Tag Archives: Forward Thinking

Many people, myself included, have put forward the idea of Rugby World Cups expanding from the current 20-team format to one of 24. The central argument behind the change is that there are teams just as good as some of those at Rugby World Cups who miss out. Uruguay Passes the …

Daniel Hourcade’s recent roster announcement was telling. He named a 25-man squad exclusively consisting of players based at home. Missing were all players contracted to foreign clubs – namely Horacio Agulla, Marcos Ayerza, Marcelo Bosch, Juan Figallo, Mariano Galarza, Juan Imhoff, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe and Juan Pablo Socino. Of them Agulla and Fernández …

Daniel Hourcade’s side was regularly referred to by commentators as being one of youth and with reason. The team he fielded this past Friday in the Bronze final featured six starting players aged 25 or under and it was no different in earlier matches. In early 2014 Head Coach Daniel Hourcade raised …

Following the Rugby World Cup Semi Finals results a headline in the New Zealand Herald declared that the tournament was to have the Dream Final, that being New Zealand vs Australia. Putting ability aside I found myself taken by just how little of a dream it is to have two previous …

For the second time in eight years Argentina will play in a Rugby World Cup Semi Final. The South American country of 43 million will face the two-time World Champions Australia next Sunday with the winner joining either New Zealand or South Africa. The translation of this, in rugby terms, …

It took a long time for my colleagues and I here at Americas Rugby News to compile the list of foreign-born players involved in the ongoing Rugby World Cup. This was due to there simply being so many players picked for the tournament who are playing for countries other than …

This past week I was able to fulfill a dream I have had since High School – I got to watch an international rugby match in possibly the greatest rugby stadium of them all, the Millennium Stadium. What an experience and what outstanding viewing angles for spectators. Inside the stadium …

As a fan of the global game I take greater pleasure out of watching the pool phase of Rugby World Cups than many people certainly do but now this appears to have changed, and for the better. So good have the group matches been that we have been treated to more …

For some teams the second round of Rugby World Cup matches will begin on Wednesday and Thursday while for others these days will mark their first fixtures. Such is the complication of having pools of five teams that one team per pool must begin last. Those to do so on Wednesday …

Often the success or failure of an international coach comes down to how his team performed on the grandest stage of them all, the Rugby World Cup. Negative results in previous months or even years are often forgiven in exchange for delivering memorable victories when it matters most. Differing Judgement …