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 RWC 2023 Rest Days RWC 2023 will have a minimum of five rest days between matches. The change comes …

Lucas Mensa scored his first try for Valence Romans on Friday. He did so in what was a 24-20 defeat against Perpignan. Mensa played the match at inside center. He did not have the opportunity of playing opposite Jerónimo de la Fuente due to Perpignan rotating for the match. Mensa’s …

Mont de Marsan were 26-23 winners over Carcassonne on Friday. José Luis González scored a try; his first in France. The Argentine hooker scored in the 57th minute. It was the second of two tries for Mont de Marsan. Carcassonne also scored twice, the second came two minutes from full-time …

Former USA u20 lock Nafi Ma’afu made his long-awaited professional debut on Friday night. The 22-year-old from Tempe, Arizona, was a 54th minute replacement for French Pro D2 side Perpignan in their 24-20 victory over Valence Romans at Stade Aimé Giral. Ma’afu has patiently waited for his opportunity. He signed …

Los Pumas 7’s were crowned champions today in Madrid. In doing so, Los Pumas 7’s won back-to-back Madrid 7’s tournaments. There were three matches today. Los Pumas 7’s recorded a 38-0 win over the USA and a 36-19 win over Kenya. They were followed by a rematch with Kenya in …

Canadian lock Abby Duguid continued her rich vein of form by earning Player of the Match honors for Loughborough on Saturday. She scored a second half try as the Lightning recorded their fourth consecutive Premier 15s win, a dominant 43-14 result over visiting Worcester Warriors. It’s the second time in …

Rachel Johnson had a day to remember in her first Premier 15s start on Saturday. The USA international scored two tries as Exeter romped to a club record 76-5 win over Durham Sharks at Sandy Park. It’s the sixth win in a row for the Chiefs, who haven’t tasted defeat …

Matías Alemanno was a try scorer on Saturday. The Argentine second-rower touched down for Gloucester in the team’s 22-14 win over the Worcester Warriors. It was Gloucester’s first English Premiership win since November. Alemanno scored from a pick-and-go. The drive over to score came in the 51st minute. He was …

Major League Rugby fans were treated to an early look at Rugby ATL’s squad for the upcoming season as the team live-streamed their intra-squad match on Saturday night. Team Silver took the spoils with a 17-7 win over Team Black in a scrappy contest dominated by the set piece. Both …

The USA Women’s Eagles will not play on the final day of the Madrid 7s. A decision was made to withdraw after members of the French team tested positive for COVID-19. France were due to play the USA on Saturday but the match was cancelled, with the French team dropping …

Argentina went unbeaten today in Spain. In the second of two Sevens tournaments in Madrid, Los Pumas’ remain unbeaten. Argentina defeated Spain, Portugal, and Chile in today’s matches. Los Pumas 7’s started with a 37-5 win over hosts Spain. Marcos Moneta, Matías Osadczuk, Rodrigo Etchart, Joaquín de la Vega, and …

Facundo Cordero scored an impressive try for the Exeter Chiefs on Friday. The Argentine outside back sliced through the Sale Sharks defense to score in the opening half. His individual try saw him getting around and past three defenders. The Sale Sharks won the match 25-20. They did so with …

Shalom Suniula will play a fourth Major League Rugby season for the Seattle Seawolves. After speculation he could opt for retirement, the 32-year-old has signed on for the 2021 campaign. The last of three USA international brothers to play in MLR, Suniula captained the Seawolves to back-to-back titles in 2018 …

Ross Depperschmidt has signed a contract extension with the NOLA Gold for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 28-year-old center is the fourth player confirmation in recent days by the club following Giovanni Lapp, Osaiasi Tonga’uiha, and Keanu Andrade. Though he arrived part-way through the 2019 season, Depperschmidt had …

An experienced Cobras roster will compete in the 2021 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). A longlist of 39 players is presently preparing for the upcoming season. The 2021 SLAR will begin on March 16. The roster contains Brazil’s regular test squad members across all positions. The five most capped …

The opening weekend of the Madrid 7s saw Argentina claiming the men’s title and Russia crowned champions of the women. Both the Men’s and Women’s Eagles would finish in 3rd spot. This weekend will see both divisions comprised of six teams. Chile has arrived to compete in the men’s bracket, …

The 2021 Major League Rugby preseason will begin in earnest next Friday, but fans will get a teaser of what is to come as Rugby ATL offers up an intra-squad battle at Lupo Family Field on Saturday evening. It’s Silver vs Black as 37 players take part with starting spots …

The Premier 15s returns in full force on Saturday with all 10 teams slated for action. North American internationals will feature in four of the five games. Saracens will take on Wasps in the featured streaming match of the weekend. There are three Canadians named in the Saracens lineup. Sophie …

The Seattle Seawolves have announced the signing of midfielder Kieran Joyce for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. He arrives from Birmingham Moseley in England’s National One. Joyce, 24, is English-born but Irish-qualified and spent three seasons with Guinness Pro Championship side Connacht. There he was most often sighted with …

The LA Giltinis have confirmed that they will play their Major League Rugby home games at Memorial Coliseum. That in itself is not a surprise, with the team announcing their intention to play at the iconic venue in their introductory press release. What does come as news is the length …