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Rugby World Cup sides toppled in afternoon of Tier 2 upsets
A packed action weekend with some surprising results over in the Tier 2 world, as Spain, Romania and the United States of America were able to defeat Uruguay, Tonga and Portugal, respectively.
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Leones even the score with the Teros
Spain’s Autumn campaign started on the right foot, as the Leones were able to defeat Uruguay after an intense contest that saw the home side winning 33-24 in Estadio Nacional Complutense in Madrid.
Pablo Bouza’s men clicked from the very beginning, with fly-half Gonzalo Vinuesa threading the needle with ease and creating a handful of smart plays that put the Spanish over the try line four times.
With Biarritz Olympique Kerman Aurrekoetxea scoring a brace, Uruguay had to contend with a single try just before half-time, in what was a lacklustre first half for the Los Teros.
However, the visitors turned the tables in the second leg of the game, with the Uruguayans picking up the pace and asserting a significant dominance in the set-piece. Guillermo Pujadas and Felipe Aliaga crossed the whitewash and narrowed the score to 27-21, with just 20 minutes to play.
Despite the slight slipping, Spain calmly got back to their senses and started to increase the gap thanks to three well-executed penalty kicks from Gonzalo Vinuesa, which was enough to take the win.
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This was Spain’s seventh victory over Uruguay, in a rivalry dating to 1987, with Pablo Bouza landing his fourth win since taking charge of the Iberian side.
Eagles vindicated
The Lobos welcomed the United States of America in the Estádio de Coimbra this Saturday, with the North Americans scoring a 21-17 win one year after having conceded their biggest loss against the Portuguese.
The home side scored the first three points, with fly-half Hugo Aubry converting an early scrum penalty. However, it was the Eagles who were in control, playing at their own pace and forcing the Portuguese to concede a series of mistakes that boxed them inside their 22.
After several attempts, San Diego Legion’s Paddy Ryan would push several tacklers aside before placing the ball on the ground, with AJ MacGinty adding the extras.
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Pressured by their fans, the Lobos momentarily found their groove, fostering a handful of good attacking moves that would end with a Raffaele Storti try. The Stade Français wing dived in the corner following a swift offload from Simão Bento, allowing his side to get in the lead again.
With five minutes to go, the USA would score a second try thanks to a lineout mistake from the opposition, with Nathaniel Augspurger finding himself alone out in the wing to calmly place the ball.
In the last half of the game, the Lobos continued to have issues in the lineout and with the ball speed, getting caught consistently by a physical Eagles defence. It would take 22 minutes until the scoreboard was changed, with veteran José Lima powering through the advantage line to run and score Portugal’s second try.
With the game slowly coming to its closure, the home side felt comfortable enough to turn down the pressure which would be a mistake, as it allowed the Americans to believe a turn of events was possible.
After a quick lineout, the USA pack started to relentlessly carry the ball, forcing the opposition to concede several penalties without being able to hold the line, with Saracens hooker Kapeli Pifeleti scoring the last try of the game. MacGinty successfully kicked the conversion, and the score would remain unchanged until the final whistle.
After two games not being able to defeat the Portuguese, the Eagles were able to claim a precious win over the team that knocked them from qualifying to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, getting a well-earned vindication.
The Stejarii show their power once again
In what was one of the biggest shocks of the weekend, Romania pulled a sensational last 40 minutes to earn their second win over Tonga, the first in 11 years, with the home side triumphing by 25-15 in the Bucharest Arcul de Triumf Stadium.
The game started with Tonga basically on the lead, as wing John Tapueluelu had all the time and space to slot down the ball after a brilliant 30-meter pass from Zebre’s centre Fetuli Paea. Romania had to wait three minutes to add their first points to the scoreboard, thanks to a well-placed kick from scrum-half Alin Conache.
However, it would be the visiting side finding their way into the try-line once again, this time by wing Taniela Filimone, with the Pacific side taking advantage of playing against 14, due to a yellow card shown to Corrado-Romeo Stetco.
Tonga’s conditioning started to dip, and Romania would take the opportunity to impose some dominance from the maul, which would translate into their first try of the game scored by hooker Tudor Butnariu.
Patrick Pellegrini converted a late penalty to give a seven-point lead at half-time.
Romania took charge of the game from the start of the second half with Alin Conache and Hinckley Vaovasa running the show, with the latter scoring a spectacular try in the corner to put the Stejarii in the lead.
Alin Conache slotted in four more penalties, helping his side wrap up the game with a 25-15 victory.
After a dismal Rugby World Cup performance and a lukewarm Men’s Rugby Europe Championship season, the Romanians seem to be back to their best with David Gérard earning his fourth win since taking control of the eastern European side.
In other results:
Hong Kong defeated Brazil 23-10 at the Hong Kong Football Club Stadium.
Chile dominated Canada 44-14 at Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf.
The match between Netherlands and Zimbabwe was cancelled.
Ukraine defeated Slovakia 135-13 at Štadión PFK Pieštiany.
Kenya edged out Uganda 27-25 at RFUEA Ground.
Czech Republic beat Croatia 49-26 at Marketa Stadium.
