Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Saturday was a busy day in the Americas North zone of the Rugby World Cup 2019 qualification process. Four matches took place under the Rugby Americas North Championship banner with the results setting up exciting battles as we near the final round of the pool stage in the competition.
Mexico were the big winners on Saturday, thumping Bermuda by a score of 75-10 in an impressive display of running rugby. Guyana hosted Jamaica at their mud-soaked National Park and found a way to slide over for a 23-5 win. Given the appalling field conditions the match was played in it’s amazing anyone was able to tell who was who.
Trinidad & Tobago got their second big win of the competition with a dominant 39-5 result in Barbados. The Bahamas meanwhile traveled to George Town where they were defeated by a plucky Cayman Islands team by a 20-8 score. It was a competitive match – entertaining in spurts – but littered with penalties leading to multiple yellow cards handed out by a referee clearly frustrated with the lack of discipline.
With a clear separation now emerging between the top sides in each pool and the bottom, the two biggest matches are set for June 18 and July 2. Trinidad & Tobago will host Guyana in the first match in a straight knock-out to see who represents the South Pool in the Championship final on July 23. Only the Cayman Islands can now stop Mexico from winning the North Pool, and to do so the Caymans must first defeat Bermuda on June 18.
FIXTURES AND RESULTS
| DATE | HOME | AWAY | RESULT |
| March 5 | St. Vincent & The Grenadines | Jamaica | 0-48* |
| April 23 | Guyana | Barbados | 48-17 |
| April 23 | Trinidad & Tobago | Jamaica | 34-14 |
| May 7 | Bahamas | Mexico | 3-39 |
| May 21 | Mexico | Bermuda | 75-10 |
| May 21 | Cayman Islands | Bahamas | 20-8 |
| May 21 | Guyana | Jamaica | 23-5 |
| May 21 | Barbados | Trinidad & Tobago | 5-39 |
| June 4 | Bermuda | Bahamas | |
| June 18 | Cayman Islands | Bermuda | |
| June 18 | Jamaica | Barbados | |
| June 18 | Trinidad & Tobago | Guyana | |
| July 2 | Mexico | Cayman Islands | |
| July 23 | Winner North | Winner South |
*North Pool qualifier match
NORTH POOL STANDINGS
| TEAM | W | D | L | PF | PA | BP | PTS |
| Mexico | 2 | 0 | 0 | 114 | 13 | 2 | 10 |
| Cayman Islands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| Bahamas | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 59 | 0 | 0 |
| Bermuda | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 75 | 0 | 0 |
SOUTH POOL STANDINGS
| TEAM | W | D | L | PF | PA | BP | PTS |
| Trinidad & Tobago | 2 | 0 | 0 | 73 | 19 | 2 | 10 |
| Guyana | 2 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 22 | 2 | 10 |
| Jamaica | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 57 | 0 | 0 |
| Barbados | 0 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 87 | 0 | 0 |
