Paul Tait

CO-FOUNDER / EDITOR / SOUTH AMERICA ... has been covering the sport since 2007. Former player, coach, and referee. Author on web and in print. Published original works in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Ele fala português / Él habla español.

RWC 2019 Schedule Headaches for Americas Fans

Are you looking to attend RWC 2019 in Japan? Perhaps you wish to take in matches involving both Argentina and Uruguay? Maybe both the USA and Canada? Doing so will realistically not be possible as schedule headaches await Americas fans. South America Argentina and Uruguay will compete in separate pools …

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And Then There Were 13

Mario Ledesma is not mucking around. His roster for the November Internationals saw him showing no quarter for veterans. Names who had been permanent members under Daniel Hourcade are on the out. In an unprecedented approach established names have been dumped reducing the survivors from RWC 2015 to just 13 players. …

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Rugby’s Overdue Test Matches

Next month will see the final competitor for RWC 2019 confirmed. The month will also see widespread international competition involving all of of the 19 qualified countries and many others. Many will play in familiar rivalries. What though are rugby’s overdue test matches? 1 Australia vs Georgia In the Australian-hosted …

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Who is the biggest Name for Jaguars to Recruit for 2019?

Planning is well underway for the next Super Rugby season. Argentina’s side has a new Head Coach and there has been player movement, notably with Nicolás Sánchez leaving for Stade Français. Who then is the biggest Name for Jaguars to Recruit for 2019? The fly half position is notably weak …

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Argentina’s European XV

Felipe Ezcurra’s move to Leicester means that there are now again Argentine players across all positions at the elite level in Europe. This was the case in all years between RWCs 2003 and 2015 but this ended with the creation of Los Jaguares. With Ezcurra at Leicester there are legitimate …

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Argentina’s Ongoing Search for Loose Head Prop

So profound has the impact of Argentine Loose Head props been that many until this day still believe that Argentina thrives in producing players in the position. At RWC 2015 Marcos Ayerza was among the best while in RWC 2007 and 2011 the same applies to Rodrigo Roncero. The transition …

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Unprecedented Boost for 24 Team Rugby World Cup

An unprecedented boost has emerged for a 24 Team Rugby World Cup. Since RWC 1999 the tournament has consisted of 20 teams but this may change for RWC 2023. The Head of Rugby World Cup is Alan Gilpin. He is also the World Rugby COO. Gilpin made it known that …

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