Americas Championship schedule released
The United States' Men's national team, known as the Eagles, will play three consecutive home matches in Houston, Texas, Austin, Texas, and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida against Argentina, Canada and Chile, respectively.
Initially agreed to between executive members of the respective unions under the guidance of the Americas Rugby Association, the groundbreaking Americas Rugby Championship will provide Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the US, and Uruguay with five additional rankings tests annually.
"We are delighted to be able to announce the inaugural Americas Rugby Championship that will take place next year," Americas Rugby Chairman Agustín Pichot said. "This could not have happened without the hard work and cooperation of all six rugby unions involved.
"We would also like to thank World Rugby for their support. This is a very exciting time for the Americas, with our first truly international tournament, as rugby continues to thrive and prosper in this region."
Kicking off the weekend of February 6 in Houston, United States; British Columbia, Canada; and Santiago, Chile; the Americas Rugby Championship will offer one of the longest assemblies for the six national teams leading to the final round of matches the weekend of March 5.
Brazil, Chile, and the US will each host three matches, while Argentina, Canada, and Uruguay will host two home matches apiece.
The Eagles will return to BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston, Texas on the weekend of February 6. The following weekend, the Eagles will play in Austin's Dell Diamond Stadium, home to the Round Rock Express, the AAA minor league affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Both venues will look to continue the success of USA Rugby matches in Texas as the Eagles' third, fourth, sixth and eighth–largest crowds have all come in the Lone Star State.
Ft. Lauderdale also presents a history of success for the Eagles, with their last two matches in the area leading to World Cup qualification. The Eagles' match against Chile on the weekend of February 20 will be their second at Lockhart Stadium, having won their last appearance 58-13 against Spain. In 2008, the Eagles again qualified for the sport's pinnacle tournament by defeating Uruguay 27-6 at Broward Stadium.
Following three weeks of matches spread as far north as Canada and as far south as Montevideo, the final two weekends of the Americas Rugby Championship will be contested solely in the Southern Hemisphere.
"The response to the announcement of the Americas Rugby Championship earlier this year reached a fever pitch and we’re excited to reveal the locations of our three home matches," USA Rugby Chief Executive Officer Nigel Melville said. "Texas has welcomed the Eagles with open arms in the recent past and it's great to be taking the Eagles back to Florida. The development of a Panamerican competition is a significant step forward for the future of rugby in the Americas."
Americas Rugby Championship 2016 Competition Calendar:
Round 1 – Feb 6 – 7, 2016
USA v Argentina
Canada v Uruguay
Chile v Brazil
Round 2 – Feb. 13 – 14, 2016
USA v Canada
Argentina v Chile
Brazil v Uruguay
Round 3 – Feb. 20 – 21, 2016
USA v Chile
Canada v Brazil
Uruguay v Argentina
Round 4 – Feb. 27 – 21, 2016
Brazil v USA
Argentina v Canada
Chile v Uruguay
Round 5 – March 5 – 6, 2016
Uruguay v USA
Chile v Canada
Brazil v Argentina
