By Joe Santamaria
In Round 11 of the 2026 Super Rugby Americas, Capibaras eased past visiting Yacare, scoring seven tries in their 53-21 victory.
The victory ensured they leapfrogged Pampas in the table, putting them in a strong position to seal a home semi-final.
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Capibaras crush Yacare to strengthen semi-final hopes
Lautaro Cipriani helped himself to a hat-trick inside 22 minutes, the first two of which saw the winger finish off flowing attacks.
Yacare flanker Manuel Todaro powered through several tackles to score, but it proved to be a brief respite, as Yacare were completely blown away.
A brilliant cross-field kick from Ignacio Dogliani was acrobatically finished off by Cipriani, who is putting his hand up for inclusion in the international squad for the July fixtures.
The hosts’ dominant scrum yielded a penalty try, while also securing a bonus point that had been inevitable for some time.
Yacare didn’t help themselves, as they coughed up possession cheaply, allowing Felipe Villagrán to chase a ball which had been hacked through to score Capibaras’ fifth try.
Yacare appeared to improve as the half drew on, but were powerless to prevent Franco Rossetto from scoring just before the break.
The fullback was the grateful beneficiary of a clever kick from winger Gino Dicapua, who chipped the ball infield just as he was about to be tackled into touch.
Dogliani’s conversion was the final act of a wretched 40 minutes for Yacare, who trailed 38-7 heading into halftime.
Cruise control
If the visitors were looking for a response in the second half, it didn’t look forthcoming when Capibaras tighthead Enzo Avaca surged to the line in the 43rd minute.
Dogliani kicked a penalty a few minutes later to extend the lead, but it was clear the hosts were already in cruise control by this stage.
Regardless, Yacare did manage to land some blows of their own and deserve credit.
Agustín Benítez burrowed over from close range to reduce the deficit before Juan González scored the try of the game.
Yacare fly-half Joaquín Lamas chipped over the Capibaras defence before a teammate volleyed the ball onwards, and it eventually fell into the hands of replacement Matias Muniagurria, who deftly nudged the ball into González’s hands.
Yacare would have dearly loved to have finished the game on top, but Capibaras managed to grab one final try through Francisco Lluch, who rode some fatigued tackles to score out wide.
Capibaras made a statement with their first half performance and look an ominous challenge for any side as the season draws towards its conclusion.
There is great internal competition for places, especially at fly-half, where Dogliani and Juan Bautista Baronio are vying for first choice.
In Cipriani, they have one of the tournament’s most lethal finishers, who seems to be hitting his best form at exactly the right time.
Yacare fans will be bitterly disappointed at their team’s performance in the opening half, in which they were second best in every facet of the game.
The semi-finals are out of their reach and, with rumours that the 2026 season could be their last, the team will be furious at having missed an opportunity to showcase their qualities, with few chances left this season.
Dogos edge thriller against Selknam
Santiago played host to one of the games of the weekend, as Selknam’s winning run came to an end in a thrilling 28-35 defeat to table-topping Dogos.
The hosts did manage to grab two bonus points, which could prove crucial in their pursuit of the playoffs.
The first half was a tightly contested affair, with neither side able to establish dominance.
Dogos’ Facundo Rodríguez gave his side the lead with a penalty in the 16th minute, but they proved to be the only points of the opening quarter.
When the first try did arrive, Rodríguez was the architect as he expertly flicked the ball inside to the onrushing Mateo Soler, who raced through a hole to score.
Selknam managed to hit back just minutes later, as Soler’s game went from the sublime to the abysmal.
The fullback was bamboozled by a pirouetting Manuel Bustamante, and will be furious that he allowed the winger to escape his clutches and score.
Dogos looked the more likely to score next and managed it through Ernesto Giúdice, who collected the ball out wide after a series of phases had narrowed the Selknam defence. Dogos took a hard-earned 15-7 lead into the break.
Open affair
Selknam began the second half on the front foot and were quickly rewarded when Matías Garafulic scored after running a sumptuous line that split the Dogos defence in two.
Dogos hit back with a brilliant try of their own, eventually finished off by Nicolás Viola after Agustín Segura had made inroads into the Selknam half.
It was clear that the second half was going to be a much more open affair than the first and the trend continued when Soler grabbed his second try of the game, after a delayed pass from winger Facundo Pueyrredón.
Dogos were looking to turn the screw and snatched another try after some slick passing, allowing Pueyrredón the chance to dive over in the corner under immense pressure from two Selknam defenders.
A well-worked try from Clemente Armstrong gave Selknam a chance with ten minutes to play, but Dogos took the sting out of the comeback with a penalty soon after.
With the clock in the red, replacement Salvador Lues forced his way over for the all-important fourth try, with Garafulic’s conversion ensuring the second bonus point.
Selknam’s winning run came to an end, but they put Dogos under real pressure and this performance will have banished some of the demons from their humiliating defeat to the same opponents earlier this year.
If the table remains as it is, the two sides would meet again in the semifinals and, while they will be underdogs, Selknam will feel they are capable of beating Dogos.
The visitors had to dig deep for this victory but showed a real clinical edge when they needed it.
Dogos are now guaranteed a playoff position and will be looking to seal a home semifinal in the coming weeks. They remain the team to beat in 2026.
