With a series of highly competitive matches and no little skill on show, backed by encouragingly large and vocal crowds, the decision to revamp the Americas Rugby Championship and turn it into a six-team competition featuring predominantly test teams can be deemed an unqualified success as the competition enters its final phase with plenty still at stake.
BRAZIL V ARGENTINA XV
Argentina Jaguars won the five previous editions of the competition bearing the same name when it was exclusively for A teams and are on the verge of claiming the first title of the new era, after last weekend’s 54-21 win against Canada took them three points clear of the USA at the top of the standings with one round left to play. That means if Argentina XV beat Brazil on Saturday they will be crowned champions regardless of what happens elsewhere.
While this match is a non-capped international, the two nations have played each other 13 times previously in tests, all one-sided affairs, with an average winning margin of 78 points in favour of Los Pumas. Argentina’s best score and biggest win in test history was actually against Brazil when they won 114-3 in SãoPaulo in October 1993. They have racked up a century of points against Brazil on four occasions.
In brief
- Double try-scorer Juan Manuel Leguizamón did not travel to Brazil while his fellow Puma Lucas González Amorosino was soon after playing in Rosario summoned for Los Jaguares who play the same day against the Sharks in Durban.
- Tupis scrum-half Lucas Duque will draw level with Ramiro Mina as Brazil’s third highest try scorer with 25 if he follows up his score in the historic round four win over USA with another against Argentina XV. Duque is also 21 points short of becoming only the second Brazilian to score a century of points in tests.
URUGUAY V USA
Following their shock defeat by Brazil last weekend, the USA Eagles can only claim the Americas Rugby Championship title if they better Argentina’s result by four competition points. Uruguay need to take maximum points from the match and deny the Eagles a bonus point to stand any chance of leapfrogging their opponents into second place.
These two have enjoyed some titanic tussles in the past, notably in the regional qualifiers for Rugby World Cup 2015. Vying to join South Africa, Scotland, Samoa and Japan in Pool B as the Americas 2 qualifier, Uruguay and USA fought out a 27-27 draw at the Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo in March 2014 before the Eagles took the honours in the return leg, a three-try salvo in eight second-half minutes, including tries apiece for the Suniula brothers, Andrew and Shalom, helping them to a 32-13 victory. As a result of their 59-40 aggregate defeat, Uruguay entered the repechage where they beat Russia over two legs to claim the 20th and final place at RWC 2015.
The overall head-to-head record stands at 12 wins to the USA and one to Uruguay with one draw. Uruguay’s only success against the USA was a 10-9 win at the River Plate Stadium in Montevideo in August 2002 – again in a RWC qualifier.
In brief
- Uruguay’s 23-20 round five victory against Chile featured five yellow cards but that was still two short of the all-time record for a test match. Again, Uruguay were involved that day, conceding three yellow cards and one red when they took on Georgia in 2004. The Lelos had four men sin-binned for a combined total of seven yellow cards.
- Both countries are eyeing try-scoring milestones this week. Uruguay are four short of registering 600 tries in tests and USA need six for 500.
- Flanker Nate Brakeley and teenage centre Lorenzo Thomas have re-joined the Eagles squad after missing the loss to Brazil in São Paulo.
- Uruguay are able to field two of their most impressive performers from Rugby World Cup 2015, with overseas professionals, prop Mario Sagario and scrum-half Agustín Ormaechea, summoned from Ireland and France respectively.
- Nineteen of Uruguay's match-day squad have come through the World Rugby U20 Trophy or Championship.
Rankings predictor
The USA need to win by more than 15 points if they are to reclaim 16th spot from Romania, who have a rest weekend in the European Nations Cup. Any form of defeat would cost Uruguay their place in the top 20 with Namibia the beneficiary.
CHILE V CANADA
This will be the third test match between the two countries, with the previous games coming in 2002 as qualifiers for RWC 2003. Canada won both: 27-6 in Calgary and 29-11 in Santiago two weeks later.
It is still mathematically possible for the Canucks to finish second, above their neighbours USA, while Chile will be replaced at the bottom of the table by Brazil if they avoid defeat and the Tupis lose to Argentina XV and fail to pick up any bonus points.
In brief
- Chile have scored the fewest tries in the inaugural Americas Rugby Championship with just four, six fewer than next lowest Brazil. Los Condores have also conceded the most with their line breached 23 times in four matches.
- Canada, by comparison, have scored 16 and conceded 18 tries.
- Chile's Matias Nordenflycht is the top point scorer in the competition with 45 points, having scored one try and kicked two conversions and 12 penalties. His tally counts for three-quarters of Chile's points to date.
Rankings predictor
A win for Canada would lift them above Russia into 18th place in the World Rugby Rankings. Chile could slip three places to 30th if they lose by more than 15. In such an event, Kenya, Ukraine and Portugal would all move up one place. Chile stand to gain between three and four places with victory over their higher-ranked opponents. It is possible for Canada to slip out of the top 20 for the first time, depending on the margin of defeat and the outcome in Montevideo.
Americas Rugby Championship 2016 standings
1. Argentina XV – 17 points (+73)
2. USA – 14 points (+71)
3. Canada – 10 points (+2)
4. Uruguay – 10 points (-12)
5. Brazil – 6 points (-33)
6. Chile – 5 points (-101)
Americas Rugby Championship 2016 results and fixtures
Round 1: Chile 25-22 Brazil, Canada 33-17 Uruguay, USA 35-35 Argentina XV
Round 2: Brazil 29-33 Uruguay, Argentina XV 52-15 Chile, USA 30-22 Canada
Round 3: Canada 52-25 Brazil, USA 64-0 Chile, Uruguay 21-24 Argentina XV
Round 4: Argentina XV 54-21 Canada; Brazil 24-23 USA; Chile 20-23 Uruguay
Round 5: 5-6 March - Chile v Canada, Uruguay v USA, Brazil v Argentina XV