Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The annual second-tier European club rugby competition starts this Thursday. England, France, Italy, Romania, Russia, Scotland, and Wales will all provide teams. No Irish team will compete due to all four provinces have qualified for the European Champions Cup.
This season is the 21st in the history of the competition. The reigning champions are Montpellier who defeated Harlequins in the 2016 final. This season, however, Montpellier are not involved. They will instead play in the Champions Cup.
Argentina (11)
Argentina leads the way in representation from the Americas. Included in the list are two Argentine-born players who decided to play for Italy – Leandro Cedaro and Sergio Parisse. Emiliano Calle Rivas, originally from the Teqüe club in Mendoza, is one of two uncapped players, the other being Pau academy prop Joel Sclavi. While Argentina’s current selection policy excludes overseas players from consideration, Mariano Galarza remains a player of interest should the policy be revised in the future. Martín Bustos Moyano has been ruled out of contention for Bayonne with a long term injury.
| NAME | POS | CLUB | UNION |
| Gastón Cortes | Prop | Bristol | RFU |
| Francisco Gómez Kodela | Prop | Lyon | FFR |
| Joel Sclavi | Prop | Pau | FFR |
| Leandro Cedaro | Second Row | La Rochelle | FFR |
| Mariano Galarza | Second Row | Gloucester | RFU |
| Sergio Parisse | No8 | Stade Francais | FFR |
| Agustín Figuerola | Scrumhalf | Lyon | FFR |
| Emiliano Calle Rivas | Flyhalf | Timisoara | FRR |
| Santiago Fernández | Centre | Pau | FFR |
| Juan Pablo Socino | Centre | Newcastle Falcons | RFU |
| Belisario Agulla | Wing | Newcastle Falcons | RFU |
Canada (5)
Five Canadians have been named in the initial squads though that will undoubtedly change with Jeff Hassler ruled out for several months with an Achilles injury. Robert Barbieri was born and raised in Toronto but opted to play for Italy. 20-year-old prop Matt Tierney’s rise to prominence continues with Pau, with teammate Cam Pierce also named. Evan Olmstead has been left out of the Newcastle Falcons squad, with coach Dean Richards opting to keep key players rested to focus on the Aviva Premiership.
| NAME | POS | CLUB | UNION |
| Matt Tierney | Prop | Pau | FFR |
| Cameron Pierce | Second Row | Pau | FFR |
| Tyler Ardron | No8 | Ospreys | WRU |
| Robert Barbieri | No8 | Benetton Treviso | FIR |
| Jeff Hassler | Wing | Ospreys | WRU |
Chile (2)
Bayonne’s two Chileans have both been announced for the Challenge Cup. Both Cóndores players are likely to feature regularly in the Challenge Cup for Bayonne. The club is expected to rest many regular starters to prioritize the Top 14. Currently Bayonne is in big trouble of being relegated straight back down to the Pro D2.
| NAME | POS | CLUB | UNION |
| Ramón Ayarza | Prop | Bayonne | FFR |
| Pablo Huete | Second Row | Bayonne | FFR |
Colombia (1)
History will be made in Europe as Colombia will have a player involved in the Challenge Cup for the first time. 20-year-old lock Andrés Zafra has been named by Lyon in their squad for the competition. It is an extraordinary accomplishment for the player and the South American country.
| NAME | POS | CLUB | UNION |
| Andrés Zafra | Second Row | Lyon | FFR |
St. Lucia (1)
The England international left the Americas at the age of nine. His move to England saw him rising through there age-grade system to play representative rugby from under 16’s to under 20’s. He is now a contender to play for the British & Irish Lions next year in New Zealand.
| NAME | POS | CLUB | UNION |
| Marland Yarde | Wing | Harlequins | RFU |
Trinidad & Tobago (1)
One of the two French-based Armitage brothers has been named for the competition. Pau loose forward Steffon will feature for the south-western club. His brother Delon has been left out of the initial Lyon roster. The brothers moved from the Caribbean to England where they won international honors.
| NAME | POS | CLUB | UNION |
| Steffon Armitage | Flanker | Pau | FFR |
USA (5)
For the time being there are five players from the USA involved in the European Challenge Cup. World Cup Eagles Cam Dolan, Thretton Palamo, and Blaine Scully are all to feature. Joining them is Sam Underhill, an England age-grade captain born in Dayton, Ohio. Also included is the uncapped Nick Civetta who has previously played for the USA Selects. Like his Canadian teammate Olmstead, Chicago-born prop Paddy Ryan has been left out of the Newcastle roster for the tournament.
| NAME | POS | CLUB | UNION |
| Nick Civetta | Second Row | Newcastle Falcons | RFU |
| Cam Dolan | Second Row | Cardiff Blues | WRU |
| Sam Underhill | Flanker | Ospreys | WRU |
| Thretton Palamo | Centre | Bristol | RFU |
| Blaine Scully | Wing | Cardiff Blues | WRU |
