UNITED STATES v URUGUAY: World Cup Qualifier Americas Playoff 1st Leg

22.03.2013

Venue: Estadio Charrua, Montevideo

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)

Preview
History is against Uruguay making it into the Rugby World Cup finals as Americas 2 team. Even if the USA stutter in Montevideo and drop the first leg the odds against Uruguay winning in the USA a very steep.

Last Five Encounters
21.11.2009 USA 27-9 in Lauderhill (WCQ Americas R2, Playoff, 2nd leg)
14.11.2009 USA 27-22 in Montevideo (WCQ Americas R2, Playoff, 1st Leg)
08.11.2008 USA 43-9 in Salt Lake City
07.10.2006 USA 33-7 in Stanford (WCQ Americas, repechage 2nd leg)
01.10.2006 USA 42-13 in Montevideo (WCQ Americas, repechage 1st leg)

Uruguay last defeated the USA in 2002, winning 10-9 in Montevideo in a World Cup qualifying game. These two teams first met in 1998 in Buenos Aires an a World Cup qualifying tournament. The USA won 21-16. The 2002 win was Uruguay’s only success v USA to date.

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: USA 14th, Uruguay 22nd

IRB Ranking Points
USA 66.61, Uruguay 60.77

Prediction: The USA wont have it all their own way for the first hour. After that I’d expect more experience and better fitness to see the USA win fairly comfortably. USA by 13 points.

TEAMS

Uruguay
1 Alejo Corral
2 Arturo Avalo (c)
3 Oscar Durán
4 Mathias Palomeque
5 Santiago Vilaseca
6 Juan Gaminara
7 Diego Magno
8 Alejandro Nieto
9 Agustín Ormaechea
10 Felipe Berchesi
11 Jerónimo Etcheverry
12 Andrés Vilaseca
13 Joaquín Prada
14 Leandro Leivas
15 Gastón Mieres

16 Nicolás Klappenbach
17 Rodolfo De Mula
18 Mario Sagario
19 Cristofer Soares De Lima
20 Franco Lamanna
21 Juan De Freitas
22 Alejo Durán
23 Francisco Bulanti

United States
1 Olive Kilifi
2 Phil Thiel
3 Eric Fry
4 Hayden Smith
5 Samu Manoa
6 Todd Clever (c)
7 Scott LaValla
8 Cameron Dolan
9 Mike Petri
10 Toby L'Estrange
11 Tim Maupin
12 Andrew Suniula
13 Folau Niua
14 Blaine Scully
15 Chris Wyles

16 Tom Coolican
17 Nicholas Wallace
18 Titi Lamositele
19 Louis Stanfill
20 Kyle Sumsion
21 Shalom Suniula
22 Seamus Kelly
23 Luke Hume

Both teams from http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4515&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=30