Rugby union in Argentina
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
is a popular team sport played in Argentina
. The first rugby match played in the country dates back to 1873, as the game was introduced by the British
. The Argentina national team
, sometimes referred to as the Pumas, have competed at the Rugby World Cup
, and are considered a tier one nation by the IRB
.
until 1932.
The union is a member of the International Rugby Board with a seat on that body's Executive Council. The UAR is one of the oldest rugby unions in the world. The union became a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987
.
.
Early rugby was not immune to political problems either. An 1890 game in Buenos Aires resulted in both teams, and all 2,500 spectators being arrested. National president Juárez Celman
was particularly paranoid after the Revolution of the Park
in the city earlier in the year, and the police had suspected that the match was in fact a political meeting.
In 1899, three clubs from Buenos Aires - Buenos Aires F.C.
, Belgrano
, Lomas
- and one from Rosario - Rosario Athletic Club
- got together to form the River Plate Rugby Football Union. This body, one of the oldest rugby unions in the world, later became known as the Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR), which became a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) only after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. Although rugby went professional in the mid 1990s, the domestic competition in Argentina has largely remained amateur. That has ensured large numbers of Argentinians playing overseas, particularly in European competitions, though these players are still eligible for the national team, and make up a large amount of the side.
It was originally dominated by the British community in Argentina, but unlike certain other regions, it became successfully transplanted to the local population. For example, in its early days the River Plate Rugby Union (the ancestor of today's national organisation),
had a membership whose surnames portrayed their English and Scottish origins - such as Anderson, Baikie, Bellamy, Brodie, Corry-Smith, Elliot, Jacobs, Leicht, Taylor, Thurn.
Away from Buenos Aires, where the game's background is traditionally somewhat refined, Tucuman
is a heartland for the sport, where supporters are passionate, and often burn the opposition's flag on the terraces. This is a region which has provided Argentina with some of its toughest forwards.
One of Argentina's main problems has been geographical isolation, and despite Chile
, Uruguay
and to a much lesser extent, Brazil
playing the game, Argentina towers above them, and has not a reasonable match in its continent. Its first contact outwith the continent was in 1910, when an England team led by J. Raphael toured, winning all six matches, scoring 213 points, and conceding a mere 31. This embarrassing deficit would occur again in 1927, when David McMyn's England tour scored 295 points, and conceded only 9.
There were similar humiliations when, the Junior Springboks toured Argentina in 1932, winning all eight matches. and when a British side visited in 1936.
In the post-War period, Argentina turned its sights overseas, touring South Africa in 1965, and despite faring badly there, they made contact with Izak van Heerden
, the Natal
coaching genius who would revolutionise Argentine rugby in the late 1960s. Van Heerden's coaching was not the only turnaround in Argentina's fortunes at this time, it also saw the emergence of Hugo Porta
, who is arguably the greatest Argentine player of all time, and some outstanding packs.
In the 1970s, major Argentine rugby clubs included Rosario, Buenos Aires, San Isidro, and Gimnasia y Esgrima.
Argentina has long been seen as the biggest power outside the Six Nations and the Tri Nations; between 1981-90 in four tests, England
won only two out of four, and Scotland lost both tests on their 1994 tour.
, which is organised by the unions of Rosario
, Santa Fe
and Entre Ríos.
Historically, club rugby in Argentina has been dominated by clubs from the powerful Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires
(URBA) and the URBA championship was seen as the strongest club competition in the country. In recent years however, clubs from outside Buenos Aires have closed the gap with URBA clubs. To reflect this the Nacional de Clubes
was created in 1993. Originally the competition involved 16 clubs from all over the country but the formula was modified in 2009.
That year a new competition was created, the Torneo del Interior
. This competition involves the best ranked clubs from all regional tournaments outside of Buenos Aires. With the creation of this tournament, the Nacional de Clubes was overhauled. From 2009 on, only 4 clubs qualify for the Nacional - instead of 16 - and the competitions starts directly at the semi-finals stage. The 4 clubs qualifying for the Nacional's semi-finals are the two finalists of both the Interior and URBA tournaments, with the URBA winner meeting the Interior runner-up and vice versa. The first winner of the new and improved Nacional de Clubes was Rosario's Duendes Rugby Club
, who beat Buenos Aires' Hindú Club
in the final.
is contested by representative teams of the 24 unions that exist within the UAR. It is divided into two competitions, the 8-team Zona Campeonato and the 16-team Zona Ascenso. The winner of the Zona Ascenso earns a place in the following years' Zona Campeonato, replacing the last-placed team of the latter competition.