Peñarol overpower Cobras to stay alive
A dominant first half performance from Peñarol helped them to an easy 35-12 victory over Cobras that keeps them in the hunt for the semi-finals.
The defending champions took the lead with barely five minutes played, when hooker Joaquín Myszka scored from the back of a rolling maul.
The visitors’ scrum was dominant and always looked likely to yield points and so it proved, when the referee awarded Peñarol a penalty try after a series of Cobras infringements.
Cobras fullback Lucas Tranquez will be devastated at his role in Peñarol’s third try, after he failed to gather a kick in behind, allowing Bruno Baccino to gather up the loose ball and score.
Peñarol wrapped up the bonus point on the half-hour mark with Myszka’s second try after a maul that began 20 metres out from the Cobras line.
The Uruguayan side added a fifth for good measure when Juan Manuel Alonso rode a tackle and stretched out to reach the line on the brink of halftime.
Cobras fans will have been watching the first half through their fingers, as their side were unable to land a blow and went into the break 35-0 down at home.
Improved response
The result may have been out of reach by the end of the first half, but Cobras still deserve credit for their second half display, in which they were able to keep Peñarol scoreless while grabbing a couple of scores of their own.
Canadian scrum-half Ethan Turner got his team on the board 15 minutes into the second half after throwing a sharp dummy close to the line.
South African star Rosko Specman finished off out wide with seven minutes to play to reinforce their improved second half display.
Peñarol’s bonus point win keeps them in the playoff fight, but they will be disappointed at their failure to score a point in the second half.
The Uruguayans remain outsiders to feature in the semi-finals, but the tournament’s most successful ever side cannot be ruled out yet.
Cobras’ story is a familiar one this season. They are capable of landing blows on their opponents, but concede too many points and often find themselves out of games far too early.
They remain in a fight to avoid finishing bottom.
Tarucas stun Pampas in round’s game of the weekend
Pampas’ poor spell continued as they fell to a 38-39 defeat at home to Tarucas.
The visitors knew that a win was imperative if they were to reach the playoffs and the team delivered in the most thrilling of circumstances.
The first half began at a high pace and Pampas took the lead early after a clever lineout move saw Francisco Sluga surge over the line.
Tarucas quickly struck back in style through José Calderón, who brilliantly finished a move that began with a meandering run from fullback Tomás Elizalde.
If their first try was impressive, Tarucas’ second blew it out of the water.
Youngster Mateo Pasquini collected the ball in midfield and managed to beat five defenders on his way to the tryline in front of several Pumas coaches.
Just as it seemed momentum was swinging in favour of the visitors, Pampas hit back with a try from Jerónimo Ulloa, with the winger dotting down after an incisive pass from Estanislao Renthel.
Tarucas were playing as though their season depended on it and their offloading game continued to cause Pampas problems.
One such attack allowed Santiago Heredia to burst over the line against a Pampas defence that simply didn’t have time to reorganise.
Former Pumas 7s star Agustín Fraga kept Pampas in the game with a forceful individual effort out wide, but Tarucas remained in the ascendancy.
Heredia grabbed his second try of the game, before Pampas prop Matías Medrano burrowed over the line to level the score.
On the stroke of halftime, Stefano Ferro kicked a penalty that ensured Tarucas led 29-26 at the end of one of the best halves of rugby in the tournament’s history.
Season-defining win
The second half was less free-flowing than the first, but no less bitterly contested.
Argentina winger Santiago Pernas put Pampas ahead on 50 minutes when he dived over out wide, but Heredia’s hat trick from the back of a maul put Tarucas back in front on the hour mark.
Pampas’ impressive scrum-half Lucas Marguery showed deceptive power to score with fifteen minutes to play, and the conversion put his side two points ahead.
Tarucas’ scrum had yielded penalties all game and provided one when they needed it most.
Replacement Ignacio Cerrutti showed great composure to kick his team ahead with just seconds to play.
Remarkably, Pampas won a penalty from the subsequent kick-off, only for Bautista Farisé to see his effort hit the post.
Tarucas managed to deal with the rebound and celebrated wildly at the final whistle, knowing the win could have saved their season.
Pampas’ poor run of form now risks turning into a full-blown crisis.
The Buenos Aires franchise have finished top of the table in the last two seasons, but now look to be in a fight for a home semi-final that nobody was predicting a month ago.
Pampas have lost to all three of their Argentine rivals in successive rounds and head coach Juan Manuel Leguizamón has a major job on his hands if the team are to win their first title next month.
Tarucas came into this game under huge pressure, having lost four games in a row, but delivered under huge pressure.
They had to rely on some brilliant individual tries, but this was an excellent team display, as Pampas had no answer to their intensity in attack. They are now right back in the fight for the playoffs.
Round 12
Round 12 sees Pampas attempt to get their season back on track against Cobras, before Peñarol host Dogos in a repeat of last year’s final.
Selknam head out on the road in a tough game against Capibaras, before Tarucas host Yacare as they look to build on their excellent win in Round Eleven.
READ MORE: 2026 Super Rugby Americas – Round 10 summary: Capibaras and Selknam grab vital wins in play-off push
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