Juan Fernández Lobbe one of the top 3 players in France´s Top 14

Pumas and Toulon backrower, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe was selected as one of the best three players in the Top 14 for the 2009-2010 season. The other two selected were former All Black backrower Chris Masoe and French scrumhalf, Morgan Parra. The winner of player of the year will be announced at France´s annual Nuit du rugby (Night of Rugby) this coming Monday.

Fernández Lobbe´s Pumas colleague, flyhalf Juan Martín Hernández is a previous winner of the award having won it in 2007 in what was the first time a non-Frenchman won the award. In addition to Hernández winning player of the year, other Pumas have won player of the year in their position such as Patricio Albacete, Mario Ledesma, Rodrigo Roncero as well as Hernández himself. With Fernández Lobbe being selected as one of three finalists, Argentina´s presence in France continues to serve as a reminder of the country´s contribution to global rugby and underlines Argentina as a strong option to host Rugby World Cup 2023.

Fernández Lobbe was playing his first season for Toulon and his first in France after previously playing for the Sale Sharks in England from 2006-2009 and captaining them in the 2008-2009 season. He was selected as backrower of the year in the then Guinness Premiership in his final season for Sale. His form so far in the 2010-2011 season has been equally impressive for Toulon and only in his second season at the club he has been captaining the side in a number of matches. 

Chile 30-32 Tonga

Ranked 3rd in South America, 24th in the world and with no experience in playing at a Rugby World Cup, Chile almost pulled off the upset of the century today in losing 32-30 to Tonga at the Estadio de Atletismo de San Carlos de Apoquindo in Santiago. Tonga are ranked 16th in the world and have been to every Rugby World Cup except for the 1991 tournament and have defeated teams including Italy, Samoa and the United States.

The game took place outside of the IRB test windows of June and November which meant professional clubs did not need to release their players for this contest. Tonga were therefore fielding a number of new players and giving them a chance to impress as the Rugby World Cup approaches. But so were Chile. The county´s best players such as Cristian Westenenk, Sergio Valdés, Francisco de la Fuente, Cristián González, Sebastián Gajardo were all missing. Yet, Chile were not only highly competitive and scored 30 points but they only lost by 2.

The scoring started after ten minutes of play in the first half when Condores flyhalf, Javier Reyes, kicked a penalty. Tonga hit back in the 16th minute with a try to Taumei Hikila which Michael Toloke converted before Reyes slotted his second 3 pointer in the 33rd minute. Tonga responded immediately with Damien Fakafanua scoring his teams second try and Toloke adding the extras. A blow out was not on the cards however, as winger Diego Schachner scored for Chile at the end of the first half.

It took Tonga 3 minutes after the restart to score again through Petuliki Mateo, which Toloke failed to convert and at this stage Tonga were winning 22-11. Reyes kicked three penalties - in the 44th, 48th and 57th minute and replacement Francisco Cruz slotted another at 76 minutes. Tonga kicked one in the 46th minute and Toloke also scored a second half try but Chile kept fighting. Tonga were being penalized for constant violations and as the game drew to a close Tonga collapsed a Chilean maul close to the try line which gave the referee no choice but to award a penalty try to the hosts. With Cruz´s conversion Los Condores had ended the match proudly to close proceedings at 32-30 to Tonga.

Chile secured the fixture looking to the future as the country continues to recieve no tours and also is not able to embark on regular tours due to being overlooked by the IRB who opt to fund other countries, such as Tonga, in preference of the South Americans. Uruguay wanted to also host Tonga but were in no economic situation to put Tonga up in hotels for the necessary time and so have been in talks with others such as Argentina and Brazil about playing warm-up matches ahead of their do or die Rugby World Cup Qualification matches against Romania.

Meanwhile Tonga, a country in Oceania, will participate in the IRB funded Americas Rugby Championship in Cordoba, Argentina starting next week. It will assist Tonga tremendously but Tonga is not part of the Americas. Conversely, American countries including Chile and Uruguay are both excluded from the tournament. Tonga have two domestic teams who play in the IRB´s Pacific Rugby Cup vs two from Fiji and two from Samoa. While the national side competes annually in the IRB Pacific Nations Cup vs Fiji, Japan and Samoa. Chile and Uruguay have no comparable rugby of any kind and receive little funding from the IRB.

The result raises the question of why South America is the worlds only continent that is not awarded automatic qualification places for Rugby World Cup? Clearly the continent merits more funding and the same opportunities as others. A competition such as the Pacific Rugby Cup is not only lacking but is truely needed in South America.

Tonga will open Rugby World Cup 2011 vs the World´s number one ranked team, New Zealand in less than a year.

CHILE

1. Francisco Deformes, 2. Alejandro Ríos, 3. Sergio De la Fuente, 4. Pablo Huete, 5. Felipe Burgos, 6. Benjamin Del Solar, 7. Matías Cabrera, 8. Rolando Pellerano, 9. Aldo Cornejo, 10. Javier Reyes, 11. Diego Schachner, 12. Ricardo Sifri, 13. Álvaro Tapia, 14. Felipe Brangier, 15. Germán Herrera

Bench: 16. Nicolás Venegas, 17. Alfonso Lepe, 18. Salomón Díaz, 19. Ignacio Silva, 20. Manuel Gurruchaga, 21. Juan Pablo Perrota, 22. Francisco Cruz

