History was made in Tucumán on Friday evening. Los Tarucas secured the final remaining vacancy in the Super Rugby Americas (SRA) Semi Finals. Los Tucumanos did so by completing a big win over Los Capibaras. The outcome means Selknam were eliminated from the SRA Semi Finals contention on the eve of their final SRA regular season match against Os Cobras on Saturday in Santiago del Chile.
The home side were highly motivated and did not fail to get the job done. Los Tarucas scored all three of the game’s first-half tries to lead the contest 21-3 at the interval. The power of the forwards, particularly the scrum, was fundamental in Los Tarucas building the lead.
The writing was on the wall early. Penalties from scrums saw Los Tarucas able to kick to the corner and set-up a lineout to maul attack. Thiago Sbrocco won the lineout and the forwards combined to press forward with Facundo Cardozo coming away with the try.
Franco Rossetto scored in response for Los Capibaras only for the try to be canceled for obstruction. It turned out to be the only true try-scoring opportunity that the visitors would have all half.
Things then got out of control for Los Capibaras as Diego Correa was yellow carded due to scrum infringements. He would not be the only Capibaras prop to be yellow carded during the match. Los Tarucas scored twice before Correa returned; Stefano Ferro and Tomás Elizalde crossing once each.
The second-half opened with Los Tarucas securing the fourth-try bonus point. It came in style after the forwards constructed a neat lineout move from which Pumita Tomás Dande burst through to score. Stefano Ferro continued his perfect goal-kicking to put his team 28-3 up.
Replacement tight head prop, Rodrigo Navarro scored next. He did so from a pick-and-go. It underlined that Los Capibaras were being outmuscled by the home side. This was furthered six minutes later with the final Tarucas score. Replacement hooker, José Calderoni Zenteno went over from a lineout to maul.
Los Capibaras won the final quarter. The Rosario-based side scored two unanswered tries to earn some respectability and finish with 15 points. Replacements Lautaro Cipriani and Juan Ignacio Rodriguez scored tries.
Both teams will be in action next weekend in the Semi Finals. The matches will be on Friday, with Los Pampas hosting Los Capibaras in Buenos Aires and Los Tarucas traveling to Córdoba to face Los Dogos. This means that all four Semi Finalists are Argentine teams. It comes with reigning champions, Peñarol having been eliminated.
 SCORING |
TARUCAS (42)
TRY – F Cardozo (12′); S Ferro (35′); T Elizalde (37′); T Dande (58′); R Navarro (60′); J Calderoni Zenteno (66′)
CON – S Ferro (13′, 36′, 38′, 59′, 61′, 67′)
YC – J Calderoni Zenteno (74′)
CAPIBARAS (15)
TRY – L Cipriani (69′); JI Rodríguez (76′)
CON – B Heit (76′)
PEN – I Dogliani (32′)
YC – D Correa (27′); E Avaca (66′); JM Baronio (70′)
| LINE-UPS |
TARUCAS
1 Mariano Muntaner, 2 Juan Manuel Vivas Estrella, 3 Francisco Moreno, 4 Ignacio Marquieguez, 5 Luciano Asevedo, 6 Facundo Cardozo, 7 Agustín Sarelli, 8 Thiago Sbrocco, 9 Estanislao Pregot, 10 Stefano Ferro, 11 Tomás Vanni, 12 Pedro Coll, 13 Matías Orlando, 14 Mateo Pasquini, 15 Tomás Elizalde
Replacements: 16 José Calderoni Zenteno, 17 Benjamín Farías Cerioni, 18 Rodrigo Navarro, 19 Joaquín Aguilar, 20 Santiago Melitón Heredia, 21 Tomás Dande, 22 Matías Sauze, 23 Ignacio Cerrutti
CAPIBARAS
1 Diego Correa, 2 Martín Vaca, 3 Ignacio Orsetti, 4 Lorenzo Colidio, 5 Lucas Bur, 6 Jerónimo Gómez Vara, 7 Felipe Villagrán, 8 Ignacio Gandini (capt.), 9 Juan Lovell, 10 Ignacio Dogliani, 11 Gino DiCapua, 12 Guido Chesini, 13 Bruno Heit, 14 Franco Rossetto, 15 Tomás Sigura
Replacements: 16 Bernardo Lis, 17 Juan Ignacio Rodriguez, 18 Enzo Avaca, 19 Ignacio Gallo, 20 Bautista José Grenon, 21 Lautaro Cipriani, 22 Juan Bautista Baronio, 23 Alejo Sugasti
| MATCH HIGHLIGHTS |
| MATCH OFFICIALS |
VS
Referee: Federico Solari (Argentina)
Assistant Referees: Juan Manuel Martínez (Argentina); Sebastián Toledo (Chile)