By Joe Santamaria
In Round 10 of the 2026 Super Rugby Americas, Capibaras triumphed over Pampas to stay in the hunt for a home semi-final in their debut season.
Despite trailing at halftime, the hosts were hugely impressive and good value for their 28-21 victory.
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Capibaras rally to beat Pampas and close the gap
Capibaras started brightly and took the lead with less than five minutes played when Martín Vaca powered over after a dangerous rolling maul carried him all the way to the Pampas line.
The hosts seemed to be in total control early, but Pampas soon levelled the score through a brilliant individual score from Tobías Wade.
The in-form fullback collected the ball inside his own half before bursting through a soft tackle and showing great pace to reach the line.
A Juan Baronio penalty put Capibaras back ahead, but Pampas grew in confidence as the half went on and were soon pushing for the lead.
With three minutes to play before the break, Pampas struck through Marcelo Toledo.
The second row received the ball a few metres out and there was no stopping him as he shrugged off all attempts to stop him.
Estanislao Renthel’s conversion ensured Pampas led 14-10 heading into the second half.
Back foot
As they had in the first half, Capibaras started at pace and immediately put Pampas on the back foot.
Centre Bautista Estellés charged onto a superb delayed pass to breach the Pampas defence and dot down just seven minutes into the half.
Both sides had chances to score over the next ten minutes, but it was Capibaras who showed the cutting edge when Gino Dicapua collected a long pass to score in the corner and extend the home side’s lead.
Replacement scrum-half Alejo Lavallén gave Pampas hope when he dived over from close range with 15 minutes to play, but it wasn’t to be.
Baronio knocked over two late penalties to seal a win that could be crucial as the race for the playoffs enters its final stages.
Capibaras’ fourth consecutive win has left them just three points behind Pampas in second place.
The new franchise will be desperate to leapfrog their rivals over the next month to secure a home semi-final and, on the basis of this performance, they could very well do so.
Head coach Nicolás Galatro deserves huge credit for marshalling his new side so effectively in recent weeks, as they have gone from strength to strength.
For the second week in a row, Pampas have to lick their wounds, having been humbled by another Argentine rival.
Their defence has come under scrutiny in both those defeats, in which they leaked ten tries.
The Buenos Aires franchise have finished top of the table in the last two seasons, but now face a real fight to ensure they hold on to a home semifinal spot.
Yacare and Cobras share spoils in late drama
Yacare and Cobras played out an entertaining 25-25 draw in Asunción, with the two sides attempting to avoid finishing bottom of the table.
There was drama from start to finish, as Cobras saw the conversion that would have won the game sail wide of the posts just minutes before the final whistle.
João Amaral’s early penalty put Cobras ahead, but Yacare scored the game’s first try soon after through Agustín Benítez.
The hooker showed great strength to force his way over from close range.
Benítez added his second less than ten minutes later, after Cobras failed to deal with a powerful rolling maul.
A Joaquín Lamas penalty extended Yacare’s lead to 12 points with 20 minutes played.
Gradually, though, Cobras worked their way into the match and ended the half in the ascendancy.
With five minutes to play, Matheus Cláudio held off two tacklers to dot down under the posts, and the backrower also grabbed a brace just minutes later.
Cláudio managed to steer a maul over the line to level the score at 15-15 heading into the break.
Devastated
Cobras scored the try of the game early in the second half through talisman Rosko Specman, who showed great pace to collect a clever kick from Robert Tenório to score.
Yacare had conceded 17 unanswered points and were in danger of letting the game slip away from them.
Fortunately for the Paraguayan side, their forwards continued to have the upper hand and their dominance soon helped Yacare reclaim the lead.
Replacement prop Estefano Aranda simply couldn’t be stopped from a metre out after yet another attacking lineout.
Lamas’ conversion put Yacare ahead and a nerveless penalty on 70 minutes extended the lead to five points.
Yacare will be devastated that they couldn’t hold on for what would have been their second win of the campaign.
Cobras No.8 Adrio de Melo stripped the ball from a Yacare player and offloaded to Amaral, who showed great pace to reach the corner with three minutes left on the clock.
The attempted conversion may have sailed wide, but Cobras fans will no doubt be the happier at full time, having seen their team snatch a draw when defeat looked inevitable.
Yacare will feel they were the better team on the night and will rue the lapses in concentration that allowed the win to slip through their fingers.
The playoffs are out of the question for the Paraguayans, but they will feel another win is within their power over the remaining four games.
Cobras showed great heart to come back into the game after a slow start and were clinical whenever Yacare showed them an opening.
Despite the draw, they still trail Yacare by three points in the table and will be determined to leapfrog their rivals to avoid finishing bottom of the league in a month.
Selknam power past Peñarol
Selknam continued their impressive run of form with an excellent 41-26 win over defending champions Peñarol.
With both sides knowing how much a victory might mean for their playoff ambitions, the Chileans rose to the occasion brilliantly in a game with plenty of bite.
