World Rugby
Americas championship gathering momentum
ESPN Staff
April 25, 2015
An annual Test tournament would be a major shot in the arm for the USA Rugby © Facebook
Enlarge

An Americas championship in the mould of Europe's Six Nations could be up and running as early as next year.

Unions in North and South America are hoping to launch a Six Nations of their own after talks in Miami this week were attended by representatives from Canada, Argentina, the United States, Brazil, Uruguay and Chile. The tournament has yet to be given a name of its own but would be run under the guidance of the Pan-American Rugby Association (PARA).

"This is an exciting time for rugby in the Americas and the establishment of a sustainable annual international rugby championship for the unions in the Americas will be an important step forward for the development of the game in the region," USA Rugby chief and former England captain Nigel Melville said.

Executives are working towards a five-year plan for the tournament which would guarantee five matches for each nation each year. It is not known whether Argentina's involvement would affect its position in The Rugby Championship; but an earlier timeframe, wedged somewhere between the Six Nations and southern hemisphere championship, would still allow the Pumas to fulfil their existing obligations.

"There is a lot of work to be done but the future looks bright," said Agustin Pichot, former Argentina captain and current president of PARA. "As a group of unions we believe that an American championship would contribute significantly to the development of the game," he added.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

Live Sports

Communication error please reload the page.