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.

Why Argentina Must Start Santiago Chocobares

Argentina must start Santiago Chocobares. The 22-year-old brings a new dimension of play to the Argentine mid-field; he is the type of center that Argentina has not had recently or at all during the professional era. Pumas centers have come in a variety of forms. The most capped Pumas centers …

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Peñarol have no specialist Uruguayan fly halves

Peñarol are competing without any specialist Uruguayan fly halves. The Uruguayan team is enjoying a strong season in the 2021 Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR). After seven rounds Peñarol are in second position and have qualified for the Semi Finals. The team’s starting fly half in all matches has …

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The Rugby World Cup Hosting Process is Broken

The Rugby World Cup hosting process is broken; new candidates are reluctant to bid. Try as World Rugby might to encourage new bids there is not a line of fresh candidates to host their flagship tournament. The evidence paints a telling image, one of RWCs returning to prior countries as …

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2021 New Beginnings in Americas rugby and beyond

Not only will 2021 represent new beginnings in Americas rugby, it will showcase it. The year will be  markedly different to 2020 as it will to earlier years. Six such instances are presented below.   Major League Rugby 2021 will be the fourth year of Major League Rugby. It will …

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The Jaguares 2020 Player Exodus

COVID-19 has changed the script for Argentina rugby; an outcome is the Jaguares 2020 player exodus. Players have departed to continue their careers abroad. Twenty-three 2020 Jaguares have signed for foreign teams. Jaguares 2020 Exodus The movement of players can be described as nothing less than a player exodus. The …

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RWC 2023 Pools: Best, Worst and Fairest Match Order

Match order is fundamental in sport. Some teams can be eliminated early based on how their matches are distributed. This issue has occurred repeatedly at RWCs. There are a number of reasons for this, none more so than organizers positioning key pool matches at certain points of the pool phase. …

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RWC 2023 Draw: Best, Worst and Fairest Scenarios

The draw for RWC 2019 is just days away. The draw will take place on December 14 in Paris. World Rugby determined that 2020 rankings will not be considered. Instead, the official rankings from the start of 2020 have been implemented to seed the participants. The decision means that no …

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