Brazil lived up to their billing as favourites by retaining the South American B title with a 43-3 defeat of Colombia before a crowd of more than 1,000 in their final match of the four-nation Championship held at Newton College in La Molina, East Lima, on Saturday.
The higher placed team in the IRB World Rankings, Brazil had gone into the encounter with Colombia knowing that victory would secure the title following their wins over host nation Peru [24-15] and Venezuela [49-7] earlier in the week.
Peru recovered well from that opening loss to Brazil to finish as runners-up after a 24-8 defeat of Venezuela on Saturday, the culmination of three months preparation for a tournament which also saw them edge Colombia 13-9.
Colombia finished third with one victory – a 33-13 triumph over Venezuela in the opening match - but Brazil, coached by Jonathan Lowe and captained by Antonio Górios Filho, laid the platform for their victories by dominating the scrums and lineouts.
“We actually won the tournament by about three in the afternoon and received the trophy about five or six o’clock, which was really received well. We have come back to Sao Paulo now and all the clubs are very pleased with their players and have sent emails and messages,” Lowe told Total Rugby Radio.
The Englishman has been working with the Brazilian national side for four years now, having been approached with the opportunity after enjoying a reasonably successful spell coaching a foreign club team in the South American country. It is an opportunity Lowe admits he wouldn’t have got back home in the UK with his experience, but fortunately he has been able to rely on a good support structure.
Small steps for brighter future
“I’ve had assistant coaches who have played good rugby within Brazil and within their own countries. Keith Young from South Africa, who was involved in the squad for two years and now Pierre Paparemborde, whose father [former prop Robert] was involved in the French squad, he played for France about 61 times and captained the side 10 times.
“He is over here with me and we coach together. It is an interesting combination, but it is an amazing challenge and it is a huge privilege to be involved in any national squad at any level, so that is really my approach towards it.”
With the likes of Brazil progressing and Argentina famously taking the world by storm with their performances at RWC 2007, it is how rugby goes forward in the Americas group that is the biggest question with the United States, Argentina, Canada and the likes of Chile and Uruguay all pushing for places.
For Brazil to make the step up from the South American B Championship they have now won for the last two years would unquestionably be a big challenge, but Lowe is not put off and views the process in a number of small steps.
“It will be a big step but not one that is unachievable. I am hoping within at least six to seven months we should be successful against Paraguay and that would lead us onto Chile and then after that I really think pushing Uruguay would be very difficult for us.
“However in the future, in a five-year development plan we have put together, then we would be looking towards Chile and Uruguay are the teams that we really need to be competing against.”
Rugby's appeal growing among Brazilians
If Brazil are to realise these targets then the domestic scene is important and Lowe reveals the interest in the sport is there and the club scene is growing beyond the stronghold of Sao Paulo with its eight strong clubs and expanding to more teams in Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Salvador and beyond.
“Within the club scene there is a structure and there are club games on a weekly basis and we have championships and tournaments, including some very strong Sevens tournaments within Brazil and also within the women’s Sevens. They have been South American champions for the last three years – the most successful side within Brazil.
“The universities are getting there and there is a real interest within the game, but obviously being within Latin America and certainly within Brazil there are limitations to the access we have to fields and to actually the media response in Brazil because obviously Brazil is a footballing nation.”
Football is overwhelmingly the national sport in Brazil and the problem could be likened to persuading New Zealanders to play the round ball game rather than their beloved rugby, but Lowe is seeing the game’s appeal broaden among Brazilians.
“I like to liken it to the film Cool Runnings with the Jamaican bobsleigh team. We are trying to push it all the way and do the best we can within Brazil. I have certainly been impressed with the approach the players in Brazil have taken and they are certainly Brazilian players.
“In the past, in the ‘70s it was very much the foreign employees within Brazil who were playing rugby and that caught on with the Brazilian players themselves and now Brazil is very much a Brazilian rugby scene not an ex-pat scene. It is certainly Brazilian players playing rugby.”
Listen to the interview with Jonathan Lowe on this week's Total Rugby Radio show from 18:00 UK time on Thursday 15 November.
