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The only two teams to have won the Americas Rugby Championship will begin their 2018 campaign opposite each other in a match that could well determine this year’s top spot. It’s an odd bit of trivia – the Argentina XV have never been beaten in the competition, and yet in the two years since the competition was revamped they have never beaten the USA. A draw in the first round of the 2016 ARC ensured the tourney win for Argentina. A draw in the final round of last year’s edition secured the title for the Eagles on bonus points.
Originally slated to be a double-header packaged with a Super Rugby preseason encounter, an administrative blunder means that a collegiate contest between UCLA and Arizona will instead act as the curtain-raiser. It does take a bit of the shine off the event and certainly does not reflect well on the organizers but the show, as they say, must go on and the main event is still in one piece.
While the match is not a capped international for the USA they are not taking the match lightly. Eight overseas professionals are included with another two on the bench. In fact only three players in the squad have yet to sign officially for a Major League Rugby side. It’s very close to a fully professional Eagles team. Whether this translates into a winning side has yet to be seen.
Returning to the team for the first time since November 2016 is Titi Lamositele, the Saracens prop who has recovered from a long-term neck injury. Dino Waldren continues at tighthead prop in the absence of Chris Baumann and Nate Brakeley renews the second row partnership with Nick Civetta that was so effective in 2017. In the back row Hanco Germishuys gets the nod on the blindside flank with late arrival Andrew Durutalo named on the bench.
Nate Augspurger is something of a surprise choice at scrumhalf after losing out to Shaun Davies on the November tour. Will Magie gets the first crack at flyhalf with former England u20 cap Will Hooley in the reserves, and captain Blaine Scully will start on the wing with Mike Te’o at fullback. Dylan Audsley is another new name on the bench who should get a run in the midfield at some point in the match.
Dealing with the starting pillars of the fearsome Belgrano scrum will be a challenge for the Eagles front row. Francisco Ferronato and Benjamin Espinal are not the biggest props that Argentina have to offer – Espinal has shed some 10kg (20lbs) since his short-term stint in Paris with Stade Français – but they are very strong in the tight and also effective ball carriers. Jerónimo Ureta is an interesting selection at lock, a lilliputian compared to the prodigious Ignacio Larrague but very mobile and not shy of contact.
The loose forward trio will be of particular concern for the Eagles. Lautaro Bavaro is the quiet, unassuming captain who does everything with full commitment. Rodrigo Bruni and Santiago Montagner are similar players, explosive athletes with pace and power who would not look out of place at the back of the Jaguares scrum. Indeed both showed their class in the warm-up fixture against the Super Rugby side and many observers wondered if they were wearing the wrong colored jersey. Replacement Francisco Gorrissen is also a wonderful player with silky ball handling skills and impressive pace for a flanker.
Diminutive playmaker Juan Cruz González is a danger man whose only fault seems to be his size, or lack thereof. Juan Cappiello is another who seems ready to make the step up if given the opportunity and outside him Juan Cruz Mallía is a highly promising youngster with an eye for space who can shift gears very quickly. Germán Schulz is the only fully-capped player in the side and one of two Olympians, the other fellow winger Rodrigo Etchart.
On paper the Eagles have the quality to make history but this is a very well drilled Argentinean side with no glaring weaknesses. Despite conceding home field advantage the visitors enter as slight favorites but only just. Both previous encounters were high-paced affairs and hugely entertaining. With the weather forecast predicting sunny skies, expect another thrilling contest with plenty of running rugby and all the intensity of a cup final.
USA
1 Titi Lamositele, 2 Joe Taufete’e, 3 Dino Waldren, 4 Nate Brakeley, 5 Nick Civetta, 6 Hanco Germishuys, 7 Tony Lamborn, 8 Cam Dolan, 9 Nate Augspurger, 10 Will Magie, 11 Ryan Matyas, 12 Bryce Campbell, 13 Marcel Brache, 14 Blaine Scully (capt.), 15 Mike Te’o
Replacements: 16 James Hilterbrand, 17 Holo Mo’ungaloa, 18 Angus MacLellan, 19 Ben Landry, 20 Andrew Durutalo, 21 Shaun Davies, 22 Will Hooley, 23 Dylan Audsley
ARGENTINA XV
1 Francisco Ferronato, 2 Gaspar Baldunciel, 3 Benjamín Espinal, 4 Jerónimo Ureta, 5 Ignacio Larrague, 6 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Lautaro Bavaro (capt.), 8 Santiago Montagner, 9 Luca Magnasco, 10 Juan Cruz González, 11 Rodrigo Etchart, 12 Juan Cappiello, 13 Juan Cruz Mallía, 14 Germán Schulz, 15 Gastón Arias
Replacements: 16 Diego Fortuny, 17 Javier Díaz, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Santiago Portillo, 20 Francisco Gorrissen, 21 Facundo Nogueira, 22 Tomás Granella, 23 Tomás Malanos
Date: Saturday, February 3
Venue: StubHub Center, Los Angeles
Kickoff: 17:00 local (20:00 Eastern, 22:00 Argentina)
Referee: Chris Assmus (RC)
Assistants: tba
TMO: tba
Broadcasts: The Rugby Channel (USA), ESPN (Argentina), TSN Go (Canada, delayed)
