Up and Under

Up and Under is a weekly exclusive on Americas Rugby News. It covers the best and worst from games involving the Americas players and teams over the previous week.

UP

de Goede leads a powerful Canadian roster to the World Cup
Sophie de Goede will captain Canada’s squad in New Zealand. She follows in the footsteps of her parents, who each captained the national side to previous World Cups. Head Coach Kévin Rouet has named a powerful roster of 32 players who will make the trip, 21 of whom are either currently attached to European clubs or played overseas during the past two seasons. As expected there were some tough decisions with the likes of Cindy Nelles and Pamphinette Buisa among the traveling reserves.

Eagles stars ready to shine in New Zealand
The score at Exeter was somewhat lopsided but still a marked improvement over last year’s result in Worcester. Rob Cain’s charges still have work to do, particularly in shoring up defense, but they will have taken plenty of positives from the UK tour. Most notable was the performance of their big guns – Kate Zackary, Alev Kelter, and Hope Rogers have proven themselves world class players and are set to shine on the biggest stage when the tournament kicks off next month.

Francisco Gorrissen leads Vannes to victory
Vannes were winners over Biarritz on Friday. The victory was with a man down; Vannes had a player red carded in the first half. Vannes were 34-26 winners with Puma Francisco Gorrissen captaining the side. He was joined by Bautista Pedemonte in the back row and an all-Uruguayan midfield combination in Andrés Vilaseca and Nicolás Freitas.

Ezcurras win on the road
Grenoble were also winners, taking a 16-11 away result over Agen on Friday. They did so with the Hindú brothers Felipe and Bautista Ezcurra, who started at scrumhalf and inside center respectively. The club is in second position in the standings after two rounds of the new season.

Manuel Leindekar debuts in the Top 14
Uruguay’s Manuel Leindekar made his Top 14 debut on Saturday. The second-rower joined Puma Facundo Bosch in the side that played away to Toulon. In a fierce contest involving four red cards, Bayonne were beaten 40-25. Leindekar’s involvement in the French elite is hugely significant for Los Teros.

Two Argentines on Sevens Dream Team
Two Argentine stars were named on the official HSBC Dream Team for the 2021-2022 World Sevens Series. Wing Marcos Moneta and forward Luciano González Rizzoni earned selection after helping Los Pumas to a fourth overall finish on this year’s circuit.

UNDER

Argentina Pulverized by New Zealand 
New Zealand gained revenge over Argentina in the Rugby Championship. In game two between the teams, the All Blacks dominanted on Saturday in Hamilton. The 53-3 win was a powerful response to the 25-18 loss seven days earlier in Christchurch. A different outcome in Hamilton sees the teams now with two wins and two losses each in the 2022 Rugby Championship.

USA overpowered by England
The USA closed out their World Cup warm-up tour with a 52-14 defeat to England at Sandy Park on Saturday. A superior kicking game and the strength of the Red Roses forwards proved too much in a one-sided first half, but the Eagles restored some confidence with a committed second half showing.

Inconvenient Repechage kickoff times
The USA’s pathway to Rugby World Cup 2023 has been confirmed. Dubai will host the four-team Repechage tournament in November. It’s far from an ideal location, as previously discussed, but the kickoff times are also frustrating for North American viewers. The Eagles will play what is almost certainly the decisive contest against Portugal on Friday, November 18, but those who want to watch in the USA may find it difficult with a 7:30am Pacific and 10:30am Eastern kickoff.

Season over for Stan van den Hoven
The New England Free Jacks have lost towering lock Stan van den Hoven for the entirety of the 2023 Major League Rugby season. He suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Taranaki in New Zealand’s Provincial Championship and is now expected to be sidelined for several months. The Free Jacks have already moved to fill the roster spot with the acquisition of Canadian international Conor Keys, but van den Hoven’s set piece presence will be missed.