Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Not only will 2021 represent new beginnings in Americas rugby, it will showcase it. The year will be markedly different to 2020 as it will to earlier years. Six such instances are presented below.
Major League Rugby
2021 will be the fourth year of Major League Rugby. It will be an expansion year; like 2019 and 2020 there will be new teams, the Dallas Jackals and the LA Giltinis. They will join ten of the eleven teams from the 2020 season. The missing side is the Colorado Raptors.
In 2020 all three expansion teams played in the Eastern Conference. They were the New England Free Jacks, Old Glory DC, and Rugby ATL. In 2021 the newcomers will both play in the Western Conference.
Needless to say the departure of the Raptors is unfortunate. The Centennial State also had a team in PRO Rugby. In fact, the Denver Stampede were the 2016 champions. The Ohio Aviators were the tournament’s one team from the East. The mid-west has since been without a professional rugby team. Will one of the off-field debates for 2021 be about further expansion teams. Ohio? Chicago? Miami? The Carolinas? Vancouver?
On the field there is plenty to look forward to. Predicting a winner is no easy assignment. Nonetheless, it is appropriate to start the year with such a projection. My prediction is (a) that the Seattle Seawolves will win the western conference and (b) that the Toronto Arrows will win the eastern conference. As the 2018 and 2019 champions, the Seattle Seawolves remain the team to beat.
Súper Liga Americana de Rugby
Expansion has occurred in South America too. Los Cafeteros Pro will become Colombia’s first professional rugby team this year. It means that the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) is now a six country tournament. The five remaining teams are yet to be formalized for the 2021 season. Will they be the same as 2020? Most likely.
The 2020 experienced a dream start. Peñarol were beaten at home by Selknam. It was a marked change to the RWC 2015-2019 cycle. During those years Chile fell below Brazil and Uruguay overtook Canada. The investments of professional rugby were relevant both then and in the mentioned 2020 SLAR match. Selknam demonstrated that the gulf between test teams can be eroded.
The upcoming 2021 SLAR draft ought to further level the playing field. Colombia and Paraguay are to have priority. The league will benefit and more players recognizable to more people will be spread across teams. Los Ceibos were favorites in 2020 and the Argentine entrant will again be the team to beat in 2021.
Old Homes and New: England, France, and Australia
It did not take long for the Americas to feature in 2021. Former Jaguares center Matías Orlando debuted for the Newcastle Falcons today vs the Bristol Bears. Orlando signed for the English Premiership side from Los Jaguares. The mass departures is a player exodus. 23 players who were Jaguares in 2020 have departed.
Former foreign homes are once again home to the majority of Argentina’s starting lineup. 16 of the 23 players have moved to England or France. Yet, there is also a new country of note: Australia. The Western Force signed five Jaguares for the 2021 Super Rugby season. Three others are soon to be unveiled in joining the Melbourne Rebels.
RWC 2021: Adios Women’s RWC
Many more than a few individuals are confused that there will be a Rugby World Cup this year. The next RWC is in 2023, after all, is it not? Yes and no. World Rugby’s decision to rebrand saw the removal of ‘Women’s’ to have both the Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups now known as the Rugby World Cup.
The Americas will feature at RWC 2011. In fact, Canada and the USA are together in Pool B for Rugby World Cup 2021. Qualifying teams from Asia and Europe will compete the group. There may be a third Americas competitor; Colombia has a chance to qualify as the Repechage winner. RWC 2021 is the first time in which the women’s version of the tournament will feature a last-gasp qualifier.
New-Look Americas RWC 2023 Qualifiers
Unfortunately for many players and teams there will be no opportunity to compete in RWC 2023 qualifiers. A reduced time-frame for RWC qualifiers has contributed to a new-look qualifiers format in the Americas.
For the first time the North American winner will not qualify directly. The winner of the USA vs Canada will face the South American champion (excluding Argentina) to determine Americas 1. In other words, Americas 1 could theoretically be Uruguay.
There is reason to warn against penciling in teams from Americas 1, Americas 2 and the repechage qualifier (Americas 3). Results from 2016-2020 note an increasing number of possibilities. For example, Chile has reason to be optimistic. One probability is that the USA will qualify as Americas 1. The USA is the top seed, yet Uruguay’s 2019 win over the Eagles in Seattle is a reminder of the need for caution.
Professionalism Shapes Americas RWC 2023 Qualifies
Professionalism has altered Americas RWC qualifiers. For the first time all competitors from the region will have professional rugby teams. The USA has the most with 12 MLR teams. They will also have players who could take to the field under Gary Gold in RWC 2023 qualifiers. The USA also continues to have a healthy contingent of players playing professional rugby abroad.
Canada has more than just the Toronto Arrows. Indeed, there will be 25 prospective Canadian players in other MLR teams this year. The MLR is also home to one or more players from four of the five South American RWC 2023 qualifying participants – Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay.
MLR and SLAR evidently provide professional opportunities. The elite players continue to be in demand abroad. This combination marks a new beginning for the Americas RWC 2023 qualifiers. On the one hand, Castres teammates could face each other in a possible Canada vs Uruguay RWC qualifier. On the other hand, MLR battles may go far and beyond the USA vs Canada.
