What is the ARC, and Why Do We Care?
What is the ARC, and Why Do We Care?
So USA Rugby announced the final group of players to participate in the Americas Rugby Championship.
This is essentially the list named before camp, but without Chris Saint and Ben Cima - who were in there as cover at halfback fighting with a couple of other players.
| Rosters for the 2014 ARC |
| USA Selects |
| Nate Augspurger (Old Blue) |
| John Cullen (Seattle Saracens) |
| Brian Doyle (New York Athletic Club) |
| Andrew Durutalo (Men's Eagles Sevens) |
| Zach Fenoglio (Glendale Raptors) |
| Lemoto Filikitonga (Metropolis) |
| Troy Hall (New York Athletic Club) |
| Graham Harriman (James Bay) |
| Justin Hundley (New York Athletic Club) |
| Olive Kilifi (Seattle Saracens) |
| Chad London (Glendale Raptors) |
| Angus MacLellan (Davenport University) |
| Tim Maupin (Trinity College) |
| Ben Pinkelman (Denver Barbarians/Colo. State) |
| Adam Siddall (Old Blue of New York) |
| Louis Stanfill (Seattle Saracens) |
| Tim Stanfill (Seattle Saracens) |
| Kyle Sumsion (Brigham Young University) |
| Andrew Suniula (Old Blue) |
| Shalom Suniula (Seattle Saracens) |
| Ben Tarr (Unattached) |
| Zach Test (Men's Eagles Sevens) |
| Phil Thiel (Life Rugby) |
| Matt Trouville (Seattle Saracens) |
| Nick Wallace (Glendale Raptors) |
| Argentina Jaguars |
| Ignacio Albornoz |
| Matías Alemanno |
| Rodrigo Báez |
| Facundo Barrea |
| Gonzalo Bertranou |
| Juan Ignacio Brex |
| Matías Cortese |
| Matías Díaz |
| Felipe Ezcurra |
| Patricio Fernández |
| Federico Giménez |
| Juan Cruz Guillemaín |
| Facundo Isa |
| Dan Isaak |
| Tomás Lezana |
| Augusto López |
| Lucas Martínez |
| Román Miralles |
| Julián Montoya |
| Lucas Noguera Paz |
| Brian Ormson |
| Javier Ortega Desio |
| Francisco Panessi |
| Joaquín Paz |
| Guido Petti |
| Roberto Tejerizo |
| Uruguay |
| Rodolfo de Mula PSG |
| Juan Echeverria OLD CHRISTIANS |
| Francisco Jimenez CHAMPAGNAT |
| Mateo Sanguinetti LOS CUERVOS |
| Lucas Scarnati SIC (ARG) |
| German Kessler LOS CUERVOS |
| Ignacio Dotti LOS CUERVOS |
| Matias Beer OLD CHRISTIANS |
| Gonzalo Soto OLD BOYS |
| Agustín Alonso MVCC |
| Fernando Bascou PSG |
| Diego Magno MVCC |
| Juan De Freitas CHAMPAGNAT |
| Manuel Castro CARRASCO POLO |
| Guillermo Lijstenstein TRÉBOL |
| Alejo Durán TRÉBOL |
| Matias Arocena OLD CHRISTIANS |
| Manuel Blengio OLD CHRISTIANS |
| Rodrigo Silva CARRASCO POLO |
| Rodrigo Bocking OLD CHRISTIANS |
| Nicolas Freitas CARRASCO POLO |
| Pedro Dolsan URÚ CURÉ (ARG) |
| Francisco Bulanti TRÉBOL |
| Federico Favaro OLD CHRISTIANS |
| Tomas Etcheverry CARRASCO POLO |
| Gastón Mieres LOBOS |
| Leandro Leivas OLD CHRISTIANS |
| Canada |
| Kyle Baillie, (Edmonton Druids/Atlantic Rock) |
| Ray Barkwill, (Niagara Wasps RFC/Ontario Blues) |
| Nick Blevins, (James Bay AA/Prairie Wolf Pack) |
| Admir Cejvanovic (Burnaby Lake RFC/BC Bears) |
| Andrew Coe, (Markham Irish/Ontario Blues) |
| Nanyak Dala (Castaway Wand./Prairie Wolf Pack) |
| Derek Daypuck, (London St. George’s/Ont. Blues) |
| Tom Dolezel, (London St. George’s/Ontario Blues) |
| Guiseppe Du Toit, (Uvic Vikes) Maple Ridge, BC |
| Sean Ferguson, (UBC Thunderbirds/BC Bears) |
| Aaron Flagg, (Abbotsford RFC/BC Bears) |
| Kyle Gilmour, (St. Albert/Prairie Wolf Pack) |
| Ryan Hamilton, (Capilano RFC/BC Bears) |
| Pete Houlihan, (Edmonton Druids/Prairie ) |
| Pat Kay, (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) |
| Jamie Mackenzie, (UVIC Vikes/Ontario Blues) |
| Gordon McRorie, (Calgary Hornets/Prairie) |
| Dan Moor, (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) |
| Callum Morrison, (UBCOC Ravens/BC Bears) |
| Evan Olmstead, (Parramatta Two Blues/Prairie) |
| Clay Panga, (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) |
| Patrick Parfrey, (Swilers RFC/Atlantic Rock) |
| Seb Pearson, (London St. George’s/Ont. Blues) |
