Canada to Host the IRB Americas Rugby Championship 2013

The International Rugby Board has announced that Canada will host this year’s Americas Rugby Championship from October 11-19.

The 2013 edition will again feature representative teams from Canada, Argentina, USA and one other South American team which will be determined based on rankings from the South American Championship, that takes place later this month in Chile and Uruguay.

ARC 2013 matches will be played at the Westhill Stadium, which is home to the Canadian Rugby Centre of Excellence in Langford, British Columbia, with Argentina Jaguars the defending champions after an unbeaten record in 2012.

Hosts Canada will be hoping for a strong performance in October.

“Hosting international Rugby at the Canadian Rugby Centre of Excellence is always an exciting opportunity and the local community support for the ARC is incredible,” said Graham Brown, CEO of Rugby Canada.

“This year, we hope to make the tournament an even better experience for fans in attendance and those watching our live stream online.”

The tournament will be a round robin event with six matches played over three days.

“We know this tournament is going to be a great success for Canadian rugby and for the local community. Canada faces stiff competition, but we’re certain to compete hard and are looking to secure a championship on home soil,” said Canada coach Kieran Crowley.

The Championship is significantly supported by the International Rugby Board, which sees it as a key strategic development opportunity for Rugby in the region.

“The Americas Rugby Championship represents a great opportunity for the Game across North and South America, providing a competition format that will generate exciting and competitive matches,” said IRB Head of Competition and Performance Mark Egan.

“It will also allow the participating Unions to take a closer look at the development of their elite players as we look towards Rugby World Cup 2015.”

Tickets for all ARC matches as well as full tournament passes will go on sale on in July.