, possibly as two provinces. Following the hosting of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
to New Zealand, who Argentina voted for, rugby figures within Argentina claimed that New Zealand could be helping out the country more, rather than just giving them an All Blacks test (which was actually arranged prior to the 2011 result). Some Argentines were under the impression that New Zealand should be helping them gain entry into Southern Hemisphere competitions, ala Super 14 and the Tri Nations Series
. Allegedly, the New Zealand Rugby Union pointed to them not having "box office appeal" for their current non-involvement in the competitions. NZRU chief executive Chris Moller, saying that there was no agreement between the nations, did however offer the UAR advice on how to improve its domestic competition and agreed to see All Black camp specialists to provide coaching in Buenos Aires when the All Blacks played the Pumas in June 2006.
In the wake of Argentina's series win over in the 2006 mid-year Tests
, and realising that the Tri Nations would apparently be a closed shop until at least 2009, Pumas captain Agustín Pichot
publicly urged that Argentina be added to Europe's Six Nations Championship
. In an interview with the Western Mail of Cardiff
, he pointed out that all of the starting 15 that defeated Wales would play the 2006-07 season in Europe. Pichot added,
The Sunday Times
of London reported in February 2007 that the IRB was brokering a deal with SANZAR
, the body that organises the Tri Nations, to admit Los Pumas to the competition as early as 2008. The story noted that logistical issues, specifically the distance between Argentina and Europe plus fixture congestion in Northern Hemisphere rugby, caused the Six Nations to balk at admitting Argentina. The IRB was apparently convinced that the Tri Nations was the proper place for a Southern Hemisphere team, and reportedly found South Africa strongly supporting the move and Australia not opposed. The Sunday Times indicated that the biggest stumbling block could be the UAR itself, "some of whose members are deeply attached to amateurism." Eventually, the IRB admitted its attempt to get the Pumas into a major competition would be unsuccessful until at least 2010, when the key media contract between SANZAR and News Corporation
expires. An IRB spokesman cited fixture congestion in the Southern Hemisphere and the lack of a professional structure in Argentina as additional reasons for the demise of a potential deal.
In November 2007, in the wake of the Pumas third-place finish in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, the team's future status was a key topic of discussion at an IRB conference on the future worldwide growth of the sport. The decisions made at the conference regarding Los Pumas were:
However, NZRU deputy chief executive Steve Tew subsequently expressed doubts that a professional domestic competition in Argentina would be sufficiently viable within the following 10 years to retain elite players in South America, despite all the good intentions and funding of the IRB. In December 2007 the 23 provincial delegates at an Extraordinary Meeting of the UAR voted unanimously to keep their domestic league amateur, although the Pumas selection pool would be centrally contracted as professionals to the UAR. This decision was almost instantly assailed by Pichot, who told The Daily Telegraph
of London,
The UAR, with considerable assistance from the IRB, continued to work towards building a professional structure in the country. Pichot, formerly critical of the UAR, accepted an invitation to join a "High Performance Board" to help the country achieve its ultimate goal of a place in a major international tournament. In September 2009, SANZAR announced that it had issued a provisional invitation to Argentina to join an expanded "Four Nations" tournament starting in 2012. The main condition for Argentine participation is that the UAR can ensure the availability of its top players for the Four Nations; the deal is also dependent on approval from broadcasters and financial considerations. Tew, skeptical of Argentina's ability to develop a professional structure only two years earlier, was impressed with the country's progress in 2009, stating "They have made a huge amount of progress in the past six months ... not long ago they were facing bankruptcy and they have come a long way."
Argentina's increasing engagement with the Tri Nations was further cemented in December 2009, when the South African Rugby Union
announced that an Argentine team would join the national developmental competition, the Vodacom Cup
, starting in 2010. The team, known as Pampas XV
, was initially expected to be based in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape
, but ultimately found a home in Potchefstroom. Pampas XV
won the competition in its second season of 2011
.
Also in 2011, the IRB also helped to accommodate Argentina's Four Nations entry by making a major change to its Regulation 9, which governs the release of players for international duty. Before the change, Argentina internationals only had to be released for the June and November Tests, as the Pumas were not in a major hemispheric competition. The new Regulation 9 introduces a new release period, from late August to early October, for all four major Southern Hemisphere powers. SANZAR chief Greg Peters noted at the time that this change would make Argentine internationals less attractive to Northern Hemisphere clubs.
