Preview: ARC semifinal, USA v Jaguars
Paul Keeler, head coach of the United States Select XV that will take on Argentina Jaguars in the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) semifinals on Saturday, said he was looking for a ‘strong effort’ from his charges.
Speaking after a week of training in Glendale, Colorado, Keeler admitted preparation time was somewhat limited.
“Overall, I’m looking forward to the match,” Keeler said.
“I hope the team will put forth a strong effort and take away key lessons from facing this tough Argentina side.
“At a competitive level like this, it’s ultimately going to come down to who’s playing whose game.
“Like most select side assemblies – where you’re together for such a short time – it’s hard to fit everything in, but we’ve stuck to the basics and have our patterns set in place. The team is really excited to get the competition started.”
Leading the pack against Argentina, Jake Sprague and Phil Thiel will prop for Chris Baumann, who gets his start at hooker.
In the second row, locks Brian Doyle and Samu Manoa are joined by Garrett Peterson and Steve St. Pierre at blindside and openside flank, respectively.
Rounding out the forwards, local favourite and team captain Nic Johnson propels the pack at No.8.
The USA Select XV backline is led by scrumhalf Brendan Thompson and Maximo DeAchaval at flyhalf, with Peter Sio and Eric Walton waiting on the wings. Volney Rouse and Corey Blair will cover the centre and Mark Roberts takes his start at fullback.
Off the bench, Tony Lewis, Jim Jewison, Dan LaPrevotte and Patrick Danahy could see time in the pack, while Benny Mateialona, Nese Malifa and Kevin Swiryn stand reserve for the backs.
“We are happy with this final squad and feel that over the course of the two upcoming games, we should be able to see far into our depth chart,” US Eagles head coach Eddie O’Sullivan said.
“The first step is preparation for Argentina, and we will focus on the match against the Canadian regional team after that’s complete,” he added.
Replacing the IRB North America 4, the Americas Rugby Championship is intended to provide a competitive platform between domestic and international rugby.
The new Championship features six teams: four Canadian regional teams, the Argentina Jaguars and the US Select XV side.
The four Canadian teams have spent the month of September competing in a round robin format with the top two sides – the Ontario Blues and BC Bears – meeting on Saturday, October 10, at MacDonald Park in Victoria, BC.
The winner of that semifinal will face the winner of the Glendale semifinal for title honours, while the losers battle for the bronze at Fletchers Field in Markham, Ontario next Saturday, October 17.
While 33 US athletes have assembled in Colorado prior to the semifinal, a streamlined squad of 23 will travel to Canada for the Final.
Teams:
USA Select XV: 15 Mark Roberts, 14 Eric Walton, 13 Corey Blair, 12 Volney Rouse, 11 Peter Sio, 10 Maximo DeAchaval, 9 Brendan Thompson, 8 Nic Johnson (captain), 7 Steve St Pierre, 6 Garrett Peterson, 5 Samu Manoa, 4 Brian Doyle, 3 Phil Thiel, 2 Chris Baumann, 1 Jacob Sprague.
Replacements: 16 Tony Lewis, 17 Jim Jewison, 18 Dan La Prevotte, 19 Patrick Danahy, 20 Benny Mateialona, 21 Nese Malifa, 22 Kevin Swiryn.
Argentina Jaguars: 15 Lucas Barrero Oro, 14 Martin Bustos Moyano, 13 Paolo Mac, 12 Horacio San Martin, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 9 Francisco Cubelli, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Dino Caceres, 6 Rodrigo Bruno, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 Carlos Caceres, 3 Matias Naruaez, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Federico Merlo.
Replacements: 16 Maxmiliano Bustos, 17 Esteban Bustillo, 18 Hugo Schieranno, 19 Rodrigo Baez, 20 Hernan Oliuari, 21 Federico Nicolas Sanchez, 22 Facundo Vega.
Date: Saturday, October 10
Venue: Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado
Kick-off: 14.00 (20.00 GMT)
Referee: Dave Smortchevsky (Canada)
Assistant referees: Tim Luscombe (USA), Brian Zapp (USA)
