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History was made in Medellín on Saturday. Colombia’s 44-29 victory over Paraguay saw Los Tucanes claiming their first ever win over Los Yákares.
It was a day of celebration for Colombia and a day of reflection for Paraguay. Some 14 years after their first test match, Colombia achieved the impossible in turning around a 79-7 defeat in 2004 to winning by 15 points in 2018.
Paraguay went into the Americas Rugby Challenge (ARCH) as favorites. As displayed in the following table they had never lost to Colombia, though Los Tucanes had rapidly risen in level, losing by increasingly smaller margins.
| YEAR | RESULT | VENUE |
| 2004 | Paraguay 79-7 Colombia | São Paulo, Brazil |
| 2005 | Paraguay 82-8 Colombia | Asunción, Paraguay |
| 2008 | Paraguay 60-7 Colombia | Asunción, Paraguay |
| 2012 | Paraguay 54-17 Colombia | Valencia, Venezuela |
| 2013 | Paraguay 25-15 Colombia | Asunción, Paraguay |
| 2016 | Paraguay 39-27 Colombia | Asunción, Paraguay |
| 2018 | Paraguay 28-26 Colombia | Asunción, Paraguay |
| 2018 | Paraguay 29-44 Colombia | Medellín, Colombia |
Colombia’s win was the second of two test matches between the countries this year. The earlier fixture was won 28-26 by Paraguay in May. On that occasion Colombia had been comfortably ahead before being kept scoreless in the second half as Paraguay overturned a 26-15 deficit.
It was a win for Paraguay but the warning signs were highly visible. In preparation for the ARCH Paraguay named Raúl Pérez as new Head Coach. The former Jaguares head Coach took up the role two weeks before the tournament.
Without question Pérez was not afforded sufficient time to prepare. There were no warm-up matches as, instead, Paraguay’s games against Mexico and Guyana were effectively preparation before facing Colombia.
The ARCH was a demanding three test matches in six days. This with a debuting coach who is not Paraguayan. It was a set of circumstances that were complex but will be learned from.
Colombia’s title was unprecedented but it was not a unique occurrence. Rather it was the latest in what can be described as a rugby revolution in South America. Historic tendencies are being altered right before our eyes and with it, rugby is better off.
In years to come the creation of the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) may be looked back on as being the defining moment. It ended a long wait following the PARA Pan American Championship booming defunct. It had four editions from 1995-2003 though Chile were not involved despite defeating the USA in 2002.
Come 2016 there was an established order which few disputed. A hierarchy of performance was expected to follow the established pattern of 1 Argentina followed by the North Americans as 2nd and 3rd, Uruguay as 4th best, Chile 5th, and Brazil a distant 6th.
It has not worked out that way. While Brazil lost all 10 matches vs Chile from 1989-2013 Brazil have 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses against Chile from 2016-2018. This after Chile won 78-3 in Viña del Mar in 2009. Brazil’s High Performance investment has seen Os Tupis moving above Chile.
In the ARC the Argentina XV are yet to defeat the USA yet the Eagles lost against both Brazil and Uruguay in the 2016 competition. The USA would finish second in 2016 but won in both 2017 and 2018.
Canada finished 3rd in 2016, 5th in 2017, and 4th in 2018. The low point was against Brazil in 2017 wherein Canada fell to a 24-23 defeat. Although this saw an understrength Canada playing against Brazil’s finest it was a major upset. In 2016 and 2018 Canada won 52-25, and 45-5.
During this same period Canada has played four matches against Uruguay. This has seen 1 win and 3 losses. Of note is that Uruguay won home-and-away this year in the RWC qualifiers. Like Brazil against Chile, Uruguay’s High Performance Center has been a game changer.
The results recorded since the inception of the ARC are vastly different to the overall numbers. The countries have played a total of 12 test matches with Canada winning 8 and Uruguay 4. Prior to the ARC there had been 8 matches with Canada winning 7 of them. The one defeat was by two points in a RWC 2003 qualifier.
| YEAR | RESULT | VENUE |
| 1995 | Canada 28-9 Uruguay | Montevideo, Uruguay |
| 1996 | Canada 24-18 Uruguay | Ottawa, Canada |
| 1998 | Canada 38-15 Uruguay | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| 2001 | Canada 14-8 Uruguay | Hamilton, Canada |
| 2002 | Canada 23-25 Uruguay | Montevideo, Uruguay |
| 2002 | Canada 51-16 Uruguay | Edmonton, Canada |
| 2003 | Canada 21-11 Uruguay | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| 2010 | Canada 48-06 Uruguay | Denver, USA |
| 2016 | Canada 33-17 Uruguay | Langford, Canada |
| 2017 | Canada 13-17 Uruguay | Punta del Este, Uruguay |
| 2018 | Canada 29-38 Uruguay | Vancouver, Canada |
| 2018 | Canada 31-32 Uruguay | Montevideo, Uruguay |
In the brief history of both the ARCH and the ARC the competitions have produced upsets. They are a testament to what is possible when given opportunities. Many have lifted their levels directly through the opportunity of playing against higher level opposition.
Already there is speculation about how the RWC 2023 qualifiers will unfold. There is, above all, added interest. From this week not just based on Colombia’s win over Paraguay but also Chile’s contracting of Pablo Lemoine as Head Coach. There is a revolution in South America and all signs point to progression.
