Bigger and Better for Uruguay in 2017

Uruguay is to have a bigger and better schedule in 2017, local rugby specialists Referi have confirmed.

Building on from an historic 2016 , Uruguayan rugby will enjoy even more next year. Significant gains are to be felt both by Los Teros and by the nation’s clubs.

Clubs
The national club championship, the Campeonato Uruguayo will again be a 12-team competition. It is to be divided into two divisions of six. The notable alteration being that it is to be played earlier in the year. In an effort to have the club season feed the national team it will start on March 11 2017.

The top four Uruguayan clubs are to play in Argentine domestic club competitions. The first and second placed sides will play in Argentina’s Nacional de Clubes ‘B’. They are to play no fewer than six matches and will have the opportunity to qualify for the Quarter Finals.

The third and fourth placed Uruguayan clubs will play in the Torneo del Interior B. They will play at least three fixtures. The fifth and sixth placed Uruguayan clubs will play in a four team competition together with the Brazilian national champion and runner-up. This tournament will take place in March and April.

Junior
Uruguay’s under 20’s team Los Teritos are to play in the 2017 Junior World Trophy. World Rugby is set to move the tournament from April to August and it could very well be played in Uruguay. The URU is bidding to stage the event.

Sevens 
The national Rugby Sevens team is to compete in the annual summer competitions in Punta del Este and Viña del Mar. The competitions are again to serve as qualifying rounds for the World Rugby Sevens Series. On the line will be places at the USA, Canada and Hong Kong Sevens.

International
The senior men’s team, Los Teros are set to reap the rewards of progress. The year will kick-off in February with the Americas Rugby Championship. The second edition of the tournament will see Uruguay playing home matches against Brazil, Canada and Chile. Matches against the USA and Argentina XV will be away.

Next up will be the South American ‘A’ Championship. The 2017 edition of the tournament will carry extreme importance. It is to double as Rugby World Cup 2019 qualification. Uruguay will be joined by Brazil and Chile in addition to a fourth team, potentially Paraguay.

The winner of the 2017 South American ‘A’ Championship will advance to face the runner-up of Canada vs USA in October. On the line will be the Americas 2 automatic qualifying spot for Rugby World Cup 2019.

In seeking to be better prepared than ever before, Uruguay is seeking to confirm an historic home games. For the 2017 June International Uruguay is in negotiations with England and Georgia. Both are to play tests in Argentina that month. Uruguay seeks to play both before they face Los Pumas.

This prospective home series would see Los Teros missing from the Nations Cup. Instead the URU is seeking to send the official ‘A’ side, the Uruguay XV to Romania.

2017 will see the second edition of the Americas Pacific Challenge. It will again be played ahead of the end-of-year internationals. The difference between 2016 and 2017 is that next year the tournament is to be followed by the final round of Americas qualification for Japan 2019.

Dates are yet to be finalized though it is understood that the qualifiers will be in October. Uruguay is to then embark on a three match tour of Europe. Opposition is yet to be determined.

Los Teros Calendar

February, March	Americas Rugby Championship
May	South American ‘A’ Championship, RWC Qualification
June	Potential Home tests vs England, Georgia
October	Potential Repechage RWC Qualifiers vs Canada or USA
November	European Tour. Three away internationals