| James Smith, (Shoalhaven RFC/Prairie) |
| Doug Wooldridge, (Lindsay RFC/Ontario Blues) |
So now the list you see in the sidebar faces the lists of the other teams - Argentina, Canada, Uruguay.
But it might help you if you actually knew what the ARC is.
Back around the end of 2005 the International Rugby Board concluded that the USA and Canada needed some sort of competition between domestic and international. What they came up with was the North America 4 - two teams from the USA and two from Canada competing in a series.
It worked, after a fashion. It did provide some elite-level games for players who needed it, and it did provide a selection vehicle for national team coaches. The NA4 was supposed to become a sort-of self-sustaining semi-pro league, which it never did. And it was supposed to be for players trying to make their way to national team glory, but it often ended up being a series of trial matches for the USA and Canada teams.
As a result, winning the NA4 sometimes took a back seat to what the national team coach wanted.
The NA4 was expensive and was stopped after 2008, but in its place, eventually, came the ARC. This was at times going to be a full test-match series between USA, Canada, Argentina, and one or two others. Then it was provincial or regional teams battling domestically and then internationally. Then it because almost-national teams (and Tonga showed up one year).
Finally, though, the formula was settled on in 2012 - four countries, but not full international teams. For the USA this meant domestic players who were on the Eagles or trying to get on the Eagles. In 2012 it was much more players with a slim hope, and in 2013 the USA team was much more players just on the cusp, and hungry to get there.
Canada has the same model, while Uruguay has usually sent their full national team. Argentina, which participates in The Rugby Championship, basically sends a young second team.
This year, Uruguay’s squad is mostly a 2nd team because their 1sts are trying to beat Russia to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.
So why does this matter? For one, this is where tomorrow’s national team players cut their teeth. In the selection camp, it’s where players hoping to get there find out if they’ve got what it takes. In the ARC itself, it’s where guys who qualify is “we’ll see” become “well look at that.”
This is the one place where a player who hopes to make the Eagles gets to work with the national team coaches, and show that he can play.
Does it work? Often it does. In 2010 Samu Manoa was called at the last minute and flown from Tonga to Argentina to play in the ARC. His performance there got him on the Eagles, which got him a pro contract, and now he’s a star.
In 2013, Can Dolan emerged as not only a player, but a leader. Tai Tuisamoa changed from journeyman to Eagle to professional at London Scottish. Adam Siddall showed up to play flyhalf, didn’t really play any flyhalf at all, and ended up in the #10 jersey anyway, so not sure what that shows you.
The ARC is not full internationals. Winning these games won’t put the USA higher in the world rankings. But it does matter. These domestic players need games (remember, some of these guys will be playing the All Blacks in just over three weeks). They need to at least test the waters of the full international, with all the intensity, physicality, and pressure.
Winning these games can translate. They can give the full team a boost.
This is not the best USA team, then. We know that there are several playing pro overseas who are pretty darned good. The same goes for Canada. But this is still an international competition. There’s a trophy given out at the end, and the tackles are just as hard, the crowd just as hostile, and the training environment just as demanding.
That’s the ARC; that’s why it matters.
