4 Incredible Matches You Missed While Watching the 6 Nations

The opening weekend of the RBS 6 Nations had a spellbinding effect on much of the rugby viewing community, and while many were looking there, the rugby gods graced us with some brilliant rugby elsewhere. Here are 5 great games that you missed!

USA vs Argentina:
Neither side brought their best players to their first ever match in the new Americas Rugby Championship, but the quality of play did not show that. The game was played at a simply blinding pace as both sides fought to a 35-35 draw. New Eagles coach John Mitchell has worked some sort of sorcery as the Eagles actually appeared to use quick ball, and a very young Argentine side was forced to reply. Veterans Todd Clever and Taku Ngwenya were everywhere, while Argentina’s young backs were phenomenal in opening the US defence.

Kenya vs Scotland:
A true nail biter at the Sydney 7’s that many were likely to miss. Both sides went back and forth, with Hugh Blake and Oscar Ayodi both scoring two tries, but in the end, a fantastic finish from Bush Mwale gave Kenya a 17-14 lead. With time growing short, Kenya began to show some nerves, first putting a kickoff straight into touch, and then with no time left, giving up penalty after penalty in their own half. Blake again fought his way into the corner looking for a hat trick, but he lost the ball in contact, giving Kenya a narrow victory, but certainly one to remember.

Ireland U20’s vs Wales U20’s
This was probably the most fun game of rugby I have watched in a long time. Both sides played open, exciting rugby, and could probably teach their respective senior teams a thing or two about offloading. Ireland in particular were more than happy to throw the ball around, with Will Powers, James Ryan, Adam McBurney, and Kelvin Browne all showing great hands for forwards. Wales fought back with an immense forward pack, and the contest at the breakdown was ferocious. In the end, Wales came away with a deserved 35-24 win, but what a match it was.

Australia vs New Zealand:
The final of the Sydney 7s was brilliant (controversial ending aside). The fans who came out got more than their money’s worth as both sides went back and forth. Had this been a pool match, it would’ve finished as a draw, but since it was a final, each half is 10 minutes. With the Kiwis down 24-17, Reiko Ioane scored a great try with two minutes left to bring the margin to two points. Then, with no time left in the match, Ioane again dove in for a final score, giving the All Blacks the title, right in the heart of Australia.

Be sure to lookout for some of the other great rugby matchups this weekend, with Ireland taking on France, and Wales take on Scotland. Also worth mentioning is the USA vs Canada match on Saturday, which is also set to be a cracker.