By JOE SANTAMARIA
Selknam began Round Nine of the Super Rugby Americas season with an impressive 39-15 victory over third-placed Yacare.
Selknam’s young fly half Tomás Salas was the star of the show and his offload to winger Nicolás Garafulic led to the game’s opening score after seven minutes. The hosts continued to apply pressure, resulting in a penalty try after Yacare cynically infringed at the breakdown close to their own line that put the Chilean side firmly in control.
Yacare began the second half with a well-worked try after clever work from Joaquin Lamas but any hopes of a comeback were short-lived. Selknam winger Iñaki Delguy reacted quickest to a bouncing ball to score his team’s third try before his team wrapped up the bonus point with ten minutes to spare. The visitors applied late pressure and were able to grab a deserved second try from a rolling maul. However, their pursuit of a third try collapsed after Salas collected a loose ball to race in from 70 metres to crown a superb individual performance.
Sunday’s opening game saw Pampas in ruthless form when they visited American Raptors, eventually running out 47-14 winners in Glendale. The visitors were in no mood to hang around, scoring three tries within the first 20 minutes, including a stunning effort from winger Jeronimo Ulloa. The hosts managed to front up as the half progressed and grabbed a try of their own but they never looked comfortable in defence against this superb attacking unit.
Both teams exchanged scores early in the second half but Pampas began to dominate once the American Raptors defenders started to feel the pace. Gaps began to emerge and they were quickly exploited by the visitors who could have scored even more than the seven tries they managed. Another five points for Pampas ramped up the pressure on their compatriots, Dogos, who knew that they would lose top spot if they failed to match the result.
That pressure seemed to have no effect on them, however, as Dogos put in a disciplined performance to beat Cobras 31-9 in Cordoba. The visitors started brightly and took the lead with an early penalty but Dogos soon began to apply pressure through their pack. The first half was tightly contested until Boris Wenger’s try from close range put the hosts in control.
Dogos’ dominance up front began to tell in the second half as they forced Cobras to concede penalties and the referee sent two of the visitors to the bin in quick succession. Winger Mateo Soler took full advantage of the extra numbers by scoring in the corner to extend his team’s lead. Dogos secured the bonus point with the best try of the game after fullback Agustin De Vertiz arrived late to race through a gap in the Cobras midfield without so much as a hand being laid on him. Hooker Tomas Bartolini added a late score to the delight of the home fans but the Dogos coaches may well be happier with their team’s watertight defence which bodes well for the rest of the competition.
Round Ten will see Selknam attempt to strengthen their hold on a play-off position when they host Cobras in Santiago on Saturday. Yacare will hope to put their recent slump behind them when they welcome unbeaten Dogos to Paraguay while Peñarol will look to kickstart their stuttering season with a win when they travel to Colorado to take on American Raptors.
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