Súper Liga Americana de Rugby
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South America will get its own professional rugby competition: the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby.
More details are expected soon, but what is known is that it will start on 28 February, 2020. There will be 6 teams in 2020, but more will be added in 2021.
The teams are:
Los Ceibos (Córdoba, Argentina)
Corinthians (São Paulo, Brazil)
Selknam (Santiago, Chile)
Cafeteros (Medellín, Colombia)
Olímpia (Asunción, Paraguay)
Peñarol (Montevideo, Uruguay)In 2020, there will - however - only be a home-and-away round robin played between 5 teams. The four highest ranked teams will then play semi-finals and a final. The 6th team (Cafeteros) will only play the lowest ranked team in a play-off at the end of the season. I have read about plans that the Súper Liga champion at the end of the season will play the North American MLR champion.
Originally, they had hoped to start an 8-team competition, but - not surprisingly - money seems to be an issue.
http://www.americasrugbynews.com/2019/11/27/teams-for-super-liga-americana/
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The draw for the Súper Liga Americana has been released.
Kick-off times and venues still to be confirmed..
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More info: http://www.americasrugbynews.com/2020/01/22/match-schedule-for-inaugural-slar-season-confirmed/
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Is this screened in NZ
It would help the game grow
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Meh it's just as good here...
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@Machpants said in Súper Liga Americana de Rugby:
Meh it's just as good here...
You've had your fun put a spoiler on that please.
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@Machpants fucking lol!!
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South American fans put in more effort
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@Stargazer Any word in the game in Honduras?
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i really need to go to Argentina
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@mariner4life said in Súper Liga Americana de Rugby:
i really need to go to Argentina
There's a reason why I'm learning Spanish.
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@antipodean you going to Spain first?
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The Súper Liga Americana de Rugby competition starts tomorrow.
I understand that all games will be broadcast on ESPN (except locally), but I assume that's the South American version of ESPN only. I have a link to a site where you can watch ESPN, but I'm not sure whether it's legal and whether it will work for these games, so I won't post it here. Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like to get the link.
More info about the team rosters can be found on the Americas Rugby News website: http://www.americasrugbynews.com/competitions/2020-super-liga-americana-de-rugby/
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The first team line-up for the 2020 SLAR has been named! I'm not going to post each team line-up (obviously), but this is the first SLAR match ever, so it's quite unique.
This is the matchday 23 of Uruguayan team Peñarol, that includes a number of seasoned Uruguayan test players - including RWC revelation Santiago Arata. They will take on Chilean team Selknam on Thursday, 5 March at 12.30pm NZT (Wednesday, 4 March at 8.30pm local time) in Montevideo.
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@Stargazer Be interesting to see what the standard of play and skill level will be. I suppose it will probably be somewhere about the upper level of Heartland Championship but will have to wait until I can catch the "highlights" package before making judgement.
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@Higgins I have the same expectation; despite the inclusion of a few test players and players with overrseas' experience in the squads, I don't think they'll be much better than the likes of North Otago, Wanganui etc., but they have to start somewhere. I hope that this comp kicks on and leads to further growth and development of the game S America, just like the MLR seems to be doing in N America. It must be difficult in such a football mad continent. They've had huge problems finding sponsors for this comp, so I hope the crowds turn up and it doesn't turn into a disaster.
It wouldn't surprise me if Ceibos from Argentina is a step above the rest; it's basically the development team of the Jaguares, so a lot of players have benefited from training with the Jaguares (at least, that's what I've read). Ceibos' head coach is Ignacio Fernández Lobbe.
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Former Counties/Auckland/Northland player Latiume Fosita is part of the start of the SLAR. He has been named in the starting line-up of Selknam:
1 Javier Carrasco, 2 Tomás Dussaillant, 3 Matías Dittus; 4 Clemente Saavedra, 5 Javier Eissmann; 6 Ignacio Silva (cap), 7 Martín Sigren, 8 Rodrigo Bruno; 9 Patricio Baronio, 10 Santiago Videla; 11 Julio Blanc, 12 Latiume Fosita, 13 Domingo Saavedra, 14 Lucca Avelli; 15 Francisco Urroz.
