Americas Rankings to Open 2016

Today marks the fundamental change in international competition in the Americas. With the inaugural Americas Rugby Championship beginning World Rankings are to be on the line for Brazil, Canada, Chile and Uruguay in their matches. Argentina and the USA are to play too but with it being the Argentina XV rather than Los Pumas the ranking of neither side can be altered.

The Americas Rankings to Open 2016 are displayed below. Changes are entirely possible to the four teams involved in test matches with rankings on the line. If Uruguay defeat Canada then they will trade places. Brazil can overtake Paraguay to move into 6th. Wins for Canada and Chile would see them close the gap on those ahead of them.

What is different about the Americas Rankings now to that which closed 2015 is that unions throughout the Americas have now been added. Americas Rugby News will be monitoring all teams throughout the Americas, not just those who are full World Rugby members.

To do so effectively those yet to attain World Rugby membership are listed with 30,00 points, the number in which new members are allowed upon entering the official World Rankings. Unions who fall into the category have thereby been added with this ranking and listed in alphabetical order.

Despite there being a number of unions without World Rugby membership status some of these unions are already fully affiliated members of Sudamérica Rugby or Americas Rugby North. The recent South American C Championship, for instance, featured full Sudamerica Rugby members Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama.

Some of those listed are yet to play an official international rugby match. They have nonetheless been included due to a number of them having the building blocks in place to participate in international competition, as early as 2016.

Not considered for the rankings are unions connected to the Americas in some capacity that are geographically located outside of the region’s defined boundaries. For this reason U.S. territories who have rugby unions including American Samoa and Guam are absent.

From Canada in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south and everywhere in between, the region comprises 40 rugby unions. The top 19 are World Rugby members and they are now joined by those missing in the complete Americas Rugby Rankings.