Inaugural Americas Rugby Championship schedule released, U.S. venues announced
BOULDER, Colo. – Americas Rugby Championship announced Friday, December 4 the schedule for the 2016 inaugural competition featuring six of North and South America’s top-ranked international rugby union teams. The United States’ Men’s National Team, known as the Eagles, will play three consecutive home matches in Houston, Texas; Austin, Texas; and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida against Argentina, Canada and Chile, respectively.
Initially agreed to between executive members of the respective unions under the guidance of the Americas Rugby Association, the groundbreaking Americas Rugby Championship will provide Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the U.S., and Uruguay with five additional rankings tests annually.
“We are delighted to be able to announce the inaugural Americas Rugby Championship that will take place next year,” Americas Rugby Chairman Agustín Pichot said. “This could not have happened without the hard work and cooperation of all six rugby unions involved.
“We would also like to thank World Rugby for their support. This is a very exciting time for the Americas, with our first truly international tournament, as rugby continues to thrive and prosper in this region.”
Kicking off the weekend of February 6 in Houston, United States; British Columbia, Canada; and Santiago, Chile; the Americas Rugby Championship will offer one of the longest assemblies for the six national teams leading to the final round of matches the weekend of March 5. Brazil, Chile, and the U.S. will each host three matches, while Argentina, Canada, and Uruguay will host two home matches apiece.
The Eagles will return to BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas on the weekend of February 6. The following weekend, the Eagles will play in Austin’s Dell Diamond Stadium, home to the Round Rock Express, the AAA minor league affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Both venues will look to continue the success of USA Rugby matches in Texas as the Eagles’ third, fourth, sixth and eighth–largest crowds have all come in the Lone Star State.
Ft. Lauderdale also presents a history of success for the Eagles, with their last two matches in the area leading to Rugby World Cup qualification. The Eagles’ match against Chile on the weekend of February 20 will be their second at Lockhart Stadium, having won their last appearance 58-13 against Spain. In 2008, the Eagles again qualified for the sport’s pinnacle tournament by defeating Uruguay 27-6 at Broward Stadium.
Following three weeks of matches spread as far north as Canada and as far south as Montevideo, the final two weekends of the Americas Rugby Championship will be contested solely in the southern hemisphere.
Information regarding specific dates, match times, and broadcast coverage for the historic Panamerican tournament will be released in due course.
Americas Rugby Championship | 2016 Competition Calendar
(Home v Away)
Round 1 – Weekend of Feb. 6 – 7, 2016
USA v. Argentina
Canada v. Uruguay
Chile v. Brazil
Round 2 – Weekend of Feb. 13 – 14, 2016
USA v. Canada
Argentina v. Chile
Brazil v. Uruguay
Round 3 – Weekend of Feb. 20 – 21, 2016
USA v. Chile
Canada v. Brazil
Uruguay v. Argentina
Round 4 – Weekend of Feb. 27 – 21, 2016
Brazil v. USA
Argentina v. Canada
Chile v. Uruguay
Round 5 – Weekend of March 5 – 6, 2016
Uruguay v. USA
Chile v. Canada
Brazil v. Argentina
Courtesy of USA Rugby
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