SLAR can be a 'gold rush' for forward-thinking rugby clubs
Whilst the Super Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) is an unknown quantity at this point in time, it is potentially a hotbed of player recruitment for professional clubs in Europe.
The competition, which begins its inaugural season this week, is attempting to establish club rugby in South America, with Argentina the only nation on the continent to have previously played host to a professional side.
SLAR consists of six teams, with five of those sides – from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay and Brazil – competing in a regular season that, upon its conclusion, the top four sides will go into the playoffs. The fifth-placed side will enter the Challenge Trophy with Cafeteros Pro, a club from Medellín in Colombia who are not a full participant for the debut season.
The five full participants are Ceibos from Córdoba (Arg), Peñarol from Montevideo (Uru), Corinthians from São Paulo (Bra), Selknam from Santiago (Chi) and Olimpia Lions from Asunción (Par).
The squads vary in their makeup, although all four non-Argentine sides are built around the cores of their respective nations’ national teams. Peñarol, Corinthians and Selknam are particularly close to international sides, Olimpia Lions have a Paraguayan international core mixed in with Namibian, Fijian, Argentine and South African players, whilst Ceibos boasts two full Argentinean internationals, but are built much more around a younger group who will have their eyes on spots with the Jaguares in the seasons to come.
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Former Clermont and Lyon star Napolioni Nalaga will be calling Paraguay home for the season, as will Pumas wing Manuel Montero and Namibia Rugby World Cup pair Damian Stevens and Max Katjijeko. Namibian hooker Obert Nortje and Tongan full-back Afa Pakalani will be turning out for Peñarol, whilst Rodrigo Bruni and Latiume Fosita will be based in Santiago with Selknam.
Some of those names will catch the eye for their former accolades or their recent showings at the Rugby World Cup, but it’s the local players where the potential for gems to be found really lies for European clubs. These are largely unscouted rugby territories, where agents are few and far between due to the lack of opportunities for these players to play professionally.
One of the biggest barriers to recruitment for rugby clubs in the UK specifically is the issue of obtaining visas. Ancestral or spousal visas are relatively simple affairs, but if a player doesn’t qualify for those, the requirements become more stringent.
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One route to a visa is if a player has played 75% of the games they were available for over the past two years in a major club competition such as the Gallagher Premiership, Guinness PRO14 or Super Rugby. This does not include the Mitre 10 Cup in New Zealand, the Currie Cup in South Africa, Major League Rugby in the US or, as stands, the SLAR in South America. The other route is via international caps, with one Tier 1 cap, three Tier 2 caps or three Tier 3 caps (+ a minimum of 10 full caps overall) in the last 24 months for their respective nations enough to qualify players for a visa.
This is where the majority of the SLAR clubs being national sides in all but name comes in handy for Premiership and PRO14 clubs hungry to find some affordable depth with plenty of upside for their squads.
In the context of the SLAR, Argentine players will need one international cap in the past two years, Urguayan players will need three international caps in the past two years and Paraguayan, Chilean, Brazilian and Colombian players will need three international caps in the past two years and at least 10 overall caps to qualify for visas. The Argentine pool is limited, with the majority of internationals playing abroad or for the Jaguares, but there is talent to be found in the other five nations.
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From Matteo Sanguinetti, Manuel Ardao and Santiago Civetta in the pack to the exciting back line talents of Santiago Arata, Juan Manuel Cat and Felipe Echeverry, the Peñarol club is loaded with eligible players who could make a difference in European leagues if given the opportunity. Maybe a club will take a look at some of the Brazilian front row that have been going viral on social media in recent years or the Sancery twins in the nation’s back line?
If a club looks at some of these players, brings them in and they are a success, the club will be hailed as forward-thinking and a trend-setter within professional rugby. If they come in and it doesn’t pan out the way the club would have hoped for, it’s a minimal cost relative to the figures that get thrown at far more high-profile flops from established rugby nations.
The value for money lies at the tier below Super Rugby in the southern hemisphere, but unless those players have an ancestral or spousal claim on a visa, they remain out of the reach of UK clubs. There is an abundance of talent in Japan, too, but the incentive to leave good money and a relatively kind playing schedule is limited.
Newcastle Falcons back three prospect Josh Hodge was one of the stars of England’s U20 campaign last season and is featuring again prominently this campaign. https://t.co/YYK7OuJ1Uo
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Major League Rugby is beginning to show its value in the US as a steppingstone to Europe and there should be optimism that the SLAR can follow in its footsteps. As with the rapidly expanding MLR, there is already talk of second teams in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay for subsequent seasons of the SLAR, should the initial season prove to be a success. If it can establish itself, professional domestic rugby competitions will exist in all continents, something which can only be good for the game moving forward.
A stronger global game creates a bigger and more talented player pool, and the clubs that spearhead this ‘gold rush’ to new territories will be the ones to reap the biggest rewards of all.
In an age where every club is looking to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals, particularly those in leagues that operate a salary cap, the SLAR is as exciting an opportunity for recruitment as it is for rugby in South America.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Steve Borthwick deserves credit for releasing the shackles on his England side and letting them play in a manner that somewhat resembles the top sides in the Gallagher Premiership. Will they revert to type in New Zealand in July.?
20 Go to commentsJames Lowe wouldn't get in any other 6N team. He's a great example of Farrell’s brilliance, and the Irish system. He is slow. His footwork is poor. But he fits perfectly in that Irish system, and has a superb impact. But put him in another team, and he'll look bang average.
3 Go to commentsCrusaders reached their heights through recruitment of North Island players, often leaving those NI teams bereft of key players. Example: Scott Barrett and Sam Whitelock robbed the Canes of their lineout and AB locks. For years the Canes have struggled at lock. This rabid recruitment was iniated by rule changes by a Crusader dominated NZR Head Office. Now this aggressive recruitment has back-fired, going after young inside back Hamilton Boys stars. They now have 4 Chiefs region 10s and not one with the requisite experience at Super level. Problems of their own making!
2 Go to commentsOver rated for a long time…exposed at scrum time too.
3 Go to comments“Firing me” should have been Gatland’s answer.
2 Go to commentsFinn Russell logic: “World” = 4 countries. Ireland may be at or near the top. FR’s bigger concern should be he and his fellow Scots (incl. the Bloemfontein ones) sliding back down to below top 10
42 Go to commentsMind games have begun. Ireland learned their lesson after saying they could beat England with 13 players or whatever. Still, if they win at Loftus, that would be impressive - final frontier etc.
58 Go to comments$950k for a Prop that isn’t fit enough to play 10 mins of rugby? Surely there is someone better to replace Big Mike with
3 Go to commentsFour Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
3 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
20 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
18 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
3 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
3 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
20 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
20 Go to commentsWho’d have thought, not having Farrell & Youngs kicking the ball at every possible opportunity and playing flat and allowing your centres to run and pass would pay off? No one could possibly have seen this coming. FML. It took a LONG time coming but at least that time has finally come. England need to find a backup to Lawrence. Freeman is the best candidate for me, I see no reason why he can't play 12. He's big, strong, fast and has great hands.
20 Go to commentsLove Manu but he's not the player he was and I imagine Bayonne have paid too much money for him.
3 Go to comments