TONGA

1. Viliami Pola, 2. Kamaleeli Sakalia, 3. Makoni Finau, 4. Taumei Hikila, 5. Paea Siulangapo, 6. Sione Vaioleti, 7. Rutihka Iloalahia, 8. Matini Tupou (Captain), 9. Soane Havea, 10. Fangatapu Apikotoa, 11. Etueni Siua, 12. Damien Fakafanua, 13. Petuliki Mateo, 14. Michael Toloke, 15. Viliami Hakalo

Bench: 16. Pataleone Vi, 17. Sioeli Faupula, 18. Talite Vaioleti, 19. Kuea Kolokihakaufiji, 20. Mahe Fangupo, 21. Tatafu Naaniumotu, 22. Mesui Lemoto

With Thanks www.feruchi.cl

Los Jaguars squad for the Americas Rugby Championship

With the tournament set to kick off on October 5, the homeside have announced a squad of 26 players to defend the Americas Rugby Championship in Córdoba. The players are the best Argentine based players and despite their being none of the household names like Albacete, Contepomi, Fernández Lobbe, Hernández, or Ledesma there are still some extremely talented individuals and a number of test players in the squad.

The coaches Daniel Hourcade, José Orengo and Mauricio Reggiardo have called upon Players representing the domestic leagues of Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Cuyo, Rosario, Santa Fé and Tucumán.

Los Jaguars first match is in only a few days vs Canada in a match that offers both sides great opportunities. It is in many ways a last chance to impress selectors for the November rugby tours of Europe and to make the cut of players in contention for places at Rugby World Cup 2011. A number of Jaguars could well be playing for elite European clubs in the future.

Los Jaguars have been training for the tournament by taking on local selections, most recently this past weekend when Los Jaguars defeated a Mendoza selection 70-0.

Squad with test players marked in bold:

1- ASCARATE, Gabriel (Natación y Gimnasia - Tucumán)
2- BRUZZONE, Nicolás Ariel (S.I.C - U.R.B.A)
3- BUSTOS, Maximilano (Universitario de Santa Fe - Santafesina)
4- COMUZZI, Mauro Adrián (Pucará - U.R.B.A)
5- CORTESE, Matias (Liceo R.C - Cuyo)
6- DE ACHAVAL, Miguel (Asociación Alumni - U.R.B.A)
7- DE LA VEGA, Tomas (C.U.B.A. - U.R.B.A)
8- ESTELLES, Juan Pablo (Atlético de Rosario - U.R.B.A)
9- FARIAS CABELLO, Julio Alfredo (Tucuman R.C. - Tucumán)
10- FESSIA, Genaro (Córdoba Athletic - Cordobesa)
11- GOSIO, Agustin Oscar (Club Newman - U.R.B.A)
12- GUIDONE, Mauricio Raúl (La Plata R.C - U.R.B.A)
13- GUZMÁN, Santiago Nicolas (Tucumán R.C - Tucumán)
14- IMHOFF, Juan José (Duendes R.C - Rosario)
15- LANDAJO, Martin (C.A.S.I - U.R.B.A)
16- MACOME, Benjamín (Tucumán R.C. - Tucumán)
17- MIERES, Ignacio (free)
18- MIRALLES, Román (Duendes R.C. - Rosario)
19- NARVAEZ, Matías (Cordoba Athletic - Cordobesa)
20- PROTO, Luciano (Tucumán Lawn Tennis - Tucumán)
21- SAN MARTIN, Horacio Alberto (Tala R.C - Cordobesa)
22- SANCHEZ, Federico Nicolás (Tucuman Lawn Tennis - Tucumán)
23- SENATORE, Leonardo Vicente (G.E.R - Rosario)
24- SMIDT, Agustín (La Tablada - Cordobesa)
25- TEJERIZO, Roberto (Tucumàn Lawn Tennis - Tucumán)
26- TUCULET, Joaquín (Los Tilos - U.R.B.A)

DTH van der Merwe continues to impress in Scotland

In the lattest round of the Magners League, the Glasgow Warriors hosted Munster at Firhill in what was a high scoring match with Munster winning 43-29. Glasgow again fielded a back three featuring two Argentine internationals (Bernardo Stortoni and Federico Martín Aramburu) and a Canadian (DTH van der Merwe). The Canadian had another strong showing as he scored his teams first try after Stortoni knocked down a cross-field kick from flyhalf Duncan Weir. The try had Glasgow winning 10-0 but in the end they were overpowered by the Irish side.

The two former Pumas internationals playing in the back three with DTH van der Merwe are both no longer in the sights of the Argentine coaching staff but both players are doing well for themselves for Glasgow - a team packed with Scottish internationals. It is a testament to the depth of Argentine rugby to have players like Stortoni and Aramburu doing well for a top celtic side. It also highlights the potential of Argentina as a Rugby World Cup host in that the number of top players being produced by the country continues to grow and this takes Argentine rugby to the world in increased numbers. Canadians should support a Rugby World Cup in Argentina. It would benefit Canada and the Americas as a whole. DTH van der Merwe´s success in Scotland will only do good things for Canadian rugby by showcasing a Canadian test international doing well against Irish, Italian, Scottish and Welsh wingers in the Magners League.

There was also a fourth player from the Americas playing as Canadian prop Kevin Tkachuk was on the bench. He alongside DTH van der Merwe should be selected in Canada´s squad for New Zealand 2011.

