Round Thirteen of the Super Rugby Americas season began with a thumping 63-25 victory for Pampas against defending champions Peñarol.
The Uruguayan hosts actually started the game brightly and opened up an early 8-0 lead. The sense of optimism in the stadium soon dissipated as Pampas began to find their rhythm. The onslaught was led by abrasive flanker Nicolas Damorim who helped himself to four of his side’s nine tries.
The hosts were unable to cope with the speed and variety of the Pampas attack, which head coach Juan Manuel Leguizamón has brilliantly marshalled this season. The Buenos Aires side were in ruthless form and looked capable of scoring from anywhere. Leguizamón will be disappointed at the manner in which his side closed out the game, conceding three late tries as Peñarol rallied. Their fourth try secured a bonus point to heap the pressure on Selknam, who knew that they would miss out on the playoffs if they failed to secure a point in their match against Dogos on Saturday.
There was tension in the Chilean air when Selknam kicked off but, if Dogos were feeling the pressure, they didn’t show it. Hooker Tomas Bartolini continued his prolific try-scoring form with just two minute played. Soon after, fullback Mateo Soler picked a perfect line to penetrate the Selkan defence as Dogos began to build a lead. Argentine fly half Julián Ignacio Hernandez glided through the hosts’ defence before offloading to his winger Lautaro Cipriani who scored in the corner. A 21-point deficit after just 15 minutes seemingly left Selknam’s playoff hopes in tatters but they finally got a foothold in the game when winger José Larenas gathered a kick in behind to get his side on the scoreboard. The hosts were unlucky to concede a fourth try after Dogos reacted fastest to a cruel bounce of the ball but fought back with a try of their own to trail 26-14 at the break.
The second half saw Selknam defend heroically despite receiving three yellow cards and having to withstand relentless pressure near their own line. A penalty try after 63 minutes looked to have taken the game beyond Selknam’s reach but they refused to roll over and struck back with a penalty try of their own with five minutes to play. Trailing by nine points, the hosts battered the tiring Dogos defence in search of a losing bonus point that would allow them to take their pursuit of the playoffs to the final round. It wasn’t to be, however, as Dogos were able to hold out for a captivating 33-24 victory.
The weekend’s final game saw Yacare close out a tightly contested 20-10 win against American Raptors. The visitors started strongly and took the lead through powerful centre Thomas Morani’s early try. The Paraguayan side slowly grew into the game and were able to go in level at half time thanks to a great individual try from No.8 Ramiro Nicolas Parada Heit.
The sides exchanged penalties in the second half but the match was crying out for a moment of quality to break the deadlock and both teams looked capable of providing it. Yacare eventually provided it when scrum half Juan Cruz Strada found himself on the end of a blistering counterattack to secure the win for his side. Yacare have now played their last game of the regular season and will watch on next week as they prepare for their semifinal clash.
The final round of the regular season sees Dogos host Peñarol in a repeat of last year’s final before Pampas welcome Cobras to Buenos Aires. The weekend’s final match takes place in Santiago as Selknam host American Raptors with both sides looking to end the year on a high.
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