Rugby News from unexpected places

[Omar Comin']

Brazil just beat the USA Eagles 24-23 in the Americas Rugby Championship! USA were playing an experimental line up but it's still an enormous upset. 42nd in the world beating 16th.

 

[Slim 293]

The John Mitchell effect?

 

[p.Tah]

Brazil just beat the USA Eagles 24-23 in the Americas Rugby Championship! USA were playing an experimental line up but it's still an enormous upset. 42nd in the world beating 16th.

Experimental line up? Did he field a 7s team?

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Experimental line up? Did he field a 7s team?

A lot of young guys. He's been mixing and matching throughout the Championship as a means of building depth and finding his best combos for the June window. Still, big result for Brazil. On paper the Eagles still should have been too strong. The travel section appears to be really dangerous in this competition. Brazil have been building nicely as the Championship has moved forward. They almost rolled Uruguay at home a fortnight ago and were very competitive against Canada away last weekend. They clearly lifted for this game. Well done.

In the earlier game Uruguay managed to snatch it at the end of game against Chile.

 

[Highlander35]

Brazil would have been somewhat building and investing for Rio, yes? Is this resulting from that, or is the 7s program sufficiently distinct from the 15s?

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Brazil would have been somewhat building and investing for Rio, yes? Is this resulting from that, or is the 7s program sufficiently distinct from the 15s?

Don't know. I do know that they have been developing a national academy as a means to monitor and develop the top 100 players in the country. WR (World Rugby) reported on that. They also have received a lot more investment in terms of junior and club development. I think most importantly it stems from a Union wide drive to just improve.

 

[Omar Comin']

Brazil also had some type of partnership with the Canterbury Rugby Union for several years. They sent over coaches and other resources so that would have helped development. And more recently their coaches have been Argentinians. Not sure if the team that beat the US had any of their sevens guys in it.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Brazil vs USA highlights:

Also a coupla vids of the Brazilian players & fans going nuts:

 

[blindsider]

USA fielded a 3rd string team, but should've won.
They were trying to play champagne rugby from their own line but didn't have the skills or experience to pull it off. They seriously underestimated Brazil!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

They clearly hadn't been paying attention to Brazil's growing form particularly at home.

 

[Omar Comin']

Hong Kong are professionalising their 15's team (the 7's team is already professional): http://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/fif...rugby-xvs-team-going-pro-under-new-initiative

Will be interesting to see how much they improve as a result. Could be a dark horse to make the 2019 world cup (they're currently ranked 24th). I also see a HK Super Rugby team as a possibility (their HKRU Chairman has said in the past that they would be interested if it was part of an Asian or Australasian conference).

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Hong Kong are professionalising their 15's team (the 7's team is already professional): http://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/fif...rugby-xvs-team-going-pro-under-new-initiative

Will be interesting to see how much they improve as a result. Could be a dark horse to make the 2019 world cup (they're currently ranked 24th). I also see a HK Super Rugby team as a possibility (their HKRU Chairman has said in the past that they would be interested if it was part of an Asian or Australasian conference).

That's quite a step. Be interesting to see if this leads to a Super Rugby bid in the near future. Contracting 40 players as full time professionals is a big step. With a six team Premiership league it will have a significant impact on its standards.

 

[Omar Comin']

That's quite a step. Be interesting to see if this leads to a Super Rugby bid in the near future. Contracting 40 players as full time professionals is a big step. With a six team Premiership league it will have a significant impact on its standards.

Yeah, the scope of it is significant. Uruguay are doing something similar but they've only professionalised something like 10-12 players. HK may also now be able to poach some good young players from elsewhere.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Yeah, the scope of it is significant. Uruguay are doing something similar but they've only professionalised something like 10-12 players. HK may also now be able to poach some good young players from elsewhere.

Uruguay have professionalised 17 players with a number now semi-pro. Would not shock me to see Brazil do something very similar soon. As a union the CBRU has seen and should continue to see significant growth both in the game but the finances behind it.

 

[Omar Comin']

So that 17 number doesn't include the semi-pros? Initial reports were that they'd planned to sign something like 10 players to central contracts, but if it's 17 now that's great! They also have a handful of guys in Europe so that's shaping up to be a decent base of professional players for them.

Brazil (and Chile for that matter) will have to do the same just to keep up in the Americas Rugby Championships!

I think the world cup will have to go to 24 teams from 2023. It'll be time.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

So that 17 number doesn't include the semi-pros? Initial reports were that they'd planned to sign something like 10 players to central contracts, but if it's 17 now that's great! They also have a handful of guys in Europe so that's shaping up to be a decent base of professional players for them.

Brazil (and Chile for that matter) will have to do the same just to keep up in the Americas Rugby Championships!

I think the world cup will have to go to 24 teams from 2023. It'll be time.

They signed an initial 10 about 9 months before the RWC and the other 7 directly after. Have another 10 on 'performance' contracts.

Regarding Brazil. You'd be surprised just how robust their system has become. Most states now have Academy set ups in place and those that don't will in the coming years. They use these Academies to actively identify, monitor and develop a pool of 100 players nationwide. They get high level S&C exposure as well as coaching (there's a very prominent Argentine presence in the coaching ranks).

They proved quite competitive in the ARC. Their only blow out was against Argentina in the final round. The games footprint small as it may still be is growing at a strong pace. After their win over the US the Tupis actually trended in the country on social media.

Of all the nations in Sth America at present it is Brazil that has the most potential to be the next Argentina. Outside of them Chile if they can get their house in order alongside Uruguay could grow in competitiveness.

Sth America is actually an exciting region for the game. A little over 500,000 players with grow ranging between 8-12% a year. New emerging nations like Colombia who have grown their particpation levels from 5,000 to over 16,000 in 5 years and have just recieved a substatial boost in its funding grants from WR (World Rugby). Will be interesting to see what they can do with that.

 

[Omar Comin']

It's too bad South America is struggling so much economically at the moment - especially Brazil. That could be the biggest barrier to professionalism, and expansion of Super Rugby there in the short-medium term.

 

[RugbyFuture]

I better start playing again, Mother was born in Hong Kong. Surely someone who's previously risen to the heights of Aloysius 4th XV can make it...

 

[Highlander35]

Wonder if someone like Duncan Chubb would be courted with a professional deal. Seems the ideal sort of candidate, with a family history, and strong performances at a high standard (NRC), without making that last leap into full professionalism of Super Rugby.

Of course, Hong Kongs strongest area could be the props, and they'd laugh at the suggestion of bringing him in, I've got no idea.

 

[Crashy]

Timana Tahu playing for Denver in the new usa pro comp.