Australia coach Michael Cheika has refined his Rugby Championship squad, cutting his training group down to 34 players for the SANZAAR tournament. A number of injuries have forced his hand somewhat while others have received the axe after being named in the original group, most notably Brumbies lock Sam Carter. …

Mark Anscombe is no longer Head Coach of Canada’s Senior Men’s team. The news was confirmed today by Rugby Canada that the 60-year-old New Zealander would not be continuing in the role he has held since being appointed in March of last year. In the 15 months since Canada was …

Francisco González and Caua Ricardo Santos have been named by World Rugby on the panel for the upcoming Junior World Trophy. Taking place from August 29 to September 10 the tournament will take place in Montevideo. The two officials are from South American – González is from Uruguay and Santos …

World Rugby baffled as Sonny Bill Williams is Freed to play again. The global governing body of the sport released a statement earlier today underlining its surprise that the New Zealand player has been cleared for the Rugby Championship opener. The statement made by World Rugby us as follows: While …

New Zealand Head Coach Steve Hansen has unveiled a 34-man roster to prepare for the Rugby Championship. Included are four uncapped players: Richard Buckman and Tom Franklin of the Highlanders, Akira Ioane of the Blues, and Chiefs prop Atu Moli. Opportunities have opened up in the squad for a number …

Australia has a new skipper. Ahead pf the Rugby Championship Waratahs flanker and captain Michael Hooper has been confirmed as the new national leader. The 25-year-old replaces Stephen Moore with the veteran hooker to retire later this year. It is not an entirely new role for Hooper. He has prior …

It’s a mix-and-match week for our selects with players coming in from the Rugby Americas North Championship final in Georgetown, the Nacional de Clubes final in San Isidro, and a couple Top 14 pre-season games, one played on Argentine soil. The RAN Champion Panthers provide the most after a difficult but …

History was made today in South America. For the first time ever Brazil defeated Chile at u20’s. The junior Brazilian side won 7-5, doing so in Montevideo, Uruguay. The match was the first of two match in the closing day of international competition in the Uruguayan capital. Argentina, Brazil, Chile …

The worst kept secret in rugby was made official today – South Africa is to join the Guinness Pro 12. The discarded Super Rugby franchises the Southern Kings and Cheetahs will play in the upcoming Celtic-Italian League. The expansion sees the competition rebranded as the Guinness Pro 14 Championship. The …

A cautious approach is still favored by many for the newest professional rugby competition headed to American shores, but anticipation is building with news trickling out of various sources and potential kickoff now less than a year away. While it’s understood most teams are asking their players to arrive this …

Felipe Contepomi has made 10 changes to the Argentina XV roster for game 2 against Toulon. The teams will meet on Friday at Tucumán Lawn Tennis Club. Kick-off is scheduled for 9pm. The fixture is Toulon’s second of as many pre-season matches ahead of the 2017-2018 Top 14. For the …

Paraguay has officially started a High Performance Plan for rugby. The project will see both men’s and women’s players both at senior and youth levels utilize the national Paraguayan Olympic (COP) training center. Paraguayan rugby has received the support of the National Secretary of Sport to use the COP. The …

Up and Under is a weekly feature on Americas Rugby News which reviews the best and worst from games involving the Americas teams over the previous week. UP Argentina XV The Argentina XV impressed against Toulon, winning 45-24 at La Catedral on Saturday. The official national ‘A’ side proved to …

New Zealand is against Japan joining the Rugby Championship. Weeks after World Rugby Vice Chairman, Agustín Pichot requested Japan’s inclusion, New Zealand Rugby’s chief executive Steve Tew has said no. Tew firmly believes that in order to join the Rugby Championship Japan must focus on turning the Sunwolves into a much …

Argentina and Uruguay won their respective u20’s matches this weekend in South America. Played at Old Christians Club in Montevideo, Argentina faced Chile in match one while Uruguay took-on Brazil in match two. Argentina used the match against Chile’s u20’s by fielding an u19 side. It was a strategic move …

The USA South Panthers are the 2017 Rugby Americas North (RAN) winners. The team’s 23-19 away win over Guyana this afternoon sealed the RAN Championship. Played in muddy conditions, scoring was not always so simple. It took 19 minutes for the first points to be scored. A Zach Miller penalty …

Hindú are the Argentine National club champions. The Don Torquato club won the Nacional de Clubes final this afternoon, defeating Tala 20-10. In doing so the club completed a treble, winning the national title three years in-a-row. Hindú’s win was based on a solid second half performance. The teams were …

The Argentina XV impressed against Toulon today, winning 45-24 at La Catedral. The official national ‘A’ side proved to be significantly better than earlier in the year in both the Americas Rugby Championship and Nations Cup. The Argentina XV outscored Toulon by six tries to four. Crossing for two tries …

Colombia’s first rugby player to play in France is Andrés Zafra. The 21-year-old joined Lyon from Colombia when he was 19 and is now preparing for the upcoming Top 14 season. Zafra played for Lyon on Friday night. The club faced Grenoble in a pre-season friendly match, running out 26-19 …

A special guest has been visiting Band Saracens this week. 24-year-old Argentine hooker Santiago Iglesias Valdés featured at the team’s training at the Band Arena in São Paulo. Santiago Iglesias Valdés is the older brother of Erick who plays for Band Saracens. Together with his father German and brother Agustín …