A new Sudamérica Rugby Board has been selected at the regional association’s Annual General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with Marcelo Rodríguez succeeding Carlos Barbieri as Chairman.
Marcelo Rodríguez (pictured above left), a former centre during his playing days, has been a Unión Argentina de Rugby Council Member since 2012 and takes over from Barbieri, who oversaw a successful four years for Sudamérica Rugby.
The assembly, attended by ever member union of Sudamérica Rugby, also saw Nathaly Montonya Ruales become the first woman appointed to the Board.
Meanwhile, El Salvador became a full member of Sudamérica Rugby with Nicaragua added as an associate member. Sudamérica Rugby will also support Costa Rica’s application for full membership of World Rugby.
“It is a great honour to preside over Sudamérica Rugby, a growing region with clear goals and a huge passion for the game,” said Rodríguez, the Argentine who will represent the regional association on the World Rugby Council.
“I want to thank Carlos Barbieri for his positive tenure, for ensuring the region has sustained a positive growth and for leaving behind a legacy of projects and competition.
PASSION AND ENTHUSIASM FOR THE GAME
“We will pursue that same road, prioritising player welfare and aiming to get more people to join our game and share our values of discipline, respect, humility, integrity, passion and solidarity.”
“As a region, we are fully aligned with the goals and ideals of World Rugby and will work with them to develop the game. I thank all of those who have entrusted me with the responsibility of leading Sudamérica Rugby for the next four years.”
Barbieri thanked every member union in the region for their hard work while leading his last meeting.
“It was a pleasure to see the growth of the game in South America over the last four years,” he said. “I had the opportunity and pleasure of feeling the enthusiasm and passion for the game and I know that the growth will continue to be positive and the entrusted values will continue to be a guiding light.”
World Rugby was represented at the Assembly by Tom Jones, the Regional General Manager for the Americas, and Santiago Ramallo, the Regional Development Manager for South America.
“Sudamérica Rugby is key area for World Rugby, with the potential to grow in numbers. We want the youth to enjoy the game in their clubs as they aim for high performance,” said Jones.
“World Rugby sincerely thanks the great work undertaken by Carlos and his Executive Committee and looks forward to continue working with the new Board.”
The new Sudamérica Rugby Board is:
Chairman: Marcelo Rodríguez (Argentina)
First Vice-President: Antonio Vizintín (Uruguay)
Second Vice-President: Salvador Encinas (Chile)
Secretary: Víctor Luaces (Argentina)
Treasurer: Ariel Mamanna (Argentina)
Members: Xavier Vouga (Brazil), Oscar Moreira Lacasa (Paraguay), Antonio Quintero (Venezuela); Tomás Petersen (Argentina), Andrés Pieroni (Uruguay), Sebastián Bianchi (Chile) and Nathaly Montonya Ruales (Peru)