Tomas Vallejos Cinalli pushing for Pumas Selection

Argentine secondrower Tomas Vallejos Cinalli is into his second season of English professional rugby after having arrived at Harlequins midway through last season to fill the void left by Jim Evans who was forced to retire due to injury. Vallejos Cinalli impressed in filling the boots of Evans so much that he has stayed on for a second season and is getting plenty of game time for the London club. He has started in the second row for the Harlequins in all four of this seasons matches thus far and was joined by Pumas winger Gonzalo Camacho who scored a try for the Harlequins in their victory vs Exeter on Saturday.

Despite having no experience at playing for Los Pumas, Vallejos Cinalli has previously represented Argentina in the U17, U18, U20 and U23 age groups. He has represented the Argentina Jaguars but he as of now he remains uncapped. He would appear to be a certain candidate for Argentina´s four match European tour this november. He is not beeing selected for the Harlequins because of need, rather is he being picked on form. Should his form continue then one of Argentina´s four premier secondrowers will be dropped. Vallejos Cinalli´s rise to Los Pumas would be at the expense of one of Mariano Galarza (Leinster) or Esteban Lozada (Edinburgh) as Patricio Albacete (Toulouse) and Manuel Carizza (Biarritz) has established themselves as the first choice secondrow pairing for Los Pumas.

Tomas Vallejos Cinalli began his rugby career in Argentina´s thrid largest city, Rosario where he played for the Logaritmo Rugby Club. He left to take up a professional contract with Italian side, Parma for whom he played for from 2008-2010 before moving to England.

Chile host Tonga

Chile is to host Tonga in what is the biggest international rugby match in Chile since hosting Fiji in 2003 as Tonga take on Los Condores in at the Estadio Atlético de San Carlos de Apoquindo in Santiago this Wedensday (September 29). Tonga are ranked 16th in the World according to the current IRB World Rankings and are considered to be a good enough opponent for the All Blacks to play against them in the match to open Rugby World Cup 2011 at Eden Park in New Zealand.

Chile, on the other hand, are ranked 24th in the World and have never qualified for a Rugby World Cup but came close in qualifying for Rubgy World Cup 2003 when they defeated Uruguay 10-6 and the USA 21-13 but ultimately fall short vs Canada and in their away matches vs Uruguay and the USA. The win vs the USA is tragicaly the only match ever played between the two countries in Chile.

Tonga have been to every Rugby World Cup except for 1991 when Samoa qualified ahead of them. With Fiji then missing out on qualification for 1995 the IRB were forced to rethink the structure of the tournament and expanded from 16 to 20 teams for Rugby World Cup 1999. At France 2007, Tonga defeated Samoa and the United States in pool matches and pushed both South Africa and England to the limit to finish third in the pool and automatically qualify for New Zealand 2011.

The Tongan team is to arrive in Chile today (Sunday Setember 16)and being training for the test match tommorrow. After facing Chile, Tonga will travel to Cordoba, Argentina to take plart in the 2010 Americas Rugby Championship.

The Federation of Chilean Rugby have announced proces for the match on their website and they can be purchased through ticketmaster. Tickets are $3500 pesos. For further information contact prensa@feruchi.cl

With thanks www.www.feruchi.cl 

Canadian Lock signs for French club

The younger brother of Canada´s most famous player in Europe, Jamie Cudmore, Luke, is now playing in France too. Jamie Cudmore is playing his sixth season in France for current champions Clermont Auvergne while younger brother, Luke Cudmore has joined up with Fedéral 1 side Valence d'Agen in what is France´s third division. Luke Cudmore joins Valence d'Agen from the runners up of the Canadian Rugby Championship - the Prairie Wolfpack whom he played for this season after previously playing for the BC Bears and at a younger age for London Irish in England.

The move to France will help him greatly in his quest to be selected for Rugby World Cup 2011 and he should attract interests from clubs playing in higher divisions.

Clermont 40-30 Leicester - H Cup 2009
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North American teams selected for 2010 Americas Rugby Championship

The second annual Americas Rugby Championship will be hosted by Argentina will all matches taking place in the country´s second largest city, Córdoba. The Estadio Olímpico de Córdoba, also known as Chateau Carreras will be the host venue as the UAR continue to spread important rugby fixtures across the country. The venue has a capacity of almost 50,000 and has hosted international rugby previously, most recently in 2008 when Argentina took on Italy. It has hosted many important soccer matches and is a great venue to support the idea of Argentina hosting Rugby World Cup 2023.

In 2009, the tournament was structured differently with the USA Select XV and the Argentina Jaguars meeting in what was a semi final adn the two top Canadian sides from the Canadian Rugby Championship meeting in the other semi final. This year, however, will see the four competing teams who will be representing Argentina, Canada, Tonga and the United States all face each other in round-robin format matches spread over 11 days. The schedule is as follows:

Tournament Schedule

Tuesday - October 5th
USA vs Tonga A
Canada Select vs Argentina Jaguars

Sunday October 10th
Canada Select vs Tonga A
USA vs Argentina Jaguars

Friday October 15th
Canada Select vs USA
Tonga vs Argentina Jaguars

The North Americans have confirmed their squads for the tournament. Both Canada and the United States will be fielding domestic based players because the tournament is taking place outside of the IRB test Window´s of June and November which means clubs have no obligation to release players for international duty. Canada will have one European based player in the squad - Stan McKeen who plays for Oxford University in England. For Canada it is the perfect opportunity to select the best players from the Canadian Rugby Championship which was won by The Rock in Saturdays final vs the Prarie Wolfpack. The players picked will be fighting for places in the squad which has an exciting tour to Belgium, Spain, Georgia and Portugal in November. The match vs Belgium will fall outside of the mandatory release window which makes the Americas Rugby Championship that much more important for the Canadians.

