Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
South America’s professional league, the Liga Sudamericana de Rugby is facing a 2021 start. The competition had been planned to begin in 2020 but is now being pushed-back to begin in 2021 writes Ignacio Chans.
While details have not yet been finalized it is noted that the league is to be positioned in the first semester and as such RWC 2019 will be occurring too close to this for the league to begin in 2020. There are additional factors to consider, albeit this alone is sufficient for the project to be pushed back to 2021.
A 2021 start for the Liga Sudamericana would, notes Chans, allow for the possibility of exhibition fixtures to be played in 2020. Uruguay’s two Liga Sudamericana teams, Peñarol, and Nacional would thereby be able to play against each other as well as other sides from the region.
With the Americas Rugby Championship set to be moved to the second semester playing the Liga Sudamericana in the first will avoid a clash of calendars for the players.
The added time will ease the pressure on the regional unions to confirm exactly who the competing teams will be. Indeed with the Jaguares XV confirmed for this year’s Currie Cup provincial unions, cities and clubs from Argentina will all be able to further their respective bids for the league.
Based on reports out of Argentina it is expected that two teams will compete in the Liga Sudamericana de Rugby. Interest in fielding teams in the league has come from Córdoba, Rosario, and Tucumán but not from Buenos Aires.
Brazil is also to have two teams with São Paulo certain to be involved in some capacity. This will either mean that one, or both, sides are based in South America’s largest city. Additional interest has come from the southern cities of Curitiba, and Florianópolis.
Universidad Católica from Santiago is the front-runner to be the one Chilean side in the league. Paraguay, and Colombia are also looking to have one team each with the former potentially looking to replicate Uruguay in using the name of an established soccer club.
