By Joe Santamaria
The new Super Rugby Americas season exploded into life over the weekend as South America’s premier club competition returned.
Peñarol vs Dogos
The pick of the games took place on Friday night as two-time champions Peñarol overcame last year’s winners Dogos in Montevideo.
The Argentine visitors raced into an early 14-point lead with their trademark power game initially proving too much for Peñarol.
Elusive centre Bautista Mateo Farise gave the hosts a lifeline on the stroke of halftime as he burst through the Dogos defence to reduce the deficit.
The second half exploded into life with both sides looking in the ascendency at times but neither able to land a fatal blow.
The lead changed hands on several occasions before Dogos looked as though they would claim the spoils after Agustin Moyano’s late score.
However, the Uruguayans simply would not be denied and talismanic hooker Joaquin Myszka Mace’s try in the 81st minute secured a 29-28 win in this instant classic.
Tarucas vs Cobras
Few knew what to expect from the competition’s newest franchise, Tarucas, who welcomed Brazilian side, Cobras, to the North of Argentina.
The game would eventually be stopped after 68 minutes, not that the visitors would mind, after they found themselves on the end of a 45-6 hiding that should put the rest of the competition on notice.
The hosts were excellently steered around the pitch by fly half Nicolas Roger and scored a remarkable five tries from driving mauls that the visitors simply had no answer for.
There will be tougher tests to come, but fans of the new franchise could hardly have hoped for a better start.
Cobras meanwhile will hope that the result was an aberration and will need to improve dramatically, and fast, if they are to compete this season.
Yacare vs Selknam
The weekend’s final game saw Paraguay’s Yacare edge past Chilean visitors Selknam 29-26 in Asunción.
The hosts led at the break after a back-and-forth opening 40 minutes but Chilean winger Nicolás Garafulic’s brilliant score 10 minutes into the second half leveled the scores at 20-20.
Ultimately, it fell to one of the players of the 2024 tournament, Joaquin Lamas, to secure the points for the hosts with three nerveless penalties.
Yacare Head Coach Ricardo Le Fort will be delighted to get the win over a Selknam side that looks likely to be rivals for the top four again this season.
Round Two sees Peñarol welcome Yacare with both sides looking to build on their opening wins while Selknam and Cobras will try to get their seasons going when they face off in Santiago.
All eyes will be on the repeat of last year’s final in Cordoba, where Dogos welcome fellow Argentine side Pampas with the visitors looking for revenge.