On 14 September 2009, Argentina was formally admitted into the Tri-Nations competition (which will henceforth be renamed Four Nations) from 2012 onwards.
urban area, which boasts more than eighty rugby clubs, and Tucumán Province
,
While rugby in Argentina is still largely amateur, there are many professional players. Most important Argentine players emigrate to Europe
(mainly to England
and France
) where they play professionally. Probably the best known players are Hugo Porta
, a member of both the International Rugby
and IRB Halls of Fame
who played during the 1970s and 1980s; past Pumas captain Agustín Pichot
; current captain Felipe Contepomi
and his teammate Juan Martín Hernández
, both of whom made the five-man shortlist for the IRB International Player of the Year
award in 2007; former player Marcelo Loffreda
, who coached the Pumas to third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
before leaving to take up the head coaching job at English
club power Leicester Tigers
; and former player and current Pumas head coach Santiago Phelan
.
The national team are nicknamed los Pumas, and wear blue and white jerseys - they are considered a top tier nation by the IRB, though they are currently the only tier one team that does not compete in annual competition with other tier one nations (see Tri Nations (rugby union) and Six Nations Championship
). However, as noted above, this may possibly change around 2012, with Argentina fully integrated into the Tri Nations structure.
Argentina played their first international on June 12, 1910, against a touring British Isles
, losing 28 points to three. Argentina also competed at the first ever Rugby World Cup
held in Australia and New Zealand in 1987. Grouped with the All Blacks, Fiji
and Italy
, Argentina won their game against the Italians, but finished at the bottom of their pool on points difference. Subsequent World Cups saw similar results, in the 1999 tournament
however, Argentina finished second in their pool and made it to the quarter finals. Argentinian Gonzalo Quesada
was also the top scorer of the tournament. The 2003 Rugby World Cup
saw them finish third in pool A. The Nations Cup is a tournament involving Argentina A, and was first held in 2006.
In recent years Argentina have proven themselves capable of scaring and more than occasionally defeating traditional rugby giants. For example, since November 2004, Argentina have picked up wins over all the participants in Europe's Six Nations Championship
, and also have a narrow loss to the All Blacks, who had to survive a last-second assault on their try line, in the same time frame. Argentina also drew with the British & Irish Lions in 2005 in Cardiff
, notable as a 'moral victory' for the Pumas, who were missing over two dozen players and had to resort to dragging players out of retirement to play. Heading into the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, Argentina's most recent Six Nations scalps were a pair of wins over an experimental Ireland
side and one over Italy in 2007
. In the World Cup itself, Argentina beat the host nation, France, in the opening game and Ireland in a later pool match. The Pumas went on to defeat Scotland in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions South Africa in the semifinals. They met France again in the bronze final and won again, this time by a convincing 34-10 margin. Out of the last 10 matches between Argentina and France—four at Vélez Sársfield
and six in France—Argentina have seven wins, with their three losses by a combined total of 13 points. Today (June 2010) Argentina is ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings
.
since 2004. (Current playing record).
show all of the national team's internationals as well as games from the domestic league. A magazine show is also broadcast on the channel. Additionally many international rugby union competitions and internationals are broadcast by Fox Sports en Latinoamérica
, for example, the Super Rugby competition between provincial sides from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as South Africa's domestic competition, the Currie Cup
, and New Zealand's ITM Cup. Fox also broadcasts numerous internationals, such as the Tri Nations Series, as well as other tests and tours.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
is a popular team sport played in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The first rugby match played in the country dates back to 1873, as the game was introduced by the British
English settlement in Argentina
English Argentines are citizens of Argentina who can claim ancestry originating in England. The English settlement in Argentina , took place in the period after Argentina's independence from Spain through the 19th century...
. The Argentina national team
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
, sometimes referred to as the Pumas, have competed at the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
, and are considered a tier one nation by the IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
.
Governing body
The Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR) was formed in 1899 as the River Plate Rugby Football Union, 26 years after the first rugby match had been played. It was affiliated to the English Rugby Football UnionRugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
until 1932.
The union is a member of the International Rugby Board with a seat on that body's Executive Council. The UAR is one of the oldest rugby unions in the world. The union became a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...
.
History
The first rugby union match in Argentina was played in 1873, the game having been brought to South America by the British. In 1886, it is recorded that Buenos Aires Football Club played Rosario Athletic Club in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
.
Early rugby was not immune to political problems either. An 1890 game in Buenos Aires resulted in both teams, and all 2,500 spectators being arrested. National president Juárez Celman
Juárez Celman
Miguel Angel Juárez Celman was President of Argentina from 12 October 1886 to 6 August 1890. A lawyer and politician, his career was defined by the influence of his kinsman, Julio Argentino Roca, whom propelled him into a legislative career...
was particularly paranoid after the Revolution of the Park
Revolution of the Park
The Revolution of the Park was an uprising against the national government of Argentina that took place on 26 July 1890 and started with the takeover of the Buenos Aires Artillery Park. It was led by members of the Civic Union against the presidency of Miguel Juárez Celman...
in the city earlier in the year, and the police had suspected that the match was in fact a political meeting.
