Americas Rugby Championship
Current season, competition or edition: 2016 Americas Rugby Championship |
|
 |
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| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 (reinaugurated 2016) |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country |  Argentina Canada Uruguay United States Brazil Chile |
| Most recent champion(s) | Argentina Jaguars (5th title) |
| Most titles | Argentina Jaguars (5 titles) |
| Official website | [1] |
The Americas Rugby Championship is a name given to a number of rugby union competition contested by national and, formerly, regional teams from North and South America since 2009. In 2015, it was announced that from 2016 a six team international competition of that name, based on the Six Nations structure and described by the organisers as the 'inaugural' edition of the 'new' tournament, would be contested between United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.[1]
Contents
Previous incarnations
First edition
The inaugural season of the competition that became the ARC was held in September and October 2009. The round-robin competition amongst the Canadian teams ended with the BC Bears and Ontario Blues qualifying for the Canadian Semi-Final, which was won by the Bears. The Argentina Jaguars and USA Select XV played in the other semi-final, in which the Jaguars were victorious. The Argentina Jaguars defeated the BC Bears 35-11 in the final to capture the tournament's first title.
Second and third editions
The second season began in September 2010. The tournament was quite different from the previous format. The tournament was cut from 6 teams to 4. The tournament also replaced the 4 Canadian teams with a Canada A side, chosen from Canadian Rugby Championship participants, and the Tonga A.[2] The tournament was played entirely in Córdoba, Argentina.
The tournament was not held in 2011 due to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but returned in 2012. The 2012 tournament replaced Tonga with Uruguay, and was held in Langford, British Columbia between 12 and 20 October.[3]
Current Format
The tournament was not held in 2015 because of the Rugby World Cup. In 2016 it will be expanded to six teams with the inclusion of Brazil and Chile. It will be held in February and March, concurrently with the Six Nations. Like the European championship, teams will play both home and away, whereas players from European clubs will be available.
Teams
Current teams
Past teams
- BC Bears: 2009
- Ontario Blues: 2009
- Prairie Wolf Pack: 2009
- The Rock: 2009
Tonga A (second team): 2010- Argentina XV
- USA Selects
- Canada A
Past results
| Season | Stadium | Location | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Fletcher's Fields | Markham, Ontario, Canada | Argentina XV |
35–11 | BC Bears |
| 2010 | Estadio Olímpico Chateau Carreras | Córdoba, Argentina | Argentina XV |
N.A. | Canada A |
| 2012 | Westhills Stadium | Langford, British Columbia, Canada | Argentina XV |
N.A. | Canada A |
| 2013 | Westhills Stadium | Langford, British Columbia, Canada | Argentina XV |
N.A. | USA Selects |
| 2014 | Westhills Stadium | Langford, British Columbia, Canada | Argentina XV |
41-14 | USA Selects |
All-time results table
Current to 2013.
| Nation | Number of appearances | Games | Wins | Losses | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina XV |
4 | 11 | 11 | 0 | Champions: 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 |
| USA Selects |
4 | 11 | 3 | 8 | Runner-up: 2013, 2014 |
| Canada A (Selects) |
3 | 9 | 5 | 4 | Runner-up: 2010 & 2012 |
| Uruguay |
2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3rd place: 2012 |
| Tonga A |
1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4th place: 2010 |
| BC Bears |
1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Runner-up: 2009 |
| Ontario Blues |
1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3rd place: 2009 |
| Prairie Wolf Pack |
1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6th place: 2009 |
| The Rock |
1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5th place: 2009 |
- In 2009, the Argentina Jaguars beat Canada A in an exhibition match not listed in this table.
Results by nation
| Nation | Years represented | Champions | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina |
5 | 5 | 0 |
| Canada |
5 | 0 | 3 |
| Tonga |
1 | 0 | 0 |
| United States |
5 | 0 | 2 |
| Uruguay |
3 | 0 | 0 |
