2026 Super Rugby Americas – Round Two summary: Tarucas stun the defending champions

Round Two kicked off in Montevideo as Peñarol fell to a second defeat in as many games, with Tarucas claiming a deserved 28-18 victory over the defending champions.

Visiting fly-half Ignacio Cerruti struck a penalty after just three minutes before powerful Peñarol No.8 Manuel Diana grabbed the game’s first try from a rolling maul.

Peñarol’s performance was a marked improvement from the heavy defeat against Capibaras in Round One, but they soon found themselves behind again.

A delicate kick in behind allowed Tarucas captain Matías Orlando to score his first Super Rugby Americas try under the posts, which was easily converted by Cerruti.

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Tarucas stun champions in Montevideo

Tarucas gradually took control of proceedings and soon crossed the line again, this time through scrum-half Estanislao Pregot, who capitalised after a great run from young winger Mateo Pasquini.

Peñarol’s senior players needed to step up and Manuel Ardao did exactly that when he powered over the line after taking a penalty quickly to keep his side within touching distance.

A cagey end to the half saw both sides opt for kicks at goal, with Tarucas maintaining a slender 18-15 lead at the break.

The second half was tightly contested, with each side exchanging a further penalty apiece.

Tarucas backrower Thiago Sbrocco continued his brilliant form from Round One and was influential throughout.

It was no surprise that he began the move which led to his side’s third try, scored by Tomás Dande after some slick handling from Orlando.

Try as they might, Peñarol were unable to land a telling blow on their opponents, who showed great maturity to see out the game on away soil.

The result will provide further encouragement to Tarucas fans, already buoyant after their side’s Round One victory, while Peñarol supporters will no doubt be anxious to claim their first win of the season sooner rather than later, if they are to make a meaningful defence of their title.

Selknam survive Yacare fightback

Selknam managed to claim a dramatic 34-32 win over Yacare in a game that threatened to slip through their grasp.

Clearly eager to bounce back from their opening day defeat, the Chilean side started quickly and scored through winger Cristóbal Gane before all the fans had made it to their seats.

Yacare struck back through a Joaquín Lamas penalty, but it was only a brief respite. Versatile loose-forward Alfonso Escobar squeezed over the line from close range to ensure momentum remained with the hosts.

Within five minutes, Escobar had grabbed his second try after a powerful maul to put his team 17-3 up with less than 20 minutes played.

While he will have been delighted with his team’s start, head coach Jake Mangin will be frustrated at how easily his side let Yacare back into the game through Matías Muniagurria, who crashed over the line to keep his team in the game.

Nevertheless, a well-taken score from replacement prop Salvador Lues sealed Selknam’s bonus point before halftime and gave them a commanding 24-10 lead after 40 minutes.

Famous win

Yacare’s second-half performance is to be commended and almost yielded a famous win.

Inspired by the tireless scrum-half Juan Cruz Strada, they dragged themselves back into the contest and drew first blood in the second half when Valentino Marciali accelerated onto Estrada’s pass and raced between two defenders on his way to the line.

Just minutes later, Yacare found the line again after more good work from Strada, who pressed the pace until Selknam simply ran out of defenders, leaving space for Valentino Quattrochi to canter towards the corner.

Having seen their lead cut to just two points, Selknam could not prevent Yacare from taking the lead for the first time when Lamas knocked over a penalty with 15 minutes to play.

Things got even worse for the hosts when Manuel Todaro powered over the line, leaving Selknam staring down the barrel of a defeat that seemed out of the question after their fast start.

Having gone the entire second half scoreless, Selknam needed a moment of inspiration from their senior players and it was provided by Rodrigo Fernández, whose scything run opened up the defence and created the space for captain Domingo Saavedra to score under the posts.

Still trailing by two points, Selknam worked the ball up the pitch and forced a penalty, which was coolly converted by replacement Juan Cruz Reyes to spare the team’s blushes.

Capibaras run riot in Santa Fe

Capibaras showed their debut victory in Round One was no fluke by dispatching Cobras 54-12 in Santa Fe.

The visitors’ performance was marred by ill-discipline and they were forced to play with just 12 players at one stage, with three having received yellow cards.

