Reflecting the growth in South America as a whole, Colombia’s Get Into Rugby programme has seen nearly 50,000 boys and girls become actively involved with the sport since it was launched in 2013.

The success of Get Into Rugby can be seen in the growth of the increasingly popular under-18 tournament Torneo Centenario, which is staged every year in the Colombian capital Medellin.

Around 800 players now take part, both male and female, in a tournament that acts as a focal point for youth rugby in the country.

With a dental healthcare company acting as one of the tournament's sponsors, the participants also benefit from free dental checks, cleaning and advice.

"When we first started the competition it was just a local tournament with between 100 and 150 children taking part, but now we have a total of 1300 children playing in Medellín for the whole weekend. It has been a real success," said Cesar Arango of the Colombian Rugby Federation.

Some of the best players from the Torneo Centenario may go on to represent their country in the future, but the rewards of rugby are not just measured in caps and international appearances, especially in a country like Colombia, as the Colombian Rugby Union's coaching manager Mauricio Henao Galeano explains to World Rugby TV.

"As everyone knows, rugby teaches these children a lot of social values, and the values of citizenship, which, in a society like Colombia, which has a long history of violence, is very beneficial to them," he said.

Get Into Rugby - some facts and figures

Colombia 
Pilot union in 2013. 
29,196 boys, 17,124 girls, 46,320 total participants, 1,270 trained coaches/teachers/referees

South America
Over 255,800 participants since January 2015, 36 per cent of the participants are girls
16 registered unions,13 active since January 2015

Global
More than one million participants since January 2015
37 per cent of the participants are girls
154 registered unions (18 new registered unions this year), 129 active unions since January 2015
1,750 active locations
More than 19,000 trained personnel delivering the activities

Also on World Rugby TV, we hear from Springboks star Duane Vermeulen on his determination to get to England 2015, former Wales star Scott Quinnell briefs us on the back row and Nicolas Sanchez reflects on a marvellous year for himself and the Pumas.

Photo credit: Jose Leiver, Colombia