In 1899, three clubs from Buenos Aires - Buenos Aires F.C.
Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club
Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club, sometimes known simply as Buenos Aires or B.A.C.R.C., is an amateur multi-sports club from the San Fernando district of Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina...
, Belgrano
Belgrano Athletic Club
Belgrano Athletic Club is an amateur sports club from the Belgrano neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. One of Argentina's oldest institutions still in existence, Belgrano is one of the four clubs that founded the Argentine Rugby Union....
, Lomas
Lomas Athletic Club
Lomas Athletic Club is a sports club from Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Argentina. One of Argentina's oldest clubs still in existence, Lomas is one of the four clubs that founded the Argentine Rugby Union...
- and one from Rosario - Rosario Athletic Club
Club Atlético del Rosario
Club Atlético del Rosario is a sports club from Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. The sports currently practised at the club are rugby union, field hockey, cricket and tennis.-History:...
- got together to form the River Plate Rugby Football Union. This body, one of the oldest rugby unions in the world, later became known as the Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR), which became a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) only after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. Although rugby went professional in the mid 1990s, the domestic competition in Argentina has largely remained amateur. That has ensured large numbers of Argentinians playing overseas, particularly in European competitions, though these players are still eligible for the national team, and make up a large amount of the side.
It was originally dominated by the British community in Argentina, but unlike certain other regions, it became successfully transplanted to the local population. For example, in its early days the River Plate Rugby Union (the ancestor of today's national organisation),
had a membership whose surnames portrayed their English and Scottish origins - such as Anderson, Baikie, Bellamy, Brodie, Corry-Smith, Elliot, Jacobs, Leicht, Taylor, Thurn.
Away from Buenos Aires, where the game's background is traditionally somewhat refined, Tucuman
Tucumán Province
Tucumán is the most densely populated, and the smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the capital is San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neighboring provinces are, clockwise from the north: Salta, Santiago del Estero and...
is a heartland for the sport, where supporters are passionate, and often burn the opposition's flag on the terraces. This is a region which has provided Argentina with some of its toughest forwards.
One of Argentina's main problems has been geographical isolation, and despite Chile
Rugby union in Chile
Rugby union is a fairly popular sport in Chile.-Governing body:The Federación de Rugby de Chile was founded on 4 May 1953. Their statutes and regulations were officialized at 16 December 1963...
, Uruguay
Rugby union in Uruguay
Rugby union is considered one of the most popular sports in Uruguay. The national team, commonly known as Los Teros, have been playing international rugby since the late 1940s and have made appearances in two world cups - once in 1999 and again in 2003.- Governing body :The Unión de Rugby del...
and to a much lesser extent, Brazil
Rugby union in Brazil
Rugby union is a minor but growing sport Brazil, with an increasing popularity at universities across the country.Rugby union is played regularly in 21 of Brazil's 26 states and in the Federal District. The sport is not widely played in schools, but is common in universities, more specifically the...
playing the game, Argentina towers above them, and has not a reasonable match in its continent. Its first contact outwith the continent was in 1910, when an England team led by J. Raphael toured, winning all six matches, scoring 213 points, and conceding a mere 31. This embarrassing deficit would occur again in 1927, when David McMyn's England tour scored 295 points, and conceded only 9.
There were similar humiliations when, the Junior Springboks toured Argentina in 1932, winning all eight matches. and when a British side visited in 1936.
In the post-War period, Argentina turned its sights overseas, touring South Africa in 1965, and despite faring badly there, they made contact with Izak van Heerden
Izak Van Heerden
Izak Van Heerden was a South African rugby union coach, and player, remembered mainly for his successes with the Argentina national team and Natal, and his unconventional style.-Biography:Van Heerden was born in Durban in 1910....
, the Natal
Natal, South Africa
Natal is a region in South Africa. It stretches between the Indian Ocean in the south and east, the Drakensberg in the west, and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The main cities are Pietermaritzburg and Durban...
coaching genius who would revolutionise Argentine rugby in the late 1960s. Van Heerden's coaching was not the only turnaround in Argentina's fortunes at this time, it also saw the emergence of Hugo Porta
Hugo Porta
Hugo Porta is a former Argentine Rugby Union footballer, an inductee of both the International Rugby Hall of Fame and IRB Hall of Fame, and one of the best fly-halves the sport has seen...
