Rugby is GREAT

10 June marks 100 days to go until the start of the Rugby World Cup, which the Embassy duly celebrated in Asunción at a special launch event. The tournament will be held in England and Wales from 18 September to 31 October.  The eighth World Cup will be the most popular, the most televised, the most competitive and probably the most emotional in the history of the game. Over 1.8 million tickets have already been sold.

The Rugby World Cup is the third most watched sporting spectacle on the planet after the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup.  The game has seen an impressive boom in popularity in recent years. There are now more than seven million players worldwide.

Rugby has also taken off in Paraguay, where the first game was played in 1925 amongst members of the British community. The first club – Asunción Rugby Club – was established in 1968.  Although the game isn’t yet professional there are now 30 clubs, over 3000 players, and regular league matches also involving female teams.

Congratulations to the Rugby Union of Paraguay and the Ministry of Sports for the all the work they are doing, with support from World Rugby, to promote the game in Paraguay.

The British Embassy is proud to be doing its part to encourage more Paraguayans, particularly youngsters, to try out the sport. We are working with rugby fanatics in Paraguay and SOS KIT AID to donate rugby balls, boots, shorts, shirts and other equipment to some of the less well off clubs across the country.

Rugby is a noble game that helps teach young people important values like discipline, teamwork, honesty, playing by the rules, loyalty and mutual respect. Values that last a life time and transcend cultural, geographical, political and religious boundaries.

I played rugby as a youngster in South Africa but then lost touch with the game.  Fortunately I have been able to reconnect in Paraguay.  I’ve watched a couple of games recently at the impressive new ‘Heroes de Curupayty’  stadium in Asunción: CRACO vs Capiatá at a tournament supported by the Embassy; and Yacares (Paraguay’s national team) vs Pumas (Argentina’s).  In both games, I was deeply impressed by the passion, spirit  and dogged determination of young Paraguayan ‘Rugbiers’.  The game has a bright future here.

Look out for more Embassy activity on rugby this World Cup year, including on line competitions.