Current season, competition or edition: 2019 Americas Rugby Championship | |
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 (reinaugurated 2016) |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country |  Argentina XV Brazil Canada Chile United States Uruguay |
| Most recent champion(s) | Argentina XV (6th title) |
| Most titles | Argentina XV (6 titles) |
The Americas Rugby Championship, often informally called the Americas' Six Nations, was an annual international rugby tournament between six North and South American nations: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the United States and Uruguay.[1] Originally competed by various interlocking combinations of club, second-tier national and top national sides, the current (since 2016) international tournament has the top national sides competing (though Argentina, to date, sends its second-tier team). The current format provides these top national teams with additional test matches to be counted in the World Rugby Rankings.
The original Americas Rugby Championship (organised by World Rugby) was inaugurated in 2009, when varying combinations of national, regional and development teams from North and South America competed for the title. In 2015, it was announced that from 2016, the competition would re-form under the guidance of the Americas Rugby Association and the respective unions, to provide the six national sides with additional rankings tests annually. The updated format is based on the structure of the European Six Nations Championship, coinciding with each other in February and March of each year.[2] Prior to this, the last competitive tournament to be held across the Sudamérica–RAN region had been the PARA Pan American Championship, which had ceased after its 2003 edition. World Rugby has granted all matches with test match status, with caps awarded for every match, though matches against the Argentina XV (rather than the top Argentina national squad) will not affect the World Rugby Rankings.[3]
- ^ "Americas Six Nations to Start in February - Americas Rugby News". Americas Rugby News. September 4, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
- ^ "Inaugural Americas Rugby Championship schedule released, U.S. venues announced". USA Rugby. Archived from the original on 2016-01-05. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
- ^ Wins would serve Uruguay and Chile well in Americas Rugby Championship