Canada
Nick Blevins - Prairie Wolf Pack
Connor Braid - BC Bears
Brett Beukeboom - Ontario Blues
Hubert Buydens - Prairie Wolf Pack
Derek Daypuck - Ontario Blues
Brian Erichsen - BC Bears
Sean Ferguson - BC Bears
Scott Franklin - Prairie Wolf Pack
Mitch Gudgeon - BC Bears
Jeremy Kyne - Prairie Wolf Pack
Jamie Mackenzie - Ontario Blues
Mark MacSween - Ontario Blues
Jason Marshall - BC Bears
Stan McKeen - Oxford University
Shawn Mercier - BC Bears
Kevin Parfrey - The Rock
John Phelan - The Rock
Mike Pletch - Ontario Blues
Pat Riordan - BC Bears
Ryan Smith - Prairie Wolf Pack
Jebb Sinclair - The Rock
Ryan Tomlinson - Ontario Blues
Frank Walsh - The Rock
Sean White - BC Bears
Eric Wilson - BC Bears
Tyler Wish - The Rock

The United States has not had a tournament similar to the Canadian Rugby Championship taking place recently but the countries Super League is more than good enough to be used as a basis for selecting a national squad to compete in the Americas Rugby Championship.

United States

Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate)
Pat Danahy (Life University)
Brian Doyle (New York Athletic Club)
Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore)
Tala Esera (Hawaii Rugby Club)
Eric Fry (Unattached)
Troy Hall (New York Athletic Club)
Matt Hawkins (Belmont Shore)
Nic Johnson (Denver Barbarians)
Gareth Jones (Young Munsters R.F.C.)
Tom Katzfey (New York Athletic Club)
Duncan Kelm (San Diego State University)
Dan LaProvette (San Francisco Golden Gate)
Nese Malifa (Glendale Raptors)
Benny Mateialona (Life University)
Via Notoa (Hawaii Rugby Club)
Mile Pulu (San Francisco Golden Gate)
Anthony Purpura (Boston Rugby Club)
Volney Rouse (San Francisco Golden Gate)
Ross Silverman (Unattached)
Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins)
Shalom Suniula (South Brisbane),
Zac Test (Loughborough University)
Phil Theil (Life University),
Pate Tuilevuka (Old Puget Sound Beach)
John Van der Giessen (Unattached) *

* John Van der Giessen was named in the squad but has since signed for Bath in England and so will not be avaliable for the United States.

With thanks www.americasrugbychampionship.com

Zee Ngwenya in fine form for Biarritz Olympique

The USA´s international right winger, Zee Ngwenya is having a good season for France´s Basque rugby giants, Biarritz Olympique. In last weekends away win vs La Rochelle, Ngwenya scored a very important second half try after chasing and gathering a kick from scrumhalf Dimitri Yachvilli and he also set up a would be try in the first half only for it to be knocked on by centre Gimenez. His speed continues to set him apart from his opponents and he is looking in fine form as the countdown to Rugby World Cup 2011 continues.

Ngwenya will start again at 14 for saturday´s match vs Racing Metro in Paris and will be joined by Pumas back Marcelo Bosch in the back three with the Argentine international playing fullback. Biarritz will also be represented by another international player from the Americas, Manuel Carizza who will start in the second row. All three should well be at Rugby World Cup 2011 as examples of the talent on show in Europe from the Americas.

Argentina win 2010 CONSUR South American Under 19 Championship

The Confederation of South American Rugby(CONSUR)have announced the results of the 2010 South American Under 19 Championship on their website. The tournament was held by Argentina in the city of Santiago del Estero which is the home of Pumas and Stade Français backrower, Juan Leguizamón.

The Pumitas (Argentina under 19) defeated Chile 101-0 on Saturday to be the only undefeated side and thus be crowned CONSUR Under 19 Champions. The results were similar to those of the senior mens teams with Argentina clearly well ahead of the rest and Uruguay and Chile coming in second and third. Uruguay not only finished second but were much better vs Argentina than Chile were and also recorded a very solid win vs the Chileans to suggest there is a bit of a gap in South America between second and third.

There was a clear change in the South American rankings for fourth place with Paraguay defeating Brazil 27-15 which is something the national mens side have been unable to do in recent years. Brazil, nevertheless did well for a country that has superior rugby at the senior level than the junior. With time they will improve at the age level.

Complete List of Match Results

Uruguay 41-12 Paraguay
Chile 47-0 Brazil
Brazil 15-27 Paraguay
Uruguay 66-18 Chile
Argentina 24-12 Uruguay
Argentina 101-0 Chile

Final Standings

1. Argentina
2. Uruguay
3. Chile
4. Paraguay
5. Brazil

With thanks www.consur.org

Paul Emerick fitting in well at Ulster

USA Eagles Centre / Wing Paul Emerick is fitting in well for his new club having traded the Italian Super 10 for the Magners League. With the expansion of the Magners League to include two new teams  - both from Italy Emerick took the opportunity presented to him to move to Northern Ireland to link up with Ulster. It is Emerick´s third different country in which he has played professionally and his fifth different club overall. Emerick joined Overmach Parma in 2008 having previously played two seasons in Wales for the Newport Gwent Dragons. His first taste of professional rugby, however, was in Italy in 2004-2005 playing for Amatori Catania for one season and then the following at Overmach Parma. He made his mark in his homeland playing for the Northern Iowa Panthers and the Chicago Lions. He started at 14 (right wing) in Ulster´s win over Edinburgh on the weekend.