Peñarol could not have wished for a better start, as Lucas Bianchi crossed the line with less than a minute played.
The flanker finished off a vintage Peñarol attack, as the Uruguayans moved the ball quickly and showed great awareness to keep the ball alive and find Bianchi’s supporting line.
If Peñarol’s quick start rattled Selknam, they didn’t let it show and quickly hit back with a try of their own.
Hooker Augusto Böhme’s accurate lineout throw set up a maul and Böhme was on hand to finish it off himself.
The hosts took control and began to win a series of penalties.
Their second try came courtesy of one of these penalties, which Rodrigo Fernández took quickly by cross-kicking to winger Nicolás Saab, who put Matías Garafulic away to score in the corner.
Classic
Peñarol were keen to show they were still in the game and hit back through Joaquín Myszka, as the hooker continued his recent form with a try from the back of a maul.
Böhme continued the trend with his second maul try in a game that was fast becoming a classic.
Selknam will be disappointed at the manner of Peñarol’s third try, which came about after they failed to deal with a kick in behind.
Canada international Noah Flesch gathered the loose ball and raced away from the defenders to score under the posts.
Selknam finished a breathless first half with a flourish after Alfonso Escobar tapped a penalty on halfway to spark a super attacking move.
Fernández ran a great line to breach the defence before offloading to scrum-half Lucas Berti, who ran a clever trailing line.
Berti then timed his pass to Domingo Saavedra to perfection, with the centre enjoying a clear run to the line.
The crowd went wild and showed their appreciation at the end of a pulsating 40 minutes of rugby that ended with Selknam ahead 28-19.
Nervy
An early Garafulic penalty extended Selknam’s lead at the start of the second half, which looked to pick up where the first half had left off.
Perhaps sensing the stakes, both sides looked nervy at times and missed scoring opportunities.
Selknam always looked the more likely, however, and so it proved when Berti capped off a fine individual display with a try just before the hour mark.
The scrum-half threw an audacious dummy before showing great footwork to reach the line and all but seal the victory.
A late Peñarol onslaught was inevitable, and Santiago Marolda was able to reduce the deficit with an opportunistic try late on, but the result was already out of reach.
A late Garafulic penalty took his team past 40 points to cap off a statement performance.
Step in the right direction
Selknam’s season looked in peril when they were annihilated 68-0 by Dogos in Round Four, but they have won five of their six games since then to surge into the playoff spots.
This was another step in the right direction, as they powered past one of their greatest rivals, scoring five tries in the process.
There is still plenty of rugby to play, but the Chilean fans may be starting to believe that 2026 is the year Selknam win the title for the first time.
Peñarol deserve credit for scoring four tries on the road, but they will know this game was one they needed to win.
The Uruguayan side are now staring at the prospect of a first-ever season without playoff rugby, unless they put together an unlikely run of victories late in the campaign.
Dogos grind out win to stay top of the table
Dogos came out on top in a tight clash against Tarucas in Córdoba, overcoming their rivals 18-13.
The victory ensured Dogos ended the round at the top of the table and in pole position to secure a home semi-final over the coming weeks.
Tarucas struck first through an early Stefano Ferro penalty, but Dogos soon showed their quality.
In an unusually expansive attack, Dogos unleashed fullback Mateo Sánchez, who simply proved too elusive and powerful for the Tarucas defence.
Neither side was able to definitively take control of a half in which the momentum repeatedly swung back and forth.
Facundo Rodríguez and Ferro exchanged penalties, but the game was still very much in the balance as the two teams headed in for halftime.
Tarucas were looking to avoid falling to a fourth loss in a row and began the second half at a ferocious pace.
Backrower Facundo Cardozo set the tone early when he picked a great line and bulldozed his way over the Dogos line to restore Tarucas’ lead.
Secret weapon
Gradually, though, Dogos began to wear down the Tarucas defence with brutal carry after brutal carry.
They also boast a not-so-secret weapon in the form of the league’s top scorer, Juan Greising Revol.
As he has so many times already this year, the hooker came up with a crucial try from a rolling maul to wrestle the lead away from the visitors.
A late Rodríguez penalty confirmed the points belonged to Dogos, despite an improved display from Tarucas.
Pampas’ defeat meant Dogos had the chance to establish some breathing room at the top of the table, and they didn’t need a second invitation.
Now three points clear of second place, the Córdoba-based franchise will feel they can reclaim the title they lost in last year’s final next month.
Tarucas’ performance was a marked improvement on recent weeks, but a fourth loss in a row means their early-season form seems a distant memory and they are now outsiders for a playoff spot.
They trail Selknam by eight points with four games to play and will need other results to go their way if they are to contest the semifinals.
Round 11
Round 11 sees Capibaras face Yacare as the hosts look to apply pressure to the two teams currently ahead of them.
Selknam welcomes Dogos to Santiago as they look to exact revenge after their heavy defeat early this season.
Peñarol travel to Brazil to take on Cobras, before Pampas close out the round against Tarucas, with both teams desperate to get back on track.
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