Argentina Jaguars Win Compelling IRB Americas Rugby Championship
The strength in depth of Rugby in the Americas has been on show on and off the field during a superb IRB Americas Rugby Championship 2013.
While Argentina Jaguars were crowned champions for the fourth successive time, there were strong signs throughout a captivating tournament that the competitiveness of Rugby throughout the Americas continues to grow.
The Jaguars had wrapped up the title before the final round in Langford and were made to work hard by Canada A, who were eventually downed 23-14.
USA Select’s earlier 20-8 win over Uruguay handed the US team second place in the final standings, while Canada A finished third and Uruguay fourth.
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Yet, after the dust has settled on the field, all the teams will have gained significant positives from the IRB-funded competition.
For Uruguay, the tournament was the perfect preparation platform for important home and away Rugby World Cup 2015 qualifiers against USA in March.
What a contest that promises to be. Their opponents for those matches may not have been at full strength for the ARC, fielding their Select A team, but the next crop of national team stars looked impressive along the way to finishing second to the Jaguars.
Host Canada again demonstrated their strong appetite and expertise to successfully host major Rugby events, while continuing to build squad depth ahead of a full November test schedule, looking ahead to Rugby World Cup 2015 in England.
IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: “The IRB Americas Rugby Championship continues to demonstrate the strength of Rugby in the Americas.”
“With competition fierce on the field and participation at an all time high across the participating nations, these are exciting times for Rugby in the Americas.”
“I would like to thank each of the participating unions for their commitment and professionalism on and off the field, congratulate Argentina Jaguars on another superb victory, NACRA and CONSUR for their ongoing commitment to growing the Game in North and Southy America and Rugby Canada for their excellent delivery of the 2013 IRB Americas Championship.”