Reserves: 16 Augusto Böhme, 17 Vesi Rarawa, 18 Esteban Viale, 19 Mario Mayol, 20 Nicolás Garafulic, 21 Bautista Stávile, 22 Beltran Vergara, 23 Ignacio Albornoz.
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For whoever is interested in watching the Peñarol v Selknam game, below is the livestream:
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The stadium looks almost empty; not strange considering it's 8.30pm (local time) on a Wednesday night.
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@Stargazer said in Súper Liga Americana de Rugby:
The stadium looks almost empty; not strange considering it's 8.30pm (local time) on a Wednesday night.
of course the stadium is empty, it's a southern hemisphere "club" game
What exactly do you do for work that you are watching this on a Thurs morning?
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@mariner4life I'm having my lunch break. It's not morning here, anymore. Not that it's any of your business :face_with_stuck-out_tongue_winking_eye:
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Okay, I've seen enough. Our better 1st XV teams would beat both these teams.
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And now that Olimpia v Corinthians game has been postponed/cancelled.
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The Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) has been suspended until further notice.
http://www.americasrugbynews.com/2020/03/14/slar-indefinitely-suspended/
https://www.slar.rugby/la-superliga-americana-de-rugby-se-pospone-hasta-nuevo-aviso-11?nid=43
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The Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) has been suspended until 2021. The inaugural season began on March 04 with Peñarol vs Selknam and ended on March 14 following Selknam vs Ceibos. The season was limited to just three league matches due to COVID-19. Board meetings on Monday involving representatives from Ceibos (Argentina), Corinthians (Brazil), Olímpia Lions (Paraguay), Peñarol (Uruguay) and Selknam (Chile). Together the decision to suspended the 2020 season was made. The regular season was set to run until May 16 with Selknam vs Corinthians being the final fixture. From there the competition was to have the Semi Finals and the Challenge Trophy. The latter was to involve Los Cafeteros Pro, making Colombia’s debut in professional rugby. los Cafeteros Pro will now be in the plans for the 2021 SLAR season. The competition is to be scheduled to begin in March 2021. There are additional questions as to the make-up of what will be the second year of SLAR. Nacional (Uruguay) are one such instance of a team that may join the league. -
Just after Sudamerica Rugby started advertising the 2021 season, there's a looming lawsuit affecting this competition.
According to reports in the media, the Argentinian union (UAR) has, or is planning to, dissolve the Argentinian club that participated in the competition last year (Ceibos) in favour of the Jaguares.
Article in Spanish:
https://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportes/rugby/uar-ceibos-jaguares-nid2563330 -
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@Stargazer, Surely they could just add the Hags and have a bye or something?
Argies would have sufficient players for it.
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@Kiap From what I understand from the South American sites and social media that I follow (my Spanish isn't great), they're using a draft system to ensure that all participating teams have enough players of reasonably quality. Not sure, but this may be in addition to "normal signings". Again, from what I understand, as a result of this draft, a lot of Argentinian players will play for teams from the other countries. I think more than half of the players of the new Colombian team (Cafeteros) are Argentinian. They have signed two Ceibos players.
IIRC, the original plan was to expand the Super Liga in the next few years and to add another Argentinian team (Jaguares XV). I do not understand why they couldn't do that, this year, and add the Jaguares XV that is now replacing the Ceibos.
The weird thing is also that two of Ceibos' halfbacks have now signed with Paraguayan team Olímpia Lions. I understand that at least eight Ceibos' players are moving to other teams (and not to Jaguares XV).
Edited to add that this UAR decision may be a Buenos Aires v other cities move. Los Ceibos were based in Córdoba. I believe many of the players that are from Córdoba, Rosario, and Santa Fé may end up playing for the other franchises, while the Jaguares XV possibly sign mostly players from the Buenos Aires clubs.
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While not great(but totally understandable given COVID) at least they have a place to play rugby
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