The fourth edition of the ever-evolving Americas Rugby Championship will kick-off this weekend, allowing the best teams in South and North America to showcase their growing presence in international rugby in a six-week long, round-robin tournament.



The US Eagles, after an outstanding 2018 season of test rugby, which started by winning their second consecutive Americas Rugby Championship, will look to raise the bar further, with their focus aimed towards Rugby World Cup 2019 preparation.



Argentina XV, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile will fly the Sudamérica Rugby flag, while Canada will accompany the USA as Rugby Americas North representatives.



For the first time in four years, the ARC will have an important bye-week to assist in player recovery and overall welfare.



PEAK CONDITION



“This being a Rugby World Cup year, teams and players are putting their energy into ensuring they reach Japan in peak condition," said Agustín Pichot, Rugby Americas President and World Rugby Vice-Chairman.



“The ever-growing Americas Rugby Championship plays a large role in the players and staff preparation and I’m confident this will be the most competitive edition of the three previous competitions.



“Year on year the tournament grows in awareness and delivers on the goal of increasing the level of play and development within the region, while also growing the overall brand of the Americas Rugby Championship.”

Chile will host the USA in the first game of the tournament on 2 February, in Santiago, while Argentina XV take on Brazil and Uruguay host Canada in the other round one fixtures.



VIEW ARC 2019 FIXTURES >>



Canada will need to erase the bad memories from their last visit to Uruguay's capital, when they lost out to Los Teros on the Americas 2 qualification berth for Rugby World Cup 2019, sending them to the Repechage and a longer route to Japan.



Canada coach Kingsley Jones, having secured the final berth for Japan 2019 last November, knows the work done in the ARC will be crucial come September.



“The squad we have selected has a good mix of experience and youth. With less than nine months until the Rugby World Cup, the ARC allows us the opportunity to give some players who played very well in 2018 but missed out on tough selection in November, while it is important we have selected experienced players to help maintain continuity and confidence gained in the recent run of positive performances and victories,” said Jones, on the back of a six-game winning streak.



WORLD CUP WINNER JOINS EAGLES



In the second round, the two-time champion Eagles will travel to Argentina’s Patagonia region to tackle their biggest rival and inaugural winners Argentina XV in what has traditionally been the competition's title decider. The fixture has so far produced two draws and a seven-point win for the Eagles in 2018.



For both sets of players, the chance to go to Rugby World Cup 2019 is a real prospect if they perform well over the coming weeks.



Eagles coach Gary Gold fully understands the importance of the ARC and has brought former Springboks Rugby World Cup winner Jaque Fourie to his staff as defence coach.



"I am so excited to be a part of the USA Eagles coaching staff and the team in 2019," said Fourie.



"They have grown so much in the last year and after playing in three Rugby World Cups myself, I know what a massive honour and privilege it is to be part of one of the biggest sporting events in the world. To do that with this team and as a coach will be amazing."



Looking ahead to what should be another fantastic Americas Rugby Championship, Pichot added: “Rugby Americas is investing heavily in this, our marquee tournament, to ensure we continue to play a role in utilising the international game to grow the sport of rugby throughout the Americas region.”