Paraguay’s quest to reach the 2019 Rugby World Cup continues next month when the “Yakares” join Uruguay, Chile and Brazil in the 2017 Sudamerica Rugby A Championship, after beating Colombia in Asuncion last November to qualify for the next stage of the Americas qualification competition.

With the Webb Ellis Cup on display and RWC 2015 final referee Nigel Owens officiating, the qualification process began in front of a record crowd of 1,000 at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex in Kingstown to watch St Vincent and the Grenadines take on Jamaica in the Rugby Americas North Championship.

In the opening RWC 2019 qualifier, Jamaica proved too strong for St Vincent and the Grenadines, recording a 48-0 win that put them into the southern section of the Rugby Americas North Championship alongside Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, while the northern section consisted of Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Bahamas and Bermuda.

Guyana and reigning RAN champions Trinidad and Tobago won both of their games to set up a table-topping showdown, while it was the same story in the north where Mexico and the Cayman Islands played off for the right to contest the RAN Championship final.

Guyana edged a Port of Spain thriller 23-18, while rapidly-improving Mexico produced a four-try blitz inside 18 first-half minutes to effectively settle their match with the Caymans by half-time.

When the sides met three months later in Mexico City, “Las Serpientes” capitalised on Guyana’s ill-discipline and poor goal-kicking to win 32-3.

With the 2016 Sudamerica Rugby B Championship doubling as a RWC 2019 qualification tournament, three-time winners Colombia advanced to play Mexico in a straight shoot-out to progress. Beaten but not bowed, Las Serpientes’ hopes of appearing at RWC 2019 came to an end with a 29-11 defeat in Medellin..

Colombia had come through the Sudamerica Rugby B Championship with ease, seeing off the challenges of host nation Peru, Venezuela and Ecuador in the four-team tournament in Lima.

In the opening round Colombia ran in 13 tries in a 75-5 win over Ecuador, while Venezuela beat Peru 33-8. Both sides comfortably won their midweek fixtures, Colombia overcoming Peru 41-14 while Venezuela beat Ecuador 52-10, to set up a title decider.

A surprise looked on the cards as the lower-ranked Venezuela took an early 10-3 lead but Colombia found another gear to score 32 unanswered points and claim a hat-trick of titles.

After making home advantage count in their showdown with Mexico, the next stop on Colombia’s RWC 2019 adventure was Asuncion, where Paraguay lay in wait in a play-off to decide which of the nations would progress to next month’s Sudamerica Rugby A Championship.

Colombia put up a good account of themselves but it was Paraguay who will line up against Uruguay, Chile and Brazil to contest the Sudamerica Rugby A Championship after a 39-27 victory.

The winner of the Sudamerica Rugby A Championship will face the loser on aggregate from the meetings between North American rivals United States and Canada for a place in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with the loser having a final chance to make it to Japan through the repechage tournament.

Eliminated: St Vincent and the Grenadines, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Jamaica, Guyana, Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and Colombia

Sudamerica Rugby A Championship

Saturday, May 13
CHILE V BRAZIL
Santiago, 3.45pm.
PARAGUAY V URUGUAY
Asuncion, 3.15pm

Saturday, May 20
CHILE V PARAGUAY
Santiago, 3:45pm
URUGUAY V BRAZIL
Montevideo, 3.30pm

Saturday, May 27
BRASIL V PARAGUAY
Sao Paulo, 2pm
URUGUAY V CHILE
Montevideo, 3.30pm