Mexico must be made a second tier rugby nation

Roar Guru

By rugbyfuture, 16 Jun 2010 rugbyfuture is a Roar Guru

Tagged:: american rugby, International Rugby, IRB, Rugby Union

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In 2003, a rugby federation joined the IRB as a member. This new member was the FMRU, the Federación Mexicana de Rugby. This (close to) new member should be one of many countries I believe the IRB should be looking at as one of its primary developmental areas.

This is because, not only is it at the forefront of cultural representation of central and Latino America, but because it can contribute greatly in moving forward with Rugby USA and Rugby Canada in creating a new international first tier country area.

Currently, rugby in North America is experiencing growth at a rapid rate, as the fastest growing sport (with Lacrosse) in the United States.

It’s also one of the fastest growing sports in Canada.

This shows its long term sustainability since two national teams are gaining better and better players, and higher recognition.

Mexico is a growing nation, with a strong identity and many migrants spreading into the United States and throughout the world. Due to its close proximity and high migration rates, Mexico shares a cultural link with the United States.

In order for NAWIRA to move ahead and become a strong rugby zone, it is important that Mexico can become highly competitive with the States and Canada, offering the area a premier Test “tri-series” and moving forward into the new era of strong Americas Rugby.

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The Crowd Says (16) | Page 1 of Comments

Matt Manley said | June 16th 2010 @ 1:46am | Report comment

I am American and I would love to see all of the Americas, both North and South, form a Test Series.

Soccer is just so huge down there. Rugby has an up hill climb in Central & South America, but if soccer nations like Brazil and Mexico embrace rugby, it will be tremendous for the sport.

Sevens is definitely a good way to introduce the sport in these areas.

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kingplaymaker said | June 16th 2010 @ 9:14am | Report comment

rugbyfuture but does Mexico have much rugby played at the moment?

Another point, it’s been said rugby is growing in America and Canada for a very long time, is it really?

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- rugbyfuture said | June 16th 2010 @ 11:51am | Report comment
  
  no mexico doesnt, hence why they need to preperly target it.
  
  yes it is, its gaining some popularity in the college system now and people are starting to notice it.
  
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  - JF said | June 16th 2010 @ 11:56am | Report comment
    
    Canada beat France A on the weekend, a team that included Medard, Beauxis and Dupuy.
    
    http://rugbydump.blogspot.com/2010/06/canada-surprise-france-in-churchill-cup.html
    
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JF said | June 16th 2010 @ 9:24am | Report comment

Sorry RF, I would not have said Mexico is the place the IRB needs to be investing. Argentina/Chile/Uruguay need a professional provincial competition – this should be the IRB’s priority for Latin America. North America is a completely different case, it requires it own development and competition.

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- rugbyfuture said | June 16th 2010 @ 11:55am | Report comment
  
  north american competition could be heavily aided if there was a third rugby power, especially with some rivalry, much like mexico, which is quite distant from the south american powerhouses.
  
  Chile, Uruguay and paraguay do deserve recognition, but mexico can bring greater influence in the north and in a cultural context. Brazil should be focused on but it already is developing at a rapid rate and so doesnt require an article.
  
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hog said | June 16th 2010 @ 7:37pm | Report comment

It would be nice but i doubt if the IRB has a bottomless pit of money to grow rugby everywhere and surely there has to be some genuine interest from the mexicans themselves

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sledgeandhammer said | June 16th 2010 @ 9:47pm | Report comment

Countries like Uruguay and Chile already have rugby heritage. I would push their barrow first.

Another couple of surprising international results last weekend – Georgia beat Scotland A, Italy A beat Argentine Jaguars and Namibia beat Romania.

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MBTGOG said | June 16th 2010 @ 10:19pm | Report comment

I can’t see rugby ever taking off in Mexico. It’s a poor nation that doesn’t have the money to set up the infrastructure or provide the resources needed, unless there are few rich benefactors behind the sport.

Also, as athletes, they are a people that would transition well to the sport. They are small and lithe and you need big athletes to compete at a decent level in this game.

From what I know, a country like Uruguay is one that should be targetted as their is a rugby history there.

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- Zorruko said | August 7th 2010 @ 11:29am | Report comment
  
  I don’t think your points of view are correct about Mexico. Of course there is poverty in Mexico, but is not a poor nation (is South Africa is a poor nation for you?).
  
  Remember Mexico was the first country in history to host 2 Soccer World Cups (1970 – 1986). They also have the best stadiums in Latin America, much better than the stadiums that New Zealand will use for 2011 World Cup.
  
  They also have the largest Spanish language media conglomerates of the world. Rugby is growing slowly in Mexico, but they now have more players than Uruguay for example, although their level is still very low.
  
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hans said | June 16th 2010 @ 10:46pm | Report comment

NBC Thrilled with Inaugural CCI 7s

By Alex Goff

The arrival of NBC on the rugby scene has only just begun, as the network will be covering the Churchill Cup Finals this weekend on NBC Universal, and is also expected to make another big rugby-related announcement in the next couple of days.