Emerick has been to two Rugby World Cup´s and is a certainty to go to a third in 2011. He made his test debut vs Spain in 2003 and has played 37 tests. He will be in the starting lineup either playing in the 13 or 11 shirt. His natural position is 13 but has the speed and skills to switch to the wing as he did in his most recent test - vs Russia in the 2010 Churchill Cup. At full strength, the USA are likely to field a back three of 11 Kevin Swiryn (Agen), 15 Chris Wyles (Saracens) and 14 Zee Ngwyena (Biarritz) with Emerick returning to his natural position of 13. This was the combination used vs Uruguay in November 2009 when the United States qualified for Rugby World Cup 2011.

 

The Rock are Canadian Champions

Canada´s Atlantic selection known as The Rock are the new Canadian Rugby Champions after winning the 2010 Canadian Rugby Championship Final 19-8 vs the Prairie Wolfpack at Swilers Rugby Complex in St. John´s on Saturday afternoon in front of a 2,500 strong crowd.

It was not a game to replicate earlier matches in the tournament as at half time scores were remarkably tied at 0-0 in no small part due to the weather. Conditions were tough with St. John´s putting on one of its famous wet afternoons. The Prarie Wolfpack had the advantage of playing behind strong wind in the first half but the fact they were unable to use this to put points on the board really hurt them after the break.

Both teams scored one try each in the second half but the first points were scored by The Rock´s winger Ciaran Hearn who slotted his first of four penalty goals in the seventh minute of the second half. As the second half continued centre, Geoff Warden pounced onto a nice kick from flyhalf, Dean Blanks to score a try for The Rock. With Hearn´s conversion, The Rock were winning 19-3 and had the match under control. With time running out, the Prarie Wolfpack´s flyhalf, Stephen Woodward set up centre Nick Blevins with a nice pass which he turned into a try.

Bath Sign two International Secondrowers from the Americas

Aviva Premiership Rugby leaders after two rounds, Bath Rugby, have confirmed the signing of USA international second rower John van der Giessen on a three month signing to provide cover for the teams injured players in this position. van der Giessen has played 13 tests for the USA since making his debut in 2008. He only started playing rugby in 2001. van de Giessen captained University of Idaho Rugby from 2004-2005 and played professionally in New Zealand for Hawkes Bay in 2006. Despite being new to rugby, he was called into the USA squad for Rugby World Cup 2007 after veteran Luke Gross was injured. He did not play a match at France 2007 and instead made his test debut for the USA in the 2008 Churchill Cup.

His quick rise to greatness was capped off in the 2010 Churchill Cup when he was selected as USA captain in place of the injured Todd Clever. His selection was on the back of two years of performances for the USA Eagles as a first choice player. After impressing for the USA Eagles in 2008 he was signed by Albi to play in the French Top 14 for the 2009-2010 season. Today´s announcement marks the lattest chapter in van der Giessen´s successful career and should result in him improving as a player and entering Rugby World Cup 2011 in great condition.





van der Giessen will be joined by Ignacio ´Nacho´ Fernández Lobbe who is a former Argentine secondrower who played at three Rugby World Cup´s and is the older brother of current Pumas backrower, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe. Nacho has signed for the full season after playing the previous two seasons for the Northampton Saints who were beaten semi-finalists last season in what was the Guinness Premiership. Nacho also previously played for the Sale Sharks from 2005-2008 and was part of the Championship winning side in 2006. He also previously played in France for Bordeaux and Castres. In total his professional carrer spans more than a decade after making his mark for Los Pumas at Rugby World Cup 1999.

Nacho played a total of 60 tests for Argentina before retiring in June 2008 to make way for the next generation. In addition to doing well at Rugby World Cup 1999, he was a key part of the Pumas forward pack at France 2007 and stared in the win vs Ireland.

Bath will play Nacho´s former team, Northampton tonight at Franklin Gardens in Northampton.

Adam Kleeberger - Canadian Professional in New Zealand

Canadian backrower, Adam Kleeberger is presently playing professionally for the most successful team in the history of New Zealand rugby, Auckland. He made his debut for Auckland vs Taranaki at the beginning of the month after missing earlier matches due to injury. Kleeberger impressed vs Taranaki so much that he was selected at 6 for the following match vs Wellington in which Auckland won 21-15 last weekend. The teams next match is vs Manawatu who sit in last position on the ladder. Kleeberger will be rested for that match.



He has played 23 tests for Canada and was a member of the Canadian team at Rugby World Cup 2007. Without question, he is a leading player who will only improve from his time playing in New Zealand. He could well be Canada´s answer to the USA´s Todd Clever.

Canada secure exciting four test tour of Europe

This November Canada will play four tests in Europe as they attempt to end 2010 on a high. They will face three teams with Rugby World Cup experience and a fourth trying to rise to the level of Europe´s second tier. Canada will be targetting a clean sweep of four test wins.

The tour will begin on November 6 with Belgium hosting Canada for the first ever test match between the two countries. It will take place before the mandatory release date of professional players, meaning Canada will field a team made up of Canadian based players. The European based professionals will be avaliable for the other three matches. One week after playing in Brussels, Madrid will be the stage for Spain vs Canada as the 1999 Rugby World Cup participants host their toughest opponent of the year. Canada will then fly to Tblissi to play their first ever test match against Georgia in Georgia. The tour will finish with an exciting match in Lisbon as 2007 Rugby World Cup participants, Portugal host Canada on November 27.