, who is arguably the greatest Argentine player of all time, and some outstanding packs.
In the 1970s, major Argentine rugby clubs included Rosario, Buenos Aires, San Isidro, and Gimnasia y Esgrima.
Argentina has long been seen as the biggest power outside the Six Nations and the Tri Nations; between 1981-90 in four tests, England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
won only two out of four, and Scotland lost both tests on their 1994 tour.
Club rugby
Argentina is divided into 24 provincial unions which all organise their own provincial club competitions. Since the 1990s, some provincial unions have started organising regional club competitions with neighbouring unions in order to raise the standards of rugby and make their clubs more competitive. An example of this is the Torneo del LitoralTorneo del Litoral
The Torneo del Litoral is an annual rugby union competition in Argentina. The competition involves clubs from Rosario, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos, and is one of several regional competitions held in Argentina every year....
, which is organised by the unions of Rosario
Unión de Rugby de Rosario
The Rosario Rugby Union or URR is the organisational body that controls the game of rugby union in Rosario, in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. The rest of Santa Fe province being controlled by the Unión Santafesina de Rugby.-History:...
, Santa Fe
Unión Santafesina de Rugby
The Unión Santafesina de Rugby is the governing body for rugby union in Santa Fe Province in Argentina.-History:In 1949 the Unión de Rugby del Río Paraná was founded. Its role was to represent and organise competitions for clubs from both Santa Fe and Entre Ríos provinces.Due to different point of...
and Entre Ríos.
Historically, club rugby in Argentina has been dominated by clubs from the powerful Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires
Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires
This article is about a Rugby organization. URBA can also refer to the URBA mass transport system.The Buenos Aires Rugby Union , usually referred as URBA, is the governing body that organises and controls the rugby union in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as the Buenos Aires Provincial...
(URBA) and the URBA championship was seen as the strongest club competition in the country. In recent years however, clubs from outside Buenos Aires have closed the gap with URBA clubs. To reflect this the Nacional de Clubes
Nacional de Clubes
Nacional de Clubes is a club rugby union competition in Argentina. Originally, the competition involved 16 teams from most provincial unions. From 2009, the competition was reduced to only 4 teams, 2 from the Torneo del Interior and 2 from the Buenos Aires tournament.-1993 to 2008:From 1993 to...
was created in 1993. Originally the competition involved 16 clubs from all over the country but the formula was modified in 2009.
That year a new competition was created, the Torneo del Interior
Torneo del Interior
The Torneo del Interior is an annual rugby union competition in Argentina. The competition involves clubs from all provincial unions outside of Buenos Aires...
. This competition involves the best ranked clubs from all regional tournaments outside of Buenos Aires. With the creation of this tournament, the Nacional de Clubes was overhauled. From 2009 on, only 4 clubs qualify for the Nacional - instead of 16 - and the competitions starts directly at the semi-finals stage. The 4 clubs qualifying for the Nacional's semi-finals are the two finalists of both the Interior and URBA tournaments, with the URBA winner meeting the Interior runner-up and vice versa. The first winner of the new and improved Nacional de Clubes was Rosario's Duendes Rugby Club
Duendes Rugby Club
Duendes Rugby Club, is a sports club from Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Although field hockey is the other sport practised, Duendes is more popularly known for its rugby union team.-Rugby:...
, who beat Buenos Aires' Hindú Club
Hindú Club
Hindú Club founded in 1919, is a sports club based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mostly known for its rugby union team , the club hosts other activities such as soccer, tennis, golf and bridge.-History:...
in the final.
Representative rugby
The Campeonato ArgentinoCampeonato Argentino
The Campeonato Argentino is an annual rugby union competition in Argentina. Although it is usually treated as such, it is not strictly a provincial competition, as the 24 competing teams do not represent the 24 provinces of Argentina, but rather the unions that make up the Unión Argentina de Rugby...
is contested by representative teams of the 24 unions that exist within the UAR. It is divided into two competitions, the 8-team Zona Campeonato and the 16-team Zona Ascenso. The winner of the Zona Ascenso earns a place in the following years' Zona Campeonato, replacing the last-placed team of the latter competition.
International rugby
Argentina is often talked about as joining Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the Super 14Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
, possibly as two provinces. Following the hosting of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
to New Zealand, who Argentina voted for, rugby figures within Argentina claimed that New Zealand could be helping out the country more, rather than just giving them an All Blacks test (which was actually arranged prior to the 2011 result). Some Argentines were under the impression that New Zealand should be helping them gain entry into Southern Hemisphere competitions, ala Super 14 and the Tri Nations Series
Rugby Union Tri Nations
The Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The competition is organized by SANZAR, a consortium formed by the governing bodies of the Australian Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the South...
