The Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) was launched in 2009 to build on the success of the North America 4 tournament, which it replaced, and is a key component of the IRB's Strategic Investment Program, which includes significant investment in USA, Canada and Argentina.

Last year, the Select XV Team, which was led by Coach Paul Keeler, finished the tournament in fourth place, following the Ontario Blues, BC Bears and Argentina Jaguars, which took home the Americas Rugby Championship title with its 35-11 win over British Columbia.

This year, the Eagles Select XV Team will be joined by the Argentine Jaguars, Canada ‘A’ and Tonga ‘A’ for a round-robin style tournament, with each side playing three games.

The first round of matches will kick off on Tuesday, October 5, with the USA Select XV playing Tonga ‘A’ and the Argentina Jaguars facing Canada ‘A’. On Sunday, October 10, Canada will take on Tonga while Argentina will face the USA. And in the final set of matches, on Saturday, October 16, the rivalry continues as Canada and the USA will battle it out in one match and Argentina and Tonga will face-off in another.

O’Sullivan will be joined by fellow Eagles Coaches Dave Hodges (Forwards), Matt Sherman (Backs) and Dave Williams (Strength and Conditioning). The squad will be managed by Tristan Lewis.

“The ARC is an important tournament for a number of reasons,” O’Sullivan said. “It gives our domestic-based players an opportunity to compete in a high level competition and this year it will also prove excellent preparation for the Eagles’ Fall Tour to Europe, also allowing players a shot at inclusion on that tour.”

The Select XV player pool will be decided in September and the details for the Fall Tour are currently being finalized.

For more information on the Men’s National Team, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/mens_select_XV.