The Torneo Regional del NOA (NorOeste Argentino – Argentine North-West), also known as Torneo del Noroeste, is a regional

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

competition in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. Originally, only clubs from the Tucumán RU took part. In successive editions the competition added clubs from the unions of Salta, Jujuy and Santiago del Estero. This yearly tournament has traditionally been dominated by Tucumán clubs. Clubs from the other 3 provinces have yet to win a title. Universitario is the most successful team, with 23 titles won to date.

History

Rugby was first played in Tucumán in 1915 but the first official rugby team in the province –

Club Natación y Gimnasia Club Natación y Gimnasia is a rugby union and field hockey club from San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. Founded in 1930 as a multi-sports club, Natación y Gimnasia is registered with the Unión de Rugby de Tucumán. Despite its name, swimming an ...

– would only be formed in 1936. Six years later

Tucumán Rugby Club Tucumán Rugby Club, is an Argentine sports club based in the city of Yerba Buena in Tucumán Province. Although other sports (such as tennis and field hockey) are practised in the institution, Tucumán is mostly known for its rugby union team. ...

was founded, followed by Universitario Rugby Club in 1943 and

Cardenales Rugby Club Cardenales Rugby Club, or simply Cardenales, is a rugby union and field hockey club from San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina. Founded in 1944 as a rugby club, Cardenales co-founded the Unión de Rugby de Tucumán. One of the oldest rugby clubs in ...

in 1944. Those four clubs would go on to found the "Unión de Rugby del Norte" on 29 February 1944. Although the URN was based in

Tucumán Province Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neigh ...

it also dealt with fledgling clubs from the neighbouring provinces of

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...

Jujuy San Salvador de Jujuy (), commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital and largest city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. Also, it is the seat of the Doctor Manuel Belgrano Department. It lies near ...

and

Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero (, Spanish for ''Saint-James-Upon-The-Lagoon'') is the capital of Santiago del Estero Province in northern Argentina. It has a population of 252,192 inhabitants, () making it the twelfth largest city in the country, with a surf ...

. Later these provinces would go on to form their own unions in 1951, 1966 and 1968 respectively. Although all four provinces take part in the regional Torneo del Noroeste, they still organise their own local competitions.

Format

As of 2018, 14 clubs from all 4 provinces take part in the tournament. The competition is divided into two zones. The four best placed teams qualify to "Zona Campeonato" to crown the champion of the season. The tournament uses a

promotion and relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

system. Champion and runner-up of Torneo del Noroeste qualify for the

Nacional de Clubes The Torneo Nacional de Clubes is a club rugby union competition in Argentina, organised by the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR). The Nacional de Clubes is the main club competition in Argentine rugby, being contested by a total of 16 teams, 8 from Bue ...

, the main club competition of Argentina while the other best placed teams qualify for

Torneo del Interior The Torneo del Interior A is an annual rugby union competition in Argentina. The competition involves clubs from all provincial unions outside Buenos Aires. Teams qualify from different tournaments along the provinces of Argentina, such as Litora ...

, the national club competition outside Buenos Aires.

Championships

Results

;Notes

Titles by team

References

External links

Torneo Regional del NOA
on URT website
Norte RugbyUnión de Rugby de TucumánUnión Santiagueña de RugbyUnión Jujeña de RugbyUnión de Rugby de Salta
{{Rugby union in Argentina Rugby union leagues in Argentina 1944 establishments in Argentina