Peñarol get past Cafeteros to qualify for SLAR 2022 Final

Peñarol got past Los Cafeteros Pro in the second SLAR Semi Final. The Uruguayan side defeated the Colombian side 34-13 to qualify for the SLAR 2022 Final. In doing so, Peñarol is the only team that has reached both SLAR Finals. Peñarol played against Los Jaguares XV in the SLAR 2021 Final and will face Selknam in the SLAR 2022 Final.

It started well for Peñarol. The forwards delivered with hooker Guillermo Pujadas scoring a try from a lineout to maul. The move has been lethal throughout SLAR 2022; many a try has come from Peñarol’s lineout to maul attack.

Los Cafeteros Pro were behind and had to adjust. Fly half Julián Hernández was forced off injured in the opening quarter. The creativity of Hernández was a feature of the Colombian team’s SLAR 2022 campaign. Not everything was affected; Eliseo Morales was the designated goal-kicker. He landed 1 from 2 in the first half.

Peñarol’s kicking was also not at 100%. The difficult and freezing conditions made for a dream battle between forwards but gave goal-kickers and general kicking little in the way of ease. The match, though was won and lost with tries. Peñarol flanker Lucas Bianchi finished off a beautiful score in which Tomás Inciarte broke the line. It gave Peñarol a clear advantage at half-time.

When Mateo Viñals scored in the 47th minute the match appeared won by Peñarol. Notwithstanding, Los Cafeteros Pro hit-back with Morales landing a penalty. The Colombians also added the next try as prop Brian González charged over in the 74th minute.

Two late tries to Peñarol took them from 20-13 to a final score of 34-13. The outcome is a dream for those wanting to see an expanded Rugby World Cup of 24 teams. Argentina’s side are out of the final while Chile and Uruguay’s have qualified. They are dominated not by Argentine players but by homegrown talent.

 

SCORING

PEÑAROL 34
Tries – G. Pujadas (4′), L. Bianchi (33′), M. Viñals (47′), D. Magno (78′), F. Favaro (80’+1′)
Cons – F. Etcheverry 1/3 (34′), N. Roger 2/2 (79′, 80’+2′)
Pens – F. Echeverry 1/1 (40’+2′)

CAFETEROS 13
Tries – B. González (73′)
Cons – E. Morales 1/1 (74′)
Pens – E. Morales 2/3 (15′, 51′)
DG – L. Gea Salim 0/1

 

TEAMS

PEÑAROL
1 Matías Benítez (17 Mateo Perillo 53′), 2 Guillermo Pujadas (16 Emiliano Faccennini 62′), 3 Ignacio Péculo (18 Mathias Franco 66′), 4 Eric Dosantos (20 Carlos Deus 62′-74′), 5 Nahuel Milán (20 Carlos Deus 74′), 6 Lucas Bianchi (19 Diego Magno 59′), 7 Santiago Civetta, 8 Manuel Ardao, 9 Tomás Inciarte, 10 Felipe Etcheverry (22 Nicolás Roger 66′), 11 Baltazar Amaya (23 Federico Favaro 76′), 12 Andrés Vilaseca (capt.), 13 Bautista Basso, 14 Mateo Viñals, 15 Rodrigo Silva

Not used: 21 Santiago Álvarez

CAFETEROS PRO
1 Diego Posada (16 Boris Wenger 43′), 2 Tomás Bartolini, 3 Carlos Ángulo (18 Brian González 66′), 4 Gregório Hernández, 5 Federico Lavanini, 6 José Ignacio Gálvez (19 Diver Ceballos 51′), 7 Joaquín Sánchez, 8 Felipe Puertas, 9 Eliseo Morales, 10 Julián Hernández (21 Marcos Amorisa 10′), 11 Juan David Agudelo (23 Alain Altahona 70′), 12 Manuel Alfaro (22 Valentín Fernández 48′), 13 Leonado Gea Salim, 14 Manuel De Marco, 15 Franco Giúdice (capt.)

Not used: 17 Lucas Fernández, 20 Juan Bautista Mernes

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Nehuen Jauri Rivero (Argentina)
Assistants: Frank Méndez (Chile) & Simón Larrubia (Argentina)
TMO: Alejandro Longres (Uruguay)