Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
With Brazil being one of six countries from the Americas included in the historic Americas Rugby Championship there has been an explosion of interest in the Tupis from throughout the region. To most North Americans, in particular, Brazil is largely unknown as neither Canada nor the USA have ever faced Brazil in a test match.
Fitting in to Americas Rugby Championship
Designed to promote the game throughout the Americas in competitive and financial terms Brazil will have the opportunity of facing Argentina, Canada, Chile, Uruguay and the USA in a continental tournament. Questions nonetheless remain unanswered as to the competitiveness that Brazil, and to a lesser extent Chile, will present.
Brazil’s involvement is a crucial strategic component of World Rugby’s quest to grow the game. It is the financial backing of World Rugby that has enabled the competition to get off the ground and the sport’s governing body has previously made no secret of Brazil, with a population of 204million, being a highly valuable market.
The positive news for the sport is that rugby is, indeed, growing rapidly throughout the country where it is now played in every state. It was the on-the-field figures, though, that had people talking ahead of Brazil’s home fixture against Colombia this past Saturday. The teams met in a repechage match with the winner earning the right to play in the 2016 South American A Championship.
Seeing-off Colombia
The Tupis entered the match without a win all year. Brazil had lost 48-9 against Uruguay, 20-11 against Paraguay and 32-3 against Chile in this year’s South American A Championship and went down 29-12 and 31-7 against Germany. Opponents, Colombia were coming off a strong campaign in the South American B Championship, beating Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
Also of concern was Brazil’s World and Americas Ranking. The Tupis entered the match ranked 9th in the Americas, but as the match against Colombia proved the Brazilians are better than that. The performance of Brazil, particularly in the second half, was that of one team controlling the tempo and dictating play. The final scoreline saw Brazil rise to 7th in the Americas and suggests they should, indeed, be higher.
The Top 6
Crucial to Brazil’s fall in 2015 was the loss against Paraguay. Played in Brazil, the home side was below full strength. The tactical blunder of providing Los Yakáres with an advantage proved costly. It also gave rise to arguments in favor of Paraguay, not Brazil, competing in the Americas Rugby Championship.
Brazil, though, has not only factors of growth, population and marketing potential on its side but also has engaged in greater international competition in recent years. In addition to hosting Germany this year Brazil has played at home against Mexico and Portugal in 2013 and played away in a Quadrangular tournament featuring Hong Kong, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates in 2011.
Earlier, in 2008, Brazil defeated Trinidad & Tobago home and away in Rugby World Cup qualifiers. That year also marked the final one in which Brazil played in the South American B Championship. Looking back it is all to clear just how much the sport and national side have grown throughout this period.
New Frontiers
Making these previous fixtures a reality has been a combination of World Rugby investment and the CBRu successfully growing in management status. Argentina, Chile and Uruguay have welcomed Brazil’s progression and, indeed, Agustín Pichot is looking to aid addition growth. A stronger Brazil, Chile and Uruguay is better for Argentina and the region.
Herein lies a crucial difference between Brazil and Paraguay. In 2015 Brazil is, overall, in a better position from an administration standpoint than is Paraguay. The CBRu has overseen a nationwide expansion to include over 230 clubs while 12 months ago more than 30,000 people, registered and non-registered, were said to play the game.
Interest has taken off with all 48 games of the Rugby World Cup being broadcast live by ESPN while rival network Sportv broadcast Brazil’s recent games vs Germany and Colombia. Just like Argentina and Uruguay ESPN in Brazil has secured rights to the Americas Rugby Championship.
Rugby values are also at the forefront of the CBRu’s policies. It is the image of rugby as a sport based on respect and integrity which many have been attracted to. Contributing to the less fortunate has also played its part with free Admission, in exchange for food donations, being given to spectators for the recent home internationals.
Subsequent Steps
Paraguay, though, is far from being poorly organized. To the contrary the URP has been making spectacular progress. The union has its own national rugby stadium in Asunción, the junior program is advancing well and the union has a 2016-2020 Strategic Plan which is designed to lift Paraguay to be more competitive.
Beyond Brazil there are additional frontiers with Paraguay being the obvious one based on rankings. The question of promotion and relegation into the Americas Rugby Championship will be answered. Early plans for the tournament confirmed that, over time, there is to be a second division and the champion would trade places with the bottom side of the premier division.
For Brazil the initial years of the Americas Rugby Championship will be about replicating Argentina in the Rugby Championship. In other words it will be about closing the gap to compete better on a regular basis against the other countries. As such if in 2019, as speculated, a second division comes into being Brazil ought to be in a better position than currently to avoid relegation.
Those joining Paraguay in a second division have not yet been named. Growing international competition with promotion and relegation now firmly established by Sudamérica Rugby will simplify the process. Lower sides will have paths paved. For instance Guatemala won the South American C Championship while Ecuador finished last in the South American B. They will face-off in repechage in 2016.
Ahead of both in Sudamérica rugby rankings are Colombia, Peru and Venezuela while NACRA members Guyana, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman Islands and Bermuda sit between Colombia and Venezuela in the rankings. Of these five could certainly join Paraguay in 2019.
Crucial is that these potential division two countries are all World Rugby members and they therefore merit the funding required to set-up such a competition. In addition Colombia and Mexico have large populations and economies providing the tournament with the potential of becoming self-sufficient.