The test vs Georgia will be only the second ever between the two countries. The first was in the 2009 Churchill Cup when Canada won 42-10. One thinks it will be a far tougher assignment playing Georgia in Tblissi. The second toughest test should be vs Portugal, a team Canada have played twice and come away with two victories. The first was in August 2007 in preperation for France 2007 and Canada won 42-12. The other clash was in November 2008 with Canada winning 21-13.

The tour will complete a great year for Canadian rugby which has seen victories against Uruguay and France A and will see Canada A competiting in the Americas Rugby Championship next month in Córdoba, Argentina. Canada will be targetting the Grand Slam.

Full Tour Schedule:

November 6 Belgium vs Canada

November 13 Spain vs Canada

November 20 Georgia vs Canada

November 27 Portugal vs Canada

With thanks www.rugbycanada.ca

San Juan could host two or more pool matches

The Andean city of San Juan (Saint John) was selected as one of eight Argentine cities to host South America´s premier soccer competition, the Copa América in 2011. At the time of the announcement the city´s largest stadium was the Estadio San Martín de San Juan with a capacity of around 18,000. The same venue was used to host an international rugby match between Argentina A and Chile in 2007 in which Argentina A won 79-8. However, for Copa América 2011 a new stadium called the Estadio de Bicentenario was constructed to host matches in San Juan.

The Estadio del Bicentenario has a capacity of 25,000 making it a similar size to New Plymouth which will host three pool matches at Rugby World Cup 2011. Its facilities will unquestionably be ready to host international rugby upon completion which make it a great option as a potential venue to host international rugby in the future. Should Argentina bid to host Rugby World Cup 2023, San Juan could host at least two matches. The stadium hosted an international rugby match in August 2011 in what was the Farewell match for Los Pumas. Argentina took on a South American Invitational XV known as the CONSUR XV and won the match 78-15. The positive turnout underlines the profile of Los Pumas in Argentina. The team can play across the country and attract crowds.

San Juan is Argentina´s tenth largest city with a population of 453,000 and is the capital of San Juan Province. Together with Mendoza, San Luis and La Rioja the region is known as Cuyo. San Juan was founded in 1562 bu Juan Jufré and given the name San Juan de la Frontera. Like Mendoza, San Juan is famous for its red wine but San Juan´s tourism is also centred on rock formations in and around the city in places including the Quebrada de Ullum Dam, the Difunta Correa sanctuary and Ischigualasto National Park. Visitors would certainly have a lot to do in between attending Rugby World Cup matches.

San Juan is located 1,150KM west of Buenos Aires, 420KM west of Córdoba, 700KM southwest of Tucumán and 152KM north of Mendoza. If Argentina were to host Rugby World Cup 2023 all of these cities would be used to host matches and San Juan, using the Estadio del Bicentenario should also be a host. The close proximity to Argentina´s fourth largest city, Mendoza would simplify matters for visiting teams and fans. Fixtures could be arranged so that teams playing in San Juan arrive from their previous match at Mendoza or Córdoba and then go on to play their next fixture at one of the two cities.

Special mention in L´Equipe for Martín Rodriguez Gurruchaga

After only six rounds of action, Paris has a new Pumas back receiving plenty of praise from the French media. Following Saturday´s Top 14 clash between Stade Français Paris and CA Brive at Charléty Stadium in Paris, France´s L´Equipe website gave a special mention to Martín Rodriguez Gurruchaga for his superb solo try. In giving him a special mention, the site pointed out that Rodriguez Gurruchaga demonstrated all of his class in a truely inspiring try. Elsewhere he has even been refered to as the man to replace Juan Martín Hernández.

Rodriguez Gurruchaga started the match at fullback but moved to flyhalf to cover for Lionel Beauxis who was yellow carded. His try was scored from the flyhalf position. Unfortunately for the Parisians, Brive went on to win the match 29-27 thanks to a try from Ronnie Cooke late in the game. His try and 10 point haul is a continuation of the fine form that has resulted in him recieving good press in France. In his debut run-on performance vs powerhouses, Toulouse, he scored all 16 of his teams points while playing at inside centre.

Résumé de Stade Français Paris - Brive, le 11/09/2010 - Stade TV
Résumé de la 6e journée du Top 14 Orange, le Stade Français Paris recevait Brive au Stade Charléty.

Mots-clés : stade francais paris top 14 orange essai drop brive charlety beauxis phillips parisse

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Argentines Shine in Round 6 of the Top 14

All seven matches of Round 6 of the 2010-2011 Top 14 featured Argentine players with more stand out performances occuring from newcomers to professional rugby. Montpellier´s new wing, Martín Bustos Moyano and Stade Français´s new centre / fullback, Martín Rodriguez Gurruchaga again had strong performances. Bustos Moyano kicked 10 points as Montpellier defeated Castres 23-12 with Pumas centre and fellow rookie, Santiago Fernández again starting at inside centre. The impressive form of Rodriguez was on show again as he scored a try, this time playing fullback rather than inside centre, and converted it. Stade Français, however, were defeated late in the game by Brive in what was a shock home loss for the Parisians.

Argentine backrowers also did well this weekend with Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe dotting down for Toulon and Alvaro Galindo scoring for Racing Metro as their teams recorded big home victories vs Agen and La Rochelle. Unfortunately, all was not well for Racing Metro or Argentina in the clubs win as  Juan Martín Hernández had to leave the field after 35 minutes because of a bad thigh. On his website www.juanhernandez.com.ar, he commented that he is likely to be out for 3 weeks. While on the field, Hernández kicked two penalties for Racing Metro Paris in their 43-18 home victory vs La Rochelle.

