Costa Rica Win South American C Championship

The South American C Championship title has changed hands. The reigning two-time title holders, Guatemala handed over the title this afternoon to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica had home advantage for all of this year’s South American C Championship. The country made the most of it to record a huge win over Panama in round one and a sizable one over Nicaragua in round two. Guatemala also impressed in both earlier matches, gaining a return of two wins.

The results saw the Americas Rankings of both significantly boosted heading into today’s tournament final. Their close positioning in the rankings would turn out to be well represented in the final as the teams competed to an 8-8 draw. The scores for both included one unconverted try and a penalty.

In order to determine the final placements, the scoring from previous matches was brought into play. Guatemala had beaten Panama by 65-5 and Nicaragua by 57-19. Costa Rica recorded a 58-7 win over Nicaragua and won 91-5 against Panama.

Costa Rica’s win over Panama was the largest ever recorded by Los Tilos. It would prove to be hugely significant as it saw Los Tilos outscoring Los Jaguares on aggregate to claim the 2017 South America C title.

Despite having to settle for second position, Guatemala was honored by Alfredo Cabrera being named Player of the Tournament.