Capibaras second-row Lucas Bur got his side off the mark with an excellent try that saw him charge through a hole and show great pace to reach the line early.

Two penalty tries followed as Cobras grew frustrated, which only added to the scale of the undertaking they faced.

With so much space on the pitch due to the yellow cards, Capibaras easily added more scores through fullback Francisco Lluch and young star Lautaro Cipriani, who could have walked over for his first try in Capibaras colours.

Once their players returned to the fray, Cobras improved and grabbed a try of their own when flanker Matheus Claúdio surged through a gap at the side of a ruck to score.

Grim reading

A second Lluch try on the brink of halftime meant the scoreline made for grim reading for the visitors, who trailed 40-7 at the break.

Capibaras head coach Nicolás Galatro will be disappointed that his side took their foot off the gas in the second half, knowing they will need to become an 80-minute team if they are to challenge for the title.

A somewhat lackadaisical kick from Cipriani allowed Cobras’ South Africa international Rosko Specman to grab his second try in as many games.

The hosts were still able to give their supporters a couple more reasons to cheer through Franco Rossetto and Felipe Villagrán, the latter scoring after collecting his own chip over the fullback.

After two rounds, Capibaras are still yet to taste defeat in Super Rugby Americas and look poised to challenge for the playoffs in their maiden campaign.

Conversely, after the promising performance in Round One, too many of Cobras’ flaws from their winless 2025 season crept into this display, and head coach Josh Reeves will no doubt make discipline a priority this week.

Dogos edge epic against Pampas

Ahead of Round Two, many pundits and fans had identified the match between Pampas and Dogos as the game of the weekend and so it proved.

Dogos showed great tenacity to scrape a 36-34 win at the home of their greatest rivals to continue their superb record over the Buenos Aires franchise.

Dogos arrived with a huge pack of forwards and looked to make use of them early, with second row Valentín Gonzálvez the beneficiary of a well-marshalled rolling maul after just two minutes had been played.

Pampas struck back through a Bautista Farisé penalty before Gonzálvez’s opposite number, Rodrigo Fernández Criado, broke through a weak tackle to take the lead for the hosts.

With a quarter of the game played, it was clear that both teams had shaken off the rust from Round One and were playing at their very best.

Another rolling maul allowed Dogos flanker Aitor Bildosola to restore his team’s advantage, which they looked to press home before halftime.

Vulnerable

Sensing that Pampas could be vulnerable, Dogos began committing several backs to each attacking lineout, with the hosts struggling to respond.

A third maul-try, this one scored by hooker Juan Greissing Revol, meant Dogos led 19-10 heading into the second half.

If the first three Dogos tries were rewards for power up front, their fourth was all about the backs.

After several phases, fly-half Julian Hernandez showed pace and power to take on a defender and get the ball down despite the attention of several Pampas defenders.

Pampas knew they had to score next if they were to stand any chance of breaking their losing streak against Dogos and managed it when replacement Juan Pedro Bernasconi burrowed over the line from close range.

As Dogos looked to strike back, Pampas centre Agustín Fraga intercepted a loose pass and raced in unopposed from inside his own half to reduce the deficit to just two points and set up a tense final quarter.

Roared with delight

Dogos didn’t reach the last three Super Rugby Americas finals without knowing how to respond to adversity and struck back expertly through Facundo Pueyrredón, who dived over in the corner despite the close attention of Pampas winger Santiago Pernas.

With five minutes left to play, Pampas were looking to attack from everywhere and eventually opened up the Dogos defence through electric fullback Tobias Wade, who charged up the pitch before putting Pernas away to score a superb try.

The successful conversion meant Dogos led by just two points with four minutes to play.

Yet with the clock in the red, Dogos won a penalty and their entire bench roared with delight.

They had triumphed yet again in this stadium, in front of Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi, in one of the finest games in the tournament’s history.

Round Three offers Pampas the opportunity to exercise their demons at home against high-flying Capibaras, before an all-Argentine clash between two unbeaten sides in Tarucas and Dogos.

Peñarol are at home again against Selknam, with both sides looking for momentum before the weekend closes out in São Paulo, where Cobras and Yacare are both looking for their first win of the new campaign.

READ MORE: 2026 Super Rugby Americas – Round One summary: Tarucas dominate as Capibaras stun champions