MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Theo Sauder had a try and kicked two points but Uruguay scored in the final minute of play to beat Canada 20-17 on Saturday to open the 2019 Americas Rugby Championship.
Ciaran Hearn and Jamie Mackenzie also had tries for Canada, ranked 20th in the world.
Canada holds an 8-5-0 career record against No. 17 Uruguay dating back to 1995, although the South Americans have won their last four matches.
Canada (2-3-0) finished fourth at last year's ARC won by the 12th-ranked Americans (5-0-0). The tournament also features No. 28 Brazil, No. 29 Chile and an Argentine reserve side.
After Uruguay, Canada plays Brazil on Feb. 9 in Sao Paulo before hosting Chile and the Argentina XV in Langford, B.C., on Feb. 22 and March 1, respectively. Canada will wrap up tournament play March 8 against the U.S. in Seattle.
The Canadian Press
