The Argentina Jaguars have won the IRB Americas Rugby Championship after recording a 28-9 victory over Canada A in front of a capacity crowd in British Columbia on Saturday.
Daniel Hourcade’s side scored three tries without reply to claim a third successive title and cap a thrilling tournament that has captured hearts and minds in Canada with some highly-entertaining matches.
In the third place play-off between USA Select and Uruguay, it was another victory for the South Americans as the Rugby World Cup 2015 hopefuls ran out 26-8 winners.
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For Rugby Canada, hosting the key IRB development tournament was a resounding success, delivering excellent crowds throughout and ensuring further exposure for a sport that continues to grow across Canada.
For all participating Unions, the event provided the perfect platform to hone preparations ahead of an unprecedented November schedule of matches. With Rugby World Cup 2015 qualifying looming for Canada, USA and Uruguay, it also marked a significant milestone along the road to England 2015.
Canada face Samoa, Russia and the Maori All Blacks next month and for Canada head coach Kieran Crowley the Americas Rugby Championship has thrust forward a number of new players who will be in contention for the tour.
“I’d say that three or four of the ARC squad that were selected previously will play and there are probably a couple of players who could play their way in, so it has been a good exercise from that perspective.”
ARC Tournament Director and IRB Regional General Manager for North America and Caribbean, Tom Jones added: “The IRB Americas Rugby Championship continues to play a significant role in the high performance programmes for the respective participating Unions.”
“The 2012 edition was a great success with the entertaining and intense competition drawing excellent crowds. I would like to thank Rugby Canada for delivering a superb event.”
