once the ruling was reluctantly accepted by the Tupis the game continued but in a diminished condition. The Duque brothers brought a close to the match with Lucas dancing through the line to touch down under the posts and the conversion from Moisés heralding the final whistle.

Brazil will now celebrate long into the evening before preparations resume for their June test series against Portugal, Chile, and Romania. Paraguay slump to their third consecutive defeat and now look likely of being demoted to the South American ‘B’ Championship should Colombia prove worthy of promotion.

 

SCORING

BRAZIL 57
Tries – D. Sancery (30’), F. Sancery (37’), S. Giantorno (42’), J. Reeves (46’), Y. Rosetti (49’), M. Daniel 2 (66’, 71’), L. Duque (79’)
Cons – M. Duque 7/8 (31’, 38’, 43’, 49’, 67’, 72’, 80’)
Pens – M. Duque 1/1 (25’)
Yellow cards – J. Paulo (15’)
Red card – D. Danielewicz (74’)

PARAGUAY 6
Pens – H. Gayoso 2/3 (5’, 34’)
Yellow cards – M. Ortiz (66’)

 

TEAMS

BRAZIL
1 Jonatas Paulo (17 Jardel Vettorato 35’), 2 Yan Rosetti (capt.) (16 Daniel Danielewicz 69’), 3 Caíque Silva (18 Pedro Bengaló 58’), 4 Lucas Piero, 5 Cléber Dias, 6 João Luiz da Ros (20 Matheus Daniel 58’), 7 Arthur Bergo (19 Nick Smith 68’), 8 André Arruda, 9 Laurent Bourda-Couhet (21 Lucas Duque 72’), 10 Josh Reeves, 11 Stefano Giantorno (2 Yan Rosetti 76’), 12 Moisés Duque, 13 Felipe Sancery (23 Robert Tenório 58’), 14 De Wet van Niekerk (17 Jardel Vettorato 19’-25’) (22 Lucas Tranquez 60’), 15 Daniel Sancery

PARAGUAY
1 Omar Rojas, 2 Juan Manuel Gavigán (17 Daniel Cabral 50’), 3 Álvaro Rojas (16 Joaquín Vera 50‘), 4 Andrés Nasser (capt.), 5 Alejandro Montiel, 6 Martín Ortiz, 7 Carlos Plate (19 Luis Mauger 58’), 8 Leonardo Glizt (18 Juan Gómez HT), 9 Gastón Navas, 10 Héctor Gayoso (23 Rodrigo Da Rosa 52’), 11 Fabrizio Da Rosa, 12 Sebastián Urbieta (21 Carlos Bareiro 23’), 13 Pablo Espínola (22 Fabrizio Cabrera 50’), 14 Diego Argaña, 15 Horacio Agüero (20 Camilo Orrego 68’)

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Damián Schneider (UAR)
Assistants: Claudio Cativelli (URU) & Francisco Saavedra (FERUCHI)

Attendance: 3283