The Americas Rankings – February 04 2018 see changes from the previous week. The rankings are based on the outcomes of this weekend’s Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) matches. Two of the three had points on the line and they have resulted in notable movement.
Brazil rise one spot due to their away 16-14 victory over Chile. They trade points with Brazil gaining +1.56 at the expense of the Chileans. This sees Brazil returning to 5th in the Americas and also a gain in the World Rankings.
Following a home 38-29 defeat against Uruguay, Canada started very strongly in game two on Saturday. Uruguay appeared defeated in the opening half yet showed outstanding resolve to come back and win the match.
Uruguay’s 32-31 win sees their ranking improve from 66.48 to 66.56 points. It means that the USA’s grasp on 2nd position in the Americas is extremely slim.
The Americas Rankings will be updated again next Sunday. They are to make into account two of the three matches being played. The 1950 FIFA World Cup had matches at the Estádio do Pacaembu. The São Paulo venue sees Brazil hosting Uruguay on Friday. The USA are at home to Canada on Saturday.
Rankings are not to be on the line in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. With the Argentina XV being the official ‘A’ side from Argentina ranking points are not involved. The Argentina XV host neighbors Chile on Saturday.
It should be noted that Costa Rica continues to be ranked on 32.16 points. This is the case despite the country having gained World Rugby membership in November 2017. Upon gaining World Rugby membership unions enter the World Rankings and do so with a 30.00 ranking.