2017 Top 10 Wishlist

2017 is just hours away from arriving in the Americas. With that in mind let us take a look into a 2017 Top 10 Wishlist. These desires for the year feature both feasible projections and dreams. The Top 10 list is in no particular order.

1 Juan Imhoff back for the Rugby Championship
Regardless of how good an athlete is he can only play for Los Pumas if he plays in Argentina or has special approval. In 2016 Tomás Cubelli (Brumbies) and Juan Pablo Estelles (Northampton) were the two players not based at home to wear Pumas colors. Missing were a host of regular names with Juan Imhoff arguably being the most needed player. So low was Argentina’s options that two outside centers were the starting wingers against England in November.

2 PRO Rugby to continue
The year 2016 ends with the future of PRO Rugby unknown. The young competition was highly enjoyable for Americas Rugby News to cover. Far more importantly it was truly amazing to be able to have the competition taking place. Make no mistake professional rugby in the USA is a massive step for rugby in the USA, Americas and worldwide.

3 Canada to go professional
As 2016 unfolded Toronto and Vancouver were both rumored to be on course to join PRO Rugby. This did not happen. Rugby Canada pulled the plug on the possibility before the problems broke out with San Francisco losing its team and the competition’s future being brought into question. Canada’s continued amateur status is precisely what is keeping the country as a Tier 2 country. There are great athletes produced but reaching the highs of the 1990’s is simply impossible without a genuine professional program.

4 European Professionals in Americas Rugby Championship
Having Connor Braid, Pablo Huete, Samu Manoa, Blaine Scully, Agustín Ormaechea and DTH van der Merwe in the Americas Rugby Championship would be ideal. The Americas Rugby Championship coincides with the Six Nations but is played over a far shorter period. There are certain times in which there are no club matches. Yet even so players remain the property of their clubs. Getting them freed up and on airplanes to play in season two of the Americas Rugby Championship would be tremendous for the competition. Five of the six competitors are officially playing their top sides so getting all players involved is a legitimate request.

5 Americas Rugby Championship ‘B’ to be green-lighted
The successful inaugural season of the Americas Rugby Championship provided a platform for it to sustainably develop. In 2017 Americas Rugby News hopes that work can be done to establish a second division. When the model for the Americas Rugby Championship was drawn up in early 2015 Agustín Pichot made it known that a second division would be added over time. Having 7th-12th in the Americas Rankings would see Paraguay, Colombia, Trinidad & Tobago, Mexico, Guyana and the Cayman Islands playing. Venezuela would replace the Cayman Islands if it were to be an even split of Americas Rugby North and Sudamérica Rugby.

6 Honduras, Nicaragua to join South American C Championship
Hard work in both Honduras and Nicaragua has both Central American republics getting closer to meeting Sudamérica Rugby requirements. Continued progress in the first half of 2017 could see either or both added to the 2017 South American C Championship. All going well then the competition could be a Six-Nations format. Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama and all confirmed participants. Either Guatemala or Ecuador will join them. Similarly the development of rugby in Belize, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti could see greatly increased international competition in Rugby Americas North.

7 Argentina to beat New Zealand
The one scalp that Argentina has not claimed is that of New Zealand. It is not a question of if Argentina can defeat the All Blacks but when they will. Los Pumas have been close on occasions but have fallen short. Achieving the feat in 2017 is entirely plausible but will require an outstanding performance and notable improvement from 2016. Also speaking of Los Pumas in 2017 Americas Rugby News has fingers crossed that Argentina will avoid a Pool of Death for 2019. On current rankings Argentina is facing the prospect of two

9 7 Las Vegas / Vancouver 7’s to set attendance records
The 2016 USA and Canada Sevens were both tremendous. The 2017 competitions are likely to also be just as popular if not more so. Record attendances may well be set in either or both North American city. Both countries are also to have busy years at senior level. Qualifying for the Rugby World Cup is the goal of both Canada and the USA. An additional desire is from the USA to not play Maori All Blacks but three November Internationals in 2017. Rather than playing a non-capped match Fiji or Japan would be an comparable opponent.

10 Americas Qualifier to Face Japan in RWC 2019 Opener
The winner of the Canada vs USA Rugby World Cup qualifiers will confirm their place in Japan 2019. The next Rugby World Cup is to be the first played outside of rugby’s Tier 1. This being the case a tournament opener of Japan vs a Tier 2 nation is entirely plausible. Having either Canada or the USA face the Asian country to open the event in 2019 would be extraordinary. Should Japan be pooled with one of the two then seeing it turned into reality would be Magnificent.