. Allegedly, the New Zealand Rugby Union pointed to them not having "box office appeal" for their current non-involvement in the competitions. NZRU chief executive Chris Moller, saying that there was no agreement between the nations, did however offer the UAR advice on how to improve its domestic competition and agreed to see All Black camp specialists to provide coaching in Buenos Aires when the All Blacks played the Pumas in June 2006.
2006 mid-year rugby test series
During June of 2006, several rugby union test sides played fixtures that were mainly contested in southern nations. It acted as end of year tours of the Northern Hemisphere nations, and pre season matches for the Tri Nations Series and Pacific 5 Nations....
, and realising that the Tri Nations would apparently be a closed shop until at least 2009, Pumas captain Agustín Pichot
Agustín Pichot
Agustín Pichot is a retired Argentine rugby union player, formerly captain of the Argentine team and the English club Bristol. In addition to Bristol, he played for French sides Stade Français and Racing Métro after leaving Argentine team CASI from San Isidro in 1997...
publicly urged that Argentina be added to Europe's Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
. In an interview with the Western Mail of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, he pointed out that all of the starting 15 that defeated Wales would play the 2006-07 season in Europe. Pichot added,
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
of London reported in February 2007 that the IRB was brokering a deal with SANZAR
SANZAR
SANZAR is the body which operates Super Rugby and Tri Nations competitions in rugby union. It is a joint venture of the South African Rugby Union, the New Zealand Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union, formed in 1996.Created shortly after rugby's move to professionalism in 1995, SANZAR's two...
, the body that organises the Tri Nations, to admit Los Pumas to the competition as early as 2008. The story noted that logistical issues, specifically the distance between Argentina and Europe plus fixture congestion in Northern Hemisphere rugby, caused the Six Nations to balk at admitting Argentina. The IRB was apparently convinced that the Tri Nations was the proper place for a Southern Hemisphere team, and reportedly found South Africa strongly supporting the move and Australia not opposed. The Sunday Times indicated that the biggest stumbling block could be the UAR itself, "some of whose members are deeply attached to amateurism." Eventually, the IRB admitted its attempt to get the Pumas into a major competition would be unsuccessful until at least 2010, when the key media contract between SANZAR and News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
expires. An IRB spokesman cited fixture congestion in the Southern Hemisphere and the lack of a professional structure in Argentina as additional reasons for the demise of a potential deal.
In November 2007, in the wake of the Pumas third-place finish in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, the team's future status was a key topic of discussion at an IRB conference on the future worldwide growth of the sport. The decisions made at the conference regarding Los Pumas were:
- Starting in 2008, the Pumas will play more annual Tests, increasing from the previous six Tests per year to nine by 2010.
- By 2010, the team will play four Tests in the June Test window, three in November, and two during the Six Nations window in February and March.
- Between 2008 and 2012, Argentina will develop a professional structure within the country, with the goal of having the majority of Argentine professionals playing at home. Sometime around 2012, Los Pumas will then supposedly be "fully integrated into the Southern top-flight Rugby playing structure" (read "Tri Nations").
However, NZRU deputy chief executive Steve Tew subsequently expressed doubts that a professional domestic competition in Argentina would be sufficiently viable within the following 10 years to retain elite players in South America, despite all the good intentions and funding of the IRB. In December 2007 the 23 provincial delegates at an Extraordinary Meeting of the UAR voted unanimously to keep their domestic league amateur, although the Pumas selection pool would be centrally contracted as professionals to the UAR. This decision was almost instantly assailed by Pichot, who told The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
of London,
The UAR, with considerable assistance from the IRB, continued to work towards building a professional structure in the country. Pichot, formerly critical of the UAR, accepted an invitation to join a "High Performance Board" to help the country achieve its ultimate goal of a place in a major international tournament. In September 2009, SANZAR announced that it had issued a provisional invitation to Argentina to join an expanded "Four Nations" tournament starting in 2012. The main condition for Argentine participation is that the UAR can ensure the availability of its top players for the Four Nations; the deal is also dependent on approval from broadcasters and financial considerations. Tew, skeptical of Argentina's ability to develop a professional structure only two years earlier, was impressed with the country's progress in 2009, stating "They have made a huge amount of progress in the past six months ... not long ago they were facing bankruptcy and they have come a long way."
