With six sides still in the hunt for the playoffs heading into the final round, Round Fourteen promised much and delivered even more.
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Selknam 33-31 Dogos
Selknam began the weekend with a heroic away victory over defending champions, Dogos, that secured them a place in the semifinals.
For the second game in a row, Selknam captain Clemente Saavedra set the tone with an early try, this one from extremely close range.
Juan Bautista Baronio struck back with two quick fire penalties for the hosts, who had plenty to play for themselves, knowing a victory would likely secure first place in the table.
Salvador Lues powered over for the visitors and things were looking up for the Chilean side before disaster struck in the form of a red card for centre Matías Garafulic.
Dogos soon took advantage of the numerical advantage, and tries from scrum half, Juan Lovell, and loosehead prop Boris Wenger gave them a 23-12 lead at the break.
Despite being down a man, Selknam struck first in the second half when Lues burrowed over for his second try to narrow the deficit.
Against all the odds, Selknam drew level on the hour mark when replacement Cristobal Game finished acrobatically in the corner and Tomás Salas nailed the difficult conversion.
Dogos were on the back foot but a superb piece of individual skill from Lautaro Cipriani put them back ahead when the winger gathered his own kick to reach the line against the run of play.
Baronio couldn’t add the extras from out wide. With their season on the line, Selknam battered the Dogos line but looked as though they would be denied.
With nine seconds left on the clock, replacement Emilio Shea snuck under the Dogos defence to score, with Salas adding the conversion to seal an incredible win, with the game ending 33-31.
Selknam win took them to the semifinals against all odds, with the win their third in a row against higher ranked opposition. Dogos will rue the loss, knowing it would make their title defence all the more difficult.
Pampas 32-27 Peñarol
Dogos’ defeat meant the match between Peñarol and Pampas effectively became a shootout for first place, with the visitors securing it after a 32-27 win in Montevideo.
The visitors roared into an early lead by way of an easy penalty and a penalty try after Peñarol collapsed a maul destined for the line. The ever-impressive Felipe Etcheverry got his team moving with two penalties before they took the lead through No.8 Manuel Diana.
It was then the turn of the hookers as both Ramiro Gurovich and Joaquin Myszka found the line for their sides in a game that was quickly becoming a classic. The referee brought the first half to a close with the scores tied at 20-20, with fans no closer to knowing who would top the table.
After a tense start to the second half, Etcheverry provided the magic necessary for a breakthrough, getting on the ball twice in a move that ended with a try from Lucas Bianchi that gave Peñarol the lead.
They managed to hold off Pampas until the final ten minutes, when the visitors forced their way over through Argentina centre Justo Piccardo.
Fly-half Ignacio Inchauspe missed the conversion that would have brought his side level but soon made up for his error by scoring the game’s winning try.
Pampas flung the ball wide and were rewarded for their boldness when they broke through and Inchauspe was free to receive the inside ball.
Pampas’ win secured them top spot and a home semifinal, while Peñarol had to settle for second place.
Former Wales coach Warren Gatland made headlines this week when he joined Peñarol in a support role until the end of the season.
They may have lost here, but Gatland’s experience may well pay dividends in the coming weeks, with the two sides favoured to meet again in the final.
Tarucas 44-24 Yacare
Selknam’s win meant neither Tarucas or Yacare could reach the playoffs but it didn’t stop them from thrilling the Tucuman crowd.
Tarucas fullback Stefano Ferro got the game off to a flyer when he surged onto a short pass before brilliantly beating his opposite number with less than a minute on the clock.
The score set the tone for the first half, in which the Argentine side were in complete control, adding a second score through Thiago Sbrocco to take a commanding 20-3 lead into halftime.
Tarcucas’ Bautista Estofan grabbed the first try of the second half but he owed the score to his centre partner Tomas Medina who broke through the Yacare defence and gave a sumptuous offload in the buildup.
Yacare were able to hit back when Julian Quetglas Bojar capitalised on a loose Tarucas pass to find the line.
The game became increasingly open in the closing stages, with both sides knowing their season would soon be over.
The result was a flurry of late scores, the best of which was another for Bojar but it wasn’t enough to prevent Tarucas from finishing their debut season in the competition with a 44-24 victory.
The first semifinal is a mouthwatering all-Argentine clash between Pampas and Dogos in Buenos Aires.
Pampas may have finished top but they will have their work cut out against defending champions, Dogos, who they have failed to beat in the last three meetings between the sides, a record stretching back to last season’s final.
Peñarol then welcome Selknam to Montevideo, where the hosts will be the favourites. However, after a remarkable run to the semis, Selknam have the momentum.
The presence of Gatland and the fact that many of these players will likely face off in the summer when Uruguay and Chile look to qualify for the next World Cup are some of the game’s many subplots.
By Joe Santamaria
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