The Super Rugby Americas season continued over the weekend as Pampas built upon their thrilling victory in Round One with a dominant performance against American Raptors on Friday night.
American Raptors conceded over fifty points for the second time in a week and appeared unable to cope with their opponent’s attacking game. The Argentinian side’s ability to keep the ball alive allowed them to tear through their opponents at will with winger Santiago Pernas starring once again after a stunning performance in the opening round. American Raptors managed to score a couple of opportunistic tries to give their fans a lift but the 52-17 scoreline accurately reflects the gulf between the two teams.
Saturday’s first match was arguably the game of the weekend on paper, as Cobras looked to back up their historic win against Peñarol when they hosted Dogos. The match was briefly suspended due to a thunderstorm nearby but was able to continue after a short delay. Despite their best efforts, the Brazilian team were unable to replicate the intensity of the opening round and succumbed to a 29-6 defeat. Dogos fullback Mateo Soler scored a brilliant individual try but his forward pack deserves the credit for the victory after a brutal display of mauling. Argentina‘s second franchise look like the team to beat after two rounds.
The weekend’s final match saw Chile‘s franchise, Selknam, make their first appearance of the season but they were unable to build upon their fast start, as their opponents Yacare recovered to win 34-20. Selknam No.8, Alfonso Escobar scored a superb individual try after just four minutes as he charged through from thirty metres out. The Paraguayan hosts gradually grew into the match and pieced together some impressive scores of their own, though they will be most pleased by their improvements in defence, keeping Selknam scoreless after the thirty-fifth minute.
Round Three sees defending champions, Peñarol, attempt to get their first win of the season against the out-of-sorts American Raptors while Cobras have their third home game in a row as they welcome Selknam to São Paulo. Finally, Dogos will look to continue their unbeaten start against Yacare while Pampas take a week’s rest before Round Four. Looking ahead to the sporting weekend, check out offers for the latest big events at thebettingsites.com/th/
Written by Joe Santamaria
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