Two second-half scores from Johnny Vaili led Samoa ‘A’ to a 23-15 win over Tonga ‘A’ to start the second round of the Americas Pacific Challenge in Montevideo on Wednesday. Tongan discipline was also to blame as they spent a quarter of the match with only 14 players after receiving …

It was a jam-packed week with the conclusion of the Rugby Championship coinciding with the opening of the Americas Pacific Challenge. Unfortunately not many players stood out from those teams with Uruguay the best of the bunch. Elsewhere we plucked players from Italy, England, Argentina, and New Zealand with a …

The New Orleans Gold have struck again with a third signing from the Southern Hemisphere. After announcing Tristan Blewett and Scott Gale the team has now confirmed that Manu Samoa World Cup lock Kane Thompson will join the team for the 2019 Major League Rugby season. A seasoned campaigner who …

Uruguay’s RWC 2019 opponents are to be busy in the November Internationals. Los Teros are to face Australia, Fiji, Georgia, and Wales at RWC 2019 in Japan. All four will be playing a lot of rugby next month.   Australia The Wallabies will be busy in November but less so …

Brazil have confirmed the names of nine internationals that will travel north to participate in a Major League Rugby combine that will take place at Infinity Park beginning on October 21. Also taking part in the tournament will be players from Canada, Chile, and Uruguay. The combine will culminate in …

Kate Zackary will captain the USA Women’s Eagles for their three-match November campaign. The dual international flanker is joined by just eight other members of the 2017 World Cup squad as new coach Rob Cain looks to the future. Of the 34 players on the roster an extraordinary 20 have …

The second round of the Americas Pacific Challenge kicks off at 11am Montevideo time on Wednesday. A high-scoring opening day saw Uruguay, Tonga, and Samoa emerge victorious in the senior ‘A’ competition. Argentina’s two-year unbeaten streak is over and the North American teams are back on their feels after disappointing …

World Rugby is not taking any chances with the World Cup Repechage after the Rugby Europe fiasco in Brussels. Assigned to the last-chance qualification tournament are World Rugby’s most experienced test referees, all of whom officiated at the 2015 World Cup. Canada has drawn Wayne Barnes for their opening round …

Newly-appointed Manu Samoa coach Steve Jackson has named a 31-man squad for their three-match November international tour. Samoa will play against the USA at the neutral venue of San Sebastián, Georgia in Tbilisi, and then Spain in Madrid. Three uncapped players have been included in the squad. Tasman hooker Ray …

Up and Under is a weekly exclusive on Americas Rugby News which reviews the best and worst from games involving the Americas teams over the previous week.   UP Peru Two wins in a week have seen Peru win the 2018 Sudamérica 4 Naciones B competition. A 36-14 win over …

Argentina set a Rugby Championship record against Australia in Salta, but not the kind they were hoping for. Los Pumas somehow blew a 31-7 halftime lead, conceding 38 second half points to watch their third-place dreams go up in smoke. It was a massively disappointing way to finish what was …

Australia weren’t the only team to earn a come-from-behind win in the Rugby Championship on the weekend. New Zealand wrapped up the competition with a 32-30 win over South Africa in Pretoria and did so in dramatic fashion. The Springboks were keen to follow up their shock win at Wellington …

On Saturday in Salta Agustín Creevy wrote his name down in history. The flanker who converted to hooker became the most capped Argentine captain of all time. In leading his country against Australia he surpassed Lisandro Arbizu’s mark of 48 tests as skipper. The 33-year-old has captained Argentina since 2014. …

Argentine forwards Matías Alemanno and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro have reached 50 test caps. The duo reached the mark yesterday playing in the final round Rugby Championship fixture against Australia in Salta. Both players are not tied on 50 test caps together with Mauricio Reggiardo and Leonardo Senatore. They became the 32nd …

Peru defeated their hosts Guatemala 34-0 in Antigua on Saturday to clinch the 2018 Sudamérica 4 Naciones B competition. They had earlier in the week defeated Costa Rica 36-14. The competition was marred by the absence of Venezuela who were forced to drop out after their visas were denied, leaving …

A record-setting second half collapse saw Argentina blow a 31-7 lead and crash to an embarrassing 45-34 defeat at Salta on Saturday. The 24-point deficit overcome by the Wallabies is a Rugby Championship record, with Australia scoring 38 points after the break including five tries. In doing so the Pumas …

For the third time in 2018 Canada have been defeated by Uruguay. This time it was the ‘A’ sides of each team, with the hosts earning a 35-21 victory at the Americas Pacific Challenge. A dominant scrum powered the South Americans with Federico Favaro landing five successful kicks at goal. …

Tonga ‘A’ scored 17 points in the final minutes of the match to overcome an eight-point deficit and secure a 39-30 win over the USA Select XV in Montevideo on Saturday. It’s an impressive start to the Americas Pacific Challenge for the inexperienced Tongans. Discipline was a concern for Tonga …

Samoa ‘A’ ended the Argentina XV’s two-year unbeaten run in the Americas Pacific Challenge with a stunning 36-31 victory on Saturday. The Argentines outscored Samoa five tries to four but 14 points from the boot of D’Angelo Leuila proved the difference. It was an incredible start for the Samoans who …

The 2018 Americas Pacific Challenge opens on Saturday with six senior ‘A’ teams on show at the Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo. Each team has taken a different approach for the competition with Uruguay and Canada sending their strongest available sides while others have sent traditional development sides. Argentina are undefeated …