GUYANA’S 15s Rugby team, popularly known as the ‘Green Machine’, will begin their Americas Rugby Challenge campaign against Colombia on August 26, following the announcement of the schedule for the inaugural competition, which will be played at the  Estadio Cincuentenario in Medellín, Colombia.

The tournament which runs until September 1, will see Guyana compete against Colombia, Paraguay and Mexico, in the cross regional event that encompasses both North and South America.

The Americas Rugby Challenge is following in the footsteps of the successful Americas Rugby Championship, which will have its fourth season of competition this coming February/March. The competition was created by Rugby Americas for development teams in the Rugby Americas North and Sudamérica Rugby regions.

At a time when rugby is in constant global growth and the four participating nations are enjoying success on and off the field, rugby in the Americas accounts for 91 of the 338 million who are interested or very interested in rugby in a recent survey commissioned by World Rugby.

The introduction of the second-tier Challenge tournament follows on the back of three editions of the Americas Rugby Championship featuring the top six nations across North and South America.

Paraguay and México will open the tournament on Sunday, August 26, while hosts Colombia will tackle Guyana to close the first round of the tournament. Trans-regional matches will also be played in the second round with Guyana meeting Paraguay and Colombia playing against México on Wednesday 29.

The final round, on Sunday, September 1, will see Mexico clash with Guyana, and Colombia versus Paraguay as the closing match. The winners will be the team accruing the most tournament points.

This Americas Rugby Challenge will provide Guyana, Colombia, Mexico and the Paraguay with international competition to aid their development, as well as promote the growth of rugby across the continent.

World Rugby Rankings points will be on offer and the proximity of the four teams in the rankings ensures games will be both relevant and interesting.

Paraguay (ranked 38) and Colombia (43) joined Sudamérica Rugby’s elite in the new 6 Naciones Sudamericano. Guyana (47) and Mexico (53), representing Rugby Americas North, will be able to advance in the rankings on the back of good performances.

Meanwhile, according to the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU), their selectors will be announcing the final squad to represent Guyana at the Americas Rugby Challenge in the new week.

The team’s head coach Grant Stuart at a training session on Wednesday afternoon, disclosed that the training squad have stepped up their preparation with a trial session among the players at Independence Park (Parade Ground), as venue remains a big challenge for the Union.

According to the head coach, the players’ fitness is not the question at the moment, but getting them to gel and understand the system is the focus. He, however, is confident the players will get it right in time.