The Breakthrough Player of the Year can be a bit tricky with its only real defining characteristic that a player achieves a significant rise in their standard, and consequently individual standing, over the course of the calendar year. Where it differs from the Rookie award is that it can apply …

Fixtures for the first leg of the Sudamérica Sevens to take place in Punta del Este have been confirmed. The two-leg series will conclude in Viña del Mar next weekend with the top two teams from Chile, Paraguay, Colombia, Brazil, and Uruguay qualifying for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens …

Americas players have along history of success at the club level, particularly in Europe, and 2017 again yielded trophies for players abroad. Djustice Sears-Duru captured a BT Scottish Premiership title with Ayr, and his Canadian front row mate Jake Ilnicki won the Aviva ‘A’ League with Northampton Wanderers. Jamie Cudmore …

Joining Juan Imhoff and Nick Civetta on the naughty list heading into the New Year is Lyon prop Francisco Gómez Kodela. The 32-year-old tighthead specialist has enjoyed a fine season to date but a moment of madness against Pau will almost certainly cost him a few weeks on the sidelines. …

Each year there are a few newcomers to international rugby who get their chance to show that they belong on the world’s stage. This past year certainly saw that and then some. An extraordinary 66 players from the six countries comprising the Americas Rugby Championship made their test debuts in …

Uruguay have received a major boost ahead of the Americas 2 World Cup Qualifying series against Canada with the confirmation that Rodrigo Capó Ortega will join the team ahead of the first match between the two at BC Place in Vancouver on January 27. The 120kg (265lbs) second row has …

The Ontario Arrows have unveiled their jerseys for the 2018 season. While the new ‘elite’ level rugby team will not be part of any competition officially in the coming year, they have committed to six exhibition games in the spring against similar teams from the USA. A confirmed sponsor list …

Just two weeks after Juan Imhoff was sent off against Castres the Americas have seen another red card brandished to an international player. US Eagles lock Nick Civetta was the culprit this time, receiving his marching orders at Castle Park on Friday evening after initiating a head-on-head contact situation with …

The Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) is set to discuss their controversial overseas selection policy at the annual general meeting in March. Their current policy rules all exiles ineligible to represent Los Pumas with only those plying their trade in Argentina considered for test rugby, effectively limiting the Pumas to those …

Lautaro Bavaro is in line to captain the Argentina XV once again in the upcoming Americas Rugby Championship. The Hindú flanker is one of 40 players named in a squad to begin training in Buenos Aires on January 15 in preparation for their opening match against the USA on February …

The French Pro D2 is off this week but the Top 14 is still going strong. Five matches on Saturday and two on Sunday are the order of business. Montpellier are still the team to beat but three teams are within five points heading into the second half of the …

It’s another odd week in the Guinness Pro 14, with Round 12 spread across four days. Two games each will take place on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, with the South African teams not due to make up the fixture until January 20. Starting off the second leg of the derby …

The injuries are racking up as the Greene King IPA Championship takes its final voyage in 2017. Justin Blanchet (broken arm), Brett Beukeboom (concussion), Matt Evans (hamstring), Gastón Cortes (calf), and Thretton Palamo (foot) are all out and this week there is no sign of Ronnie McLean either. At this …

Holiday break? No such thing in the Aviva Premiership! The flogging continues as Round 12 squeezes in just before New Years with a couple days of Christmas fit in early in the week for a few lucky ones. With traditional powerhouses Saracens, Leicester, and Northampton struggling, it’s the likes of …

Chile will send their strongest available side to contest the Punta del Este 7s. The first leg of the Sudamérica series kicks off on January 6, with the team departing for Uruguay on January 3. Representing the Cóndores will be a host of test players mixed with top sevens exponents. …

Worcester Warriors lock Christian Scotland-Williamson is making the move to the NFL, or at least that’s what the giant-sized forward is hoping. One of the biggest men in the Aviva Premiership at 2.05m (6’9″) and 125kg (275lbs), the 24-year-old has made the surprise announcement that he will leave Worcester immediately …

USA fans have a new name to watch out for in the coming years in the form of 18-year-old David Ainu’u. Born in American Samoa, the Washington State resident has signed a six-month academy contract with one of the largest clubs in Europe, French Top 14 side Toulouse. Ainu’u makes …

With last weekend’s matches scattered and dragging into the middle of the week we weren’t planning on putting out a team but we’ve had a last minute change of heart. Clouding things further was a lack of options at key positions – not least scrumhalf where there were none – …

Having already qualified for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco, Argentina will cast their net further for the second leg of the Sudamérica Sevens series. The young, experimental side selected for the first leg in Punta del Este will see three changes for in Viña del Mar. Severiano …

As ever there was no shortage of memorable tries scored by Americas players in 2017. After scouring hours of game tape and subjecting our brains to replay after replay, we’ve come up with a short list of our favorites from international rugby over the past 12 months. The Americas Rugby …