Booming playing numbers in Uruguay

In a recent episode of Total Rugby, there was a feature on the growth of rugby in Uruguay which included coverage of Los Teros win vs Kazakhstan to advance to the Rugby World Cup Final Place Play-Off vs Romania. When Uruguay qualified for its first ever Rugby World Cup in 1999 the country had around 2,200 players. Since then, the sport has grown imensely to give Uruguay more than 5,000 players, which is an increase of over 130%. Moreover, the Uruguayan Rugby Union believes it could have 10,000 players in a few years time. Despite others having much larger playing numbers the impressive rise in rugby participation in Uruguay is remarkable. Being able to more than double player numbers, including those of women and children in a decade is huge progress.

This impressive increase is an indication of the possibilities for the future of rugby not only in Argentina but also in countries throughout the Americas. Without question, Uruguay would benefit tremendously from Argentina hosting Rugby World Cup 2023.

Americas players doing well in Scotland

Round two of the 2010-2011 Magners League will see the return of Pumas forward, Esteban Lozada who will be making his debut for Edinburgh vs Munster at Scotland largest stadium, Murrayfield tonight. The ex-Toulon secondrower will pack down alongside Scottish international, Scott MacLeod and a powerful front row of Scottish internationals Geoff Cross, Ross Ford and Allan Jacobson. Edinburgh will also have a superb back line featuring Scottish internationals Chris Paterson, Ben Cairns, Alex Groove, Phil Godman, Mike Blair and Dutch winger Tim Visser. In a match which should be high scoring given the outstanding backlines of both teams, the forwards will be crucial to give their team every chance of victory. Edinburgh were defeated by the Cardiff Blues in round one.



Scotland´s other professional team will also be packed with international players. Scottish stars such as Max Evans and  Graeme Morrison will be joined by two Argentine internationals and two Canadians. Former Pumas fullback, Bernardo Stortoni will again captain the Glasgow Warriors and will form an all-Americas back three with fellow Argentine, Federico Martín Aramburu and Canadian test cetnre DTH van der Merwe who will play wing again after scoring a try in the openning win vs Irish powerhouses, Leinster last weekend. New Canadian signing, Chauncey O´Toole will start at 6 as Glasgow travel to face the Newport-Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade on Sunday.

French Champions sign another Puma

25 year old reserve Pumas hooker, Agustín Creevy will join Clermont as a medical joker on a three month contract to replace the injured Willie Wepener. Creevy will link up with the eternal Pumas hooker, Super Mario Ledesma as well as Pumas prop Martín Scelzo. He will bolster the clubs stocks at hooker which also include former Crusader, Tií Paulo.

Creevy previously played for Biarritz for two seasons before returning to Argentina to play for San Luis. He has captained Los Jaguars in matches vs international oposition and was the captain of Los Pampas in South Africa´s Vodacom Cup in 2010. Creevy made his test debut for Argentina vs Japan in 2005 as a backrower but was transformed into a hooker in 2009 at the request of former Argentina coach, Marcelo Loffreda. Since then he has been far more successful in winning the eyes of Los Pumas coaches and as ousted Toulouseé Alberto Vernet Basualdo from the Pumas bench to now be Argentina´s second choice hooker after Ledesma. Creevy has played 7 tests thus far, 6 taking place since he became a hooker.

This opportunity to return to the Top 14 and play alongside Ledesma will help Creevy greatly. Without question he is an outstanding hooker and will be approached by other clubs.

Canadian signs short-term deal to play in Scotland

Young Canadian backrower, Chauncey O'Toole will stay on in Scotland until late October after impressing for the Glasgow Warriors in the pre-season. The 24 year old linked up with Glasgow after Canadian team mate DTH van der Merwe suggested the club should sign O´Toole. The club also has a third Canadian, prop Kevin Tkachuk as well as two Argentina players - Federico Martin Aramburu and Bernardo Stortoni.

Chauncey has joined Glasgow from Canadian side The Rock who are the only undefeated team in phase play from the Canadian Rugby Championship. He is from the Canadian province of New Brunswick and was part of a group of nine players sent to Northern Wales for training in a program set up by the Unions of Canada and Wales. He made his international debut for Canada vs Ireland in 1999 and has played six tests for his country thus far. He was man of the match vs Uruguay in June´s Churchill Cup.

Hernández scores 20 points in his return match

In his first match playing 80 minutes of rugby in ten months, Juan Martín Hernández kicked four penalties, two drop goals and one conversion to score 20 points for Racing Metro in Sunday´s match vs the surprize team from last seasons Top 14, Castres Olympique in Castres. Uruguay´s Rodrigo Capo Ortega played for Castres while Hernández was joined by fellow Pumas, backrower Alvaro Galindo and prop Juan Pablo Orlandi who were both replaced in the second half.

On his personal website (http://www.juanhernandez.com.ar/), Hernández wrote: "Personally I am happy because my back responded well. I could play 80 minutes and I hit a lot, which is something that helped challenge me and see where i stand. Now my objective is to continue adding more minutes to continue gaining rhythm".

Despite a positive return of 20 points and Hernández also setting up his teams try, Racing Metro were not victorious. Rather, Castres won 31-25 with fullback Romain Teulet kicking 26 points and Fijian international centre, Seremaia Bai, scoring the homesides try.