Argentina's increasing engagement with the Tri Nations was further cemented in December 2009, when the South African Rugby Union
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to the International Rugby Board...
announced that an Argentine team would join the national developmental competition, the Vodacom Cup
Vodacom Cup
The Vodacom Cup is an annual rugby union competition in South Africa which is contested between February and May. The cup is the third most prestigious competition in rugby union in South Africa, behind Super Rugby and the Currie Cup. It runs at roughly the same time as Super Rugby and serves as an...
, starting in 2010. The team, known as Pampas XV
Pampas XV
Pampas XV is an Argentine rugby union team, currently playing in the South African domestic rugby union competition, the Vodacom Cup. The team was established in 2010 and is composed almost entirely by members of the High Performance Plan of the UAR....
, was initially expected to be based in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
, but ultimately found a home in Potchefstroom. Pampas XV
Pampas XV
Pampas XV is an Argentine rugby union team, currently playing in the South African domestic rugby union competition, the Vodacom Cup. The team was established in 2010 and is composed almost entirely by members of the High Performance Plan of the UAR....
won the competition in its second season of 2011
2011 Vodacom Cup
-Team Listing:The following teams took part in the 2011 Vodacom Cup competition:-Round One:-Round Two:-Round Three:-Round Four:-Round Five:-Round Six:...
.
Also in 2011, the IRB also helped to accommodate Argentina's Four Nations entry by making a major change to its Regulation 9, which governs the release of players for international duty. Before the change, Argentina internationals only had to be released for the June and November Tests, as the Pumas were not in a major hemispheric competition. The new Regulation 9 introduces a new release period, from late August to early October, for all four major Southern Hemisphere powers. SANZAR chief Greg Peters noted at the time that this change would make Argentine internationals less attractive to Northern Hemisphere clubs.
On 14 September 2009, Argentina was formally admitted into the Tri-Nations competition (which will henceforth be renamed Four Nations) from 2012 onwards.
Popularity
Rugby enjoys widespread popularity in Argentina, most especially in the Greater Buenos AiresGreater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires is the generic denomination to refer to the megalopolis comprising the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and the conurbation around it, over the province of Buenos Aires—namely the adjacent 24 partidos or municipalities—which nonetheless do not constitute a single administrative...
urban area, which boasts more than eighty rugby clubs, and Tucumán Province
Tucumán Province
Tucumán is the most densely populated, and the smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the capital is San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neighboring provinces are, clockwise from the north: Salta, Santiago del Estero and...
,
While rugby in Argentina is still largely amateur, there are many professional players. Most important Argentine players emigrate to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
(mainly to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) where they play professionally. Probably the best known players are Hugo Porta
Hugo Porta
Hugo Porta is a former Argentine Rugby Union footballer, an inductee of both the International Rugby Hall of Fame and IRB Hall of Fame, and one of the best fly-halves the sport has seen...
, a member of both the International Rugby
International Rugby Hall of Fame
The International Rugby Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF accepts new inductees every two years...
and IRB Halls of Fame
IRB Hall of Fame
The IRB Hall of Fame is a hall of fame operated by the International Rugby Board that recognises special achievement and contribution to the sport of rugby union. The IRB Hall of Fame covers players, coaches, administrators, match officials, institutions and other individuals...
who played during the 1970s and 1980s; past Pumas captain Agustín Pichot
Agustín Pichot
Agustín Pichot is a retired Argentine rugby union player, formerly captain of the Argentine team and the English club Bristol. In addition to Bristol, he played for French sides Stade Français and Racing Métro after leaving Argentine team CASI from San Isidro in 1997...
; current captain Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi is an Argentine rugby union footballer. A fly-half and centre, he currently plays for Stade Francais of the French Top 14; he made his debut for the club in November 2009 after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in a 2008–09 Heineken Cup match with his previous club, Magners...
and his teammate Juan Martín Hernández
Juan Martín Hernández
Juan Martín Hernández is an Argentine rugby union player. A mainstay of the Argentina national team, he currently plays for the Paris club Racing Métro in the French Top 14 competition. His 2010 move to Racing brought him back to the city where he had begun his professional career in 2003 with...
, both of whom made the five-man shortlist for the IRB International Player of the Year
IRB International Player of the Year
IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International Rugby Board. It is awarded to the player who is adjudged to have been the best performer in rugby union internationals in the preceding season IRB Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by the International...
award in 2007; former player Marcelo Loffreda
Marcelo Loffreda
Marcelo Loffreda is a rugby player and coach, until recently head coach for the English club power Leicester Tigers. Loffreda won 44 caps with one as captain, playing at centre for the Argentine rugby union side...
