The extraordinary situation emerging from the Rugby Europe World Cup qualification has taken yet another turn. On Sunday it was confirmed that Belgium had fielded an ineligible player against Germany, and in fact it has since come to light that a second Belgian player is also in question. Who that …
Read More »Serious Questions asked of Romanian player eligibility
Hot on the heels of player eligibility rows that have seen Tahiti disqualified from World Cup qualification and Belgium under investigation is now a third case involving a Romanian international. The Oaks have incorporated several overseas players on residency to their team in recent years but the legitimacy of one …
Read More »Major League Rugby – One Month Out
We’re almost there. One month from today the whistle will blow, the ball will fly through the air, and it will be game on for the newest professional rugby competition in the Americas – Major League Rugby. If things go as planned there will be another beginning further south down …
Read More »A Dark Day for Rugby
On Saturday we witnessed Ireland make history with a Grand Slam finish of the Six Nations, arguably the world’s most prestigious rugby event outside of the World Cup. A day of celebration for the rugby world though decidedly somber for England rugby devotees. When we woke from the hangover on …
Read More »Forward Thinking (Vol 4, Iss 2): Finding the Next Corcho and Contepomi
Argentina and Los Jaguares have highly talented players but do they have contemporary versions of Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe and Felipe Contepomi? Argentina has virtually always had some world class players. Mario Ledesma was considered by many as the best hooker in RWCs 1999 and 2007. Juan Martín Hernández and …
Read More »Changes Unlikely as Marcelo Rodríguez is Elected UAR President
Marcelo Rodríguez has been elected UAR President and will take over as the Head of Argentine Rugby in April. His election win promises to see existing policies continue under his leadership. He takes up the role after having been President of Sudamérica Rugby since 2016. Rodríguez will be officially sworn …
Read More »Hooley headlines impressive Eagles freshmen class
There are 13 uncapped players in the Eagles squad for the Americas Rugby Championship. It does sound like a lot. By comparison there were 10 new caps in last year’s ARC. The inaugural ARC in 2016, however, handed debuts to a whopping 25 newcomers. Of those, seven are returning for …
Read More »Talking Rugby (Vol. 5, Iss. 1): The Beginning of an Era?
Not even a full week into the New Year and there’s a Talking Rugby segment? Seeing as the last one was almost six months ago, I’m not going to come right out and say that it was one of my New Year Resolutions to write more… buuuuuuuttttttttt. We’ll see what …
Read More »Forward Thinking (Vol 4, Iss 1): End Automatic RWC Qualifying
2018 is now here and it is to start with more Rugby World Cup qualifiers. Canada play host to Uruguay on January 27 in Vancouver. Uruguay then host the reverse fixture on February 03 in Montevideo. The winner, on aggregate, will be Americas 2 and play in Pool D of …
Read More »Forward Thinking (Vol 3: Iss 8): 2017 Crowds Boost RWC in Argentina
December is often a month of reflection for many. This holds true for Argentine rugby now more so than ever. It is a time in which the domestic professional and amateur players are into the off-season. Only a small group remain active – Los Pumas 7’s. The completion of the …
Read More »