Canadian Rugby Championship to be Broadcast Live on CBC

The success of the young Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC) continues to positively contribute to rugby in the country. Rugby Canada have anounced that the CRC final will be broadcast live on Canadian television on CBC which will be pasrt of Sports Day to be presented by ParticipACTION and True Sport. Live tv coverage of the national mens championship final is extremely good news for Canadian rugby as the national team continue to build for Rugby World Cup 2011 where Canada will be targetting two wins - vs Tonga and Japan.

The final will be hosted by The Rock after Canada´s Atlantic team defeated the Prairie Wolfpack 27-23 at home in front over 1,500 fans in St. John’s on Saturday. The win meant The Rock were the only undefeated team and will host the Prarie Wolfpack whose two wins vs the BC Bears and the Ontario Blues were enough for them to claim second spot. In defeating the Praire Wolfpack, The Rock fielded a team mixed with experience and youth. Canadian legend and ex-Stade Français Paris scrum-half, Morgan Williams played as did veteran prop Rod Snow. They played alongside some of Canada´s exciting youth such as Tyler Wish and Ciaran Hearn. The Prarie Wolf Pack had their share of talented players on the park too, most notable Canadian international and former professional player in France, Ryan Smith who played centre.

Last years champions, the BC Bears were smashed 55-20 by the Ontario Blues in the other match which means the traditional powerhouses of Canadian rugby, the BC Bears get the woodden spoon. The Rock will meet again in the Canadian Final to be played on September 18 in St. Johns.

with thanks www.rugbycanada.ca


Pays de Galles Canada

Corrientes / Resistencia could host pool matches

Located close to the southern border with Paraguay is, Corrientes. With a population of 345,000 is the 13th largest city in Argentina. 15KM away, across the Paraná River lies Argentina´s 11th largest city, Resistencia with a population of 370,000. If it were not for the Paraná River, the two cities would literally have joined and the combined city would be similar in size to Argentina´s 6th largest city, La Plata. Together the two cities could certainly make a strong case to have one of the two used as a host venue to represent northeastern Argentina should the country host a Rugby World Cup.

Corrientes is the capital of the state of Corrientes and Resistencia is the capital of the state of Chaco. In addition, the city of Formosa is located 160KM north of Corrientes and located 300KM to the east is, Argentina´s 15th largest city and capital of Missiones province, Posadas. All four provinces border Paraguay as does the province of Salta.

Despite being the largest of the three cities, Resistencia has never hosted international rugby and neither has Formosa. Posadas played host to Argentina vs Uruguay in 1995 with Argentina winning 52-37 and Corrientes hosted Argentina vs Paraguay in 1997 with Los Pumas winning 78-0. Corrientes also hosted a training camp for the best domestic based rugby players - Los Jaguars in August 2010 including a match in which Los Jaguars defeated Nordeste 83-17. Following the construction of the new Estadio Centenario in Resistencia the venue should be chosen as the best option of these cities as a venue should Rugby World Cup 2023 be held in Argentina. Like Bolivia, Chile and Uruguay, Paraguay would have a host city located close to its borders and the 25,000 seat venue looms as a great option for North-Eastern Argentina.

The former largest stadium of the region, the Estadio José Antonio Romero Feris, is an inadequate option with a capacity of 16,000. Similarly, Resistencia´s former largest stadium the Estadio Juan Alberto Garcia is also undersized with a capacity of 18,000. The largest stadium in the region is the Estadio Centenario in Formosa which seats 25,000. However, in 2011 the potential of the region hosting test matches increased substantially when Los Pumas took on the French Barbarians in front of a packed Estadio Centenario in 2011. A Rugby World Cup in Argentina would therefore appear to offer the region with a unique opportunity of one of these cities getting a new stadium. The cities are not small when compared to those being used to host matches at Rugby World Cup 2011. In fact, Corrientes has a population which is virtually identical to New Zealand´s third largest city and capital, Wellington.



The city of Corrientes was founded in 1588 by Juan Torres de Vera y Aragón who gave it the name San Juan de Vera de las Siete Corrientes, which over time was shortened to simply Corrientes. The original name means Saint John of Vera of the Seven Currents, and refers to the seven peninsulas located on the shores of the river. It is located 1000KM north of Buenos Aires, 500KM north of Santa Fé, 700KM east of Tucumán and 800KM north east of Córdoba making it easily workable into a match schedule.

If Argentina were to be selected to host Rugby World Cup 2023, Resistencia could host up to four matches should it have a new venue. It would not be considered for play-offs matches given the countries existing options such as Buenos Aires, Córdoba, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Mendoza and Rosario. It, nevertheless, provides Argentina with an additional venue option to put it up against all other possible host countries. Should the city be utilized as a venue a modern stadium with a capacity ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 would be sufficient to host at least three matches much like Hamilton and New Plymouth for New Zealand 2011.

Martín Bustos Moyano´s Dream debut continues

In his second appearance for his first ever professional rugby team, Argentina A winger, Martín Bustos Moyano scored all 22 points for Montpellier as they defeated 2010 European Champions, Toulouse 22-21 in Montpellier on Wednesday. The win places Montpellier at the top of the table as they share first place with Stade Français Paris and Bayonne. The win over Toulouse was a double as it followed Montpellier´s first ever victory vs 2009 Top 14 champions, USA Perpignan in Perpignan on Saturday.

Montpellier now face Clermont in an away match on Sunday and enter the game in a much stronger position than they otherwise would. Montpellier have always been in the bottom half of the table of the Top 14. Martín Bustos Moyano has enver played for Los Pumas. This would appear to be set to change come November as Argentina have a three match European tour with matches against Italy, France and Ireland.