Ratings for CCI 7s (with comparison to Lacrosse)
(Source The Nielsen Company)

CCI June 5 Avg Viewers: 692,000
NCAA Lacrosse Semis June 5: 445,000

CCI June 6: 818,000
NCAA Lacrosse Final June 7: 711,000

(Ed Hagerty photo)

But the first NBC effort in rugby is what many fans are asking about. Staged in conjunction with USA 7s LLC (which is owned by the same company that owns Rugby Magazine), the Collegiate Championship Invitational (CCI) 7s tournament in Columbus, Ohio drew a small but acceptable crowd (total for the weekend less than 10,000) but also drew solid ratings on the NBC network.

Executive Vice President, NBC Sports Jon Miller was thrilled.

“I would say on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the event an 11,” Miller told RUGBYMag.com. “I was really happy with the vent, and especially happy with the job USA 7s did in executing it. They did not under-deliver. The level of athletes and quality of rugby and qualify of play was outstanding.”

The only negative, Miller said, was that the city of Columbus did not rally behind the event. Local press was ho-hum about it and Mayor Michael Coleman, after boldly promising to fill the stadium at the tournament launch event, didn’t even attend the tournament. Judging from feedback from the tournament and NBC, it is unlikely Columbus will be the host city next year.

“A number of cities saw the event and put their hands up to say they wanted to host,” said Miller.

But other than that?

“Everyone was very pleased,” said Miller. “The sponsors were extremely happy, and so were we. And everyone saw how good the games were.”

So the big question – what about the ratings? According to Nielsen, NBC averaged 692,000 viewers on Saturday, June 5, during pool play. On Sunday, during the championship matches, including the riveting final between Utah and Cal, the broadcast averaged 818,000 viewers. No, it’s not American Idol numbers, but compare it to lacrosse, a sport played in North American for centuries and which has been on TV for longer and more consistently than rugby. On the same weekend the NCAA Lacrosse Championships were held. Average viewers for the two semifinals on Saturday were 445,000. Monday’s final drew 711,000.

College rugby 7s, in its first network appearance, outperformed lacrosse by 55.5 percent on Saturday and 15 percent on the second day.

“It’s a very good start,” said Miller. “USA 7s did a great job. They set up the format and it was brilliant how they did it.”

Word is that qualification tournaments could be set up to lead into the 2011 CCI 7s. NBC likes that idea, and continues to look at rugby as a sport they want to cover on the long haul.

http://www.rugbymag.com/news/sevens/collegiate-7s/nbc-thrilled-with-inaugural-cci-7s.aspx

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Lorry said | June 16th 2010 @ 11:27pm | Report comment

Mexicans are small in height (I, at 171cms, was taller than most!)
but they are not lithe – more like stocky!

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kovana said | June 18th 2010 @ 8:19am | Report comment

just added some info above,,

NBC in america will be showing the RWC 2011 and 2015… They will show all 48 matches next year. Awesome growth for the game.

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kovana said | June 18th 2010 @ 9:46am | Report comment

I dont know why this isnt added.

“NEW YORK CITY and WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA. — June 17, 2010 – Universal Sports Network, NBC Sports, and the International Rugby Board (IRB) today announced a partnership that will bring to U.S. audiences unprecedented national television and digital media coverage of the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup tournaments. The announcement was made by Universal Sports CEO David Sternberg and Mike Miller, CEO and Secretary General, International Rugby Board.

Universal Sports, the preeminent destination for Olympic-related sports programming, and NBC Sports will provide full, multi-platform coverage of all 48 matches during the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand and the 2015 World Cup in England. Two matches in each tournament, including the Finals in 2011 and 2015, will air either live or on a same-day delay on NBC Sports. Live and delayed match video will also be accessible at http://www.universalsports.com, and on Universal Sports’ mobile platforms. Universal Sports’ and NBC Sports’ match coverage will feature a studio pre-game show, halftime and post-game shows, as well as several other production enhancements, and will be offered in high definition.

“This is a very significant rights acquisition for Universal Sports, especially given the growing popularity of rugby around the world and in America,” said Sternberg. “We are delighted to be partnering with the IRB for the Rugby World Cup and other top events, and we look forward to showcasing global rugby, at its highest level, for our audiences across all of our platforms—television, online and mobile.”

“Today’s announcement represents a significant milestone in the development of Rugby in the United States,” said Miller. “NBC and Universal Sports are globally renowned for quality broadcast delivery of major sports events in the United States and their considerable experience and passion for sport will deliver the widespread platform for Rugby World Cup to truly capture the hearts and minds of American sports fans.”

The Rugby World Cup is one of the largest and most avidly watched sporting events in the world, drawing an estimated 4.2 billion viewers worldwide during the last championship in France in 2007. The competition next year begins on September 9, 2011, when host New Zealand meets Tonga in Auckland. The tournament field consists of 20 different nations, likely including the United States, who will compete over the course of a month for the coveted Webb Ellis Cup. New Zealand and Australia jointly hosted the first edition of the Rugby World Cup in 1987 while South Africa is the defending champion from 2007.

The agreement extends Universal Sports’ focus on rugby, which will debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since the beginning of June, the network has really built up their rugby coverage. They have teamed up with USA Rugby and televised the U.S. Sevens Collegiate Championship Invitational and the six-country Churchill Cup tournament. The final two matches of the Churchill Cup, featuring both the U.S. national team and the England Saxons, will air live from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey, this Saturday, June 19 beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. ”

http://www.rugbymag.com/news/international/rugby-world-cup/n bc-universal-will-carry-2011-2015-rwc.aspx

Please Mods.. can someone do a story on this article.. Please

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