Joy of six: Pumas hot favourites as first-ever Americas Rugby Championship kicks off

The Americas Rugby Championship, a second-tier competition for the six best northern and southern American rugby union national teams, kicks off Saturday with regional power Argentina taking on the United States in Houston.

Uruguay will visit Canada and Chile will host Brazil in the other opening-day matches in the round-robin contest.

The ARC, styled after Europe’s Six Nations Championship, which also starts Saturday, will be played over five weeks with a champion decided on March 5.

While not a full-strength Pumas squad, world number five Argentina boast rising young talent from the same developmental system that has made the South American nation a force in the sport.

“Except for some isolated exceptions, the players involved in the Argentina 15 are all from the system and everyone knows the basic structures of attack, defence, line-out and scrum,” said the Pumas’ national scrum coach Emiliano Bergamaschi, who works closely with head coach Pablo Bouza.

“The training in Houston deepens the work. The aim of the game is no different to that of the [first-team] Pumas.”