Two Brazilians in Search of PRO Rugby Contracts

Two Brazilian players are in search of obtaining PRO Rugby contracts. Having already played rugby in the USA this year the opportunity of potentially being signed to play the sport they love in the World Rugby and USA Rugby sanctioned professional league has the players excited.

In March of this year Maringá rugby player Lucas Vieira travelled to the USA to play rugby for Californian club the Outlaws (Thousand Oaks). Having performed well Vieira was invited to play a second season for the club and now he has his sights set even higher.

Together with Stafano Padilla, Brazilian 2014 champion with Curitiba, he had the opportunity to participate in the recent selective process from which the players will be integrated to play PRO Rugby.

Daniel Venturole of Portal do Rugby caught up with Vieira who commented: “We found out on Thursday that there would be this combine, there was no time to train for anything, we were very much out of form, but we nonetheless gave it our all.”

“The combine took place this past Saturday, everybody met at the Youth Rhino gym in Irvine, California. There were just under 60 athletes from throughout the country, including the international Joseph Taufete’e who played in the World Cup for the Eagles.”

“In the afternoon a bus took the players to a sporting complex with many fields, there we did the 40m sprint and Yo Yo test. This concluded the physical tests, and we departed for rugby-specific testing. We were separated into 4 groups of 12 in in 4 different stations with different excercises. We started with the ruck, then passing, decision making and, to finish, tackling.”

“Upon completion a game of rugby league was played which brought about the end of what had been an extremely exhausting day.  The coaches from Tiger Academy were those responsible for the training and they were accompanied by coaches from the first division in the USA.”

“The lasting impression is that the USA is on the right track. They are in search of excellent athletes to transform into rugby players. Nevertheless, in order to be a rugby player one requires many years and to become a good athlete in just a few months of good work is possible to achieve an acceptable result.”

“Now it is a waiting game. According to the director of PRO Rugby between 80%-90% of athletes have already been selected for the teams and the remainder will come from these combines taking place in the USA.”

“He said that of the 56 at Irvine 3 or 4 will be contracted but he explained that the professional clubs will be like test teams meaning if you do not perform you are out and if you are injured you will be sent back and someone else will take your place.”

“For this reason even if one is not signed now, there remains hope as it is the last man standing. In as much as the two of us were praised and personally greeted by the future trainer of the San Francisco team, without even knowing that it was him“.

Source: Portal do Rugby