Round Six of the Super Rugby Americas season exploded into life on Friday night as Pampas recorded a hard-fought 38-20 victory against Peñarol.
The Uruguayan side took advantage of some clumsy work in the backfield to race into a 10-0 lead but the power of the Pampas pack soon began to take its toll. The hosts levelled the score with a penalty try after a series of dominant scrums on Peñarol's line before try-machine Santiago Pernas scored to give his side the lead for the first time.
Peñarol refused to give in and struck back with a superb score from flanker Carlos Manuel Deus who charged up the wing from the halfway line. Eventually though, gaps began to emerge in the tiring Peñarol defence and Pernas' second try of the game restored his team's control. Both sides exchanged late scores with the eventual scoreline perhaps not a true reflection of a game that looked in the balance for large portions.
Saturday's match saw Selknam banish the memories of their recent second-half performances with a stirring fightback against unbeaten Dogos. The Argentinian side scored an opportunistic try after half an hour before being rewarded for dominant scrummaging with a penalty try that gave them a 15-6 lead at the break. Try your own luck through this link to free spins.
Selknam showed great heart to fight back but their opening try was all about precision as they bamboozled the Dogos defence with movement, allowing flanker Alfonso Escobar to find the tryline. Dogos had to absorb pressure for much of the half but held a 23-11 lead with just fifteen minutes remaining and looked as though they would hold out for their fifth win of the season. The visitors had other ideas however and a try from a rolling maul set up a grandstand finish. No.8 Raimundo Martínez powered over from close range in the 84th minute, with replacement Sebastián Bianchi slotting the conversion to salvage a 23-23 draw at the death.
Yacare missed the chance to go top of the table as American Raptors recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in their history in a thrilling encounter. The American hosts started strongly and took the early lead after a kick in behind Yacare's defence bounced kindly for centre Thomas Morani. The Paraguayans quickly demonstrated why they are the league's top scorers as they secured a try-bonus point before half time and looked on course for victory.
The second half was severely delayed as officials waited for a local storm to pass and Yacare never rediscovered their rhythm once play resumed. American Raptors centre Uatesoni Filikitonga scored the best try of the game early in the second half as he span out of tackles and cantered in from forty meters. Both teams exchanged tries to set up a tense final quarter in which the hosts trailed by just five points. Just as it looked as though Yacare might hold on, replacement Tommy Clark crashed over under the posts and the conversion sealed a historic 35-33 win for American Raptors.
Round Seven will see Peñarol look to keep within touching distance of the top three when they host a Dogos side that will want to exercise their demons after failing to beat Selknam. Pampas will travel to Brazil to face Cobras in Saturday's match while American Raptors look for their third consecutive home win when they welcome Selknam to Infinity Park on Sunday.
Written by Joe Santamaria
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