, who coached the Pumas to third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
before leaving to take up the head coaching job at English
Guinness Premiership
The English Premiership, also currently known as the Aviva Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Aviva, is a professional league competition for rugby union football clubs in the top division of the English rugby system. There are twelve clubs in the Premiership...
club power Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
; and former player and current Pumas head coach Santiago Phelan
Santiago Phelan
Santiago Phelan is a retired Argentine rugby union footballer. His usual position was flanker....
.
National team
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
). However, as noted above, this may possibly change around 2012, with Argentina fully integrated into the Tri Nations structure.
Argentina played their first international on June 12, 1910, against a touring British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
, losing 28 points to three. Argentina also competed at the first ever Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
held in Australia and New Zealand in 1987. Grouped with the All Blacks, Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
and Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
, Argentina won their game against the Italians, but finished at the bottom of their pool on points difference. Subsequent World Cups saw similar results, in the 1999 tournament
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
however, Argentina finished second in their pool and made it to the quarter finals. Argentinian Gonzalo Quesada
Gonzalo Quesada
Gonzalo Quesada is an Argentine rugby player.-Biography:He was born May 2, 1974 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He won 39 caps playing at Fly-half for the Argentinian rugby union side between 1996 and 2003. He made his test debut at the age of 22 against the United States the 14 September 1996. He won...
was also the top scorer of the tournament. The 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
saw them finish third in pool A. The Nations Cup is a tournament involving Argentina A, and was first held in 2006.
In recent years Argentina have proven themselves capable of scaring and more than occasionally defeating traditional rugby giants. For example, since November 2004, Argentina have picked up wins over all the participants in Europe's Six Nations Championship
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
, and also have a narrow loss to the All Blacks, who had to survive a last-second assault on their try line, in the same time frame. Argentina also drew with the British & Irish Lions in 2005 in Cardiff
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, notable as a 'moral victory' for the Pumas, who were missing over two dozen players and had to resort to dragging players out of retirement to play. Heading into the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, Argentina's most recent Six Nations scalps were a pair of wins over an experimental Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
side and one over Italy in 2007
2007 mid-year rugby test series
The 2007 mid-year rugby Test series refers to the Rugby union Test matches played during June and May 2007. These are played in the Southern Hemisphere, and include all Tests hosted by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa outside of the 2007 Tri-Nations...
. In the World Cup itself, Argentina beat the host nation, France, in the opening game and Ireland in a later pool match. The Pumas went on to defeat Scotland in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champions South Africa in the semifinals. They met France again in the bronze final and won again, this time by a convincing 34-10 margin. Out of the last 10 matches between Argentina and France—four at Vélez Sársfield
Estadio José Amalfitani
The Estadio José Amalfitani is a stadium located in the Liniers neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The venue is mainly used for football matches and is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sársfield. The stadium is nicknamed El Fortín or El Fortín de Liniers...
and six in France—Argentina have seven wins, with their three losses by a combined total of 13 points. Today (June 2010) Argentina is ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings
IRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
.
Women's rugby
Although Argentina's women have not yet played test match rugby, they have been playing international sevens rugbyWomen's International Rugby Union Sevens
Rugby Union Sevens - a short form of the sport of rugby union - was first played in 1883, with the first internationals taking place in 1973...
since 2004. (Current playing record).
Media coverage
ESPN Latin AmericaESPN Latin America
ESPN Latin America is an ESPN channel that broadcasts in Latin America, not to be confused with ESPN Deportes, which is another channel which broadcasts in the United States in Spanish. ESPN Latin America is not available in the U.S., because is not authorized to air most of the programming seen on...
show all of the national team's internationals as well as games from the domestic league. A magazine show is also broadcast on the channel. Additionally many international rugby union competitions and internationals are broadcast by Fox Sports en Latinoamérica
Fox Sports en Latinoamérica
Fox Sports, is a Latin American cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-recorded event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming, Fox Sports compete with the largest international sports network, ESPN.The channel broadcast...
, for example, the Super Rugby competition between provincial sides from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, as well as South Africa's domestic competition, the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
, and New Zealand's ITM Cup. Fox also broadcasts numerous internationals, such as the Tri Nations Series, as well as other tests and tours.
External links
- UAR.com.ar
- Rugby News from Argentina Olé rugby pages
- Buenos Aires Herald Sports Pages (English)
- Argentine Rugby Inspired by Che Guevara by The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
- The Development of Rugby in the River Plate Region: Irish Influences by Hugh FitzGerald Ryan in "Irish Migration Studies in Latin America", Society of Irish Latin American Studies.