The final round of the 2017 South American C Championship was played on Saturday. Nicaragua faced Panama in the Bronze Final while Costa Rica took-on Guatemala in the championship decider. Following match results the Americas Rankings have been updated. The September 03 2017 rankings see changes.
Nicaragua’s historic 46-36 win over Panama has created a new blueprint for rugby in Central America. Los Tiburones entered this year’s tournament as debutants. They played their best against both Guatemala and Costa Rica but fell short. Their win over Panama was against the 2016 third placed side.
Panama’s 2016 win over El Salvador saw Los Diablos rise in the rankings but now Nicaragua is above both Panama and El Salvador. The updated rankings see Panama dropping from 28.34 to 27.32 points. Nicaragua improves from 28.14 to 29.16 points. With it Nicaragua moves above both Panama and the Dominica Republic.
The South American Championship C Final was an 8-8 draw. Based on overall results in the tournament, hosts Costa Rica were crowned champions. Superior overall victories over Nicaragua and Panama meant Guatemala’s two-year-reign as Champions of Central America is now over.
In the Americas Rankings the September 03 2017 changes mean that Guatemala rises slightly and Costa Rica falls. This is based on their rankings prior to the match being Costa Rica with 32.30 points and Guatemala with 33.89. Home advantage accounts for Costa Rica’s fall.
The updated rankings see Costa Rica on 32.16 points and Guatemala on 34.03. This sees Guatemala tied now for 18th spot with the Bahamas. Costa Rica remains 22nd in the Americas.
The Americas Rankings will be updated again next Sunday. Changes as possible based on Argentina’s performance away against New Zealand. They face in a Rugby Championship match in New Plymouth on Saturday morning Argentine time.