ARC Preview: Uruguay v USA
- 2416
The third edition of the Americas Rugby Championship comes to an end on Saturday with defending champions USA top of the standings but knowing that any slip up could see them lose their grip on the title.
Gary Gold’s unbeaten side play an inform Uruguay at Estadio Charrúa. A win for the USA will see the Eagles become the first team to win the ARC Grand Slam and the first side to retain the title.
Uruguay still have a slim chance of winning the competition and will need to beat the Eagles with a bonus point while at the same time denying their opponents anything from the game/. Even then, they would need Brazil to do them a favour against the Argentina XV.
While the USA is unbeaten in 10 Americas Rugby Championship matches, Uruguay themselves are looking to extend their 14-test winning run so a full-on battle is expected between two teams already qualified for Rugby World Cup 2019.
How they Line-Up
USA
Gold has made two changes to his impressive pack, with Tony Lamborn bringing his wealth of experience to the back row in place of Psalm Wooching, while Brendan Daly is preferred to Nick Civetta in the second row.
In the backs, Paul Lasike will start his first test as inside centre and will look to add to his first two tries in consecutive tests. The backline is rejigged with three positional changes to accommodate the former American Footballer.
Uruguay
Scrum-half Santiago Arata returns for Uruguay after injuring his arm in Uruguay's victory over Canada in Montevideo that confirmed their place at RWC 2019.
His return means that Uruguay appears to be fielding the strongest possible line-up possible from their home-based players.
[EQUIPO CONFIRMADO 👥] Así formará @RugbyUruguay para enfrentar a @USARugby por el Américas Rugby Championship #VamosTeros #ARC2018 #URUvsARG pic.twitter.com/SiKHdHSk5a
— U.R.U. (@RugbyUruguay) March 1, 2018