Rugby union in Argentina is a hugely popular team sport. The first rugby match played in the country dates back to 1873, as the game was introduced by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. The Argentina national team, sometimes referred to as the Pumas, have competed at the

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

, and are considered a tier one nation by the sport's governing body,

World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

Governing body

The Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) was formed in 1899 as the "River Plate Rugby Union", 26 years after the first rugby match had been played. It was affiliated to the English Rugby Football Union until 1932.''Encyclopedia of Rugby Football'' by J.R. Jones (Robert Hale, London, 1966 ) The union is a member of World Rugby with two seats and three votes 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 Football Board, later known as the International Rugby Board and now as World Rugby, after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.

Popularity

Rugby enjoys widespread popularity in Argentina, most especially in the Greater Buenos Aires urban area, which boasts more than eighty rugby clubs, and

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 ...

. While rugby in Argentina is still largely amateur, there are many professional players. Prior to the country's entry into Super Rugby in 2016, most national team members played professionally in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, mainly in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Today, most members of the national team play on the country's Super Rugby side, the Jaguares.

History

Rugby union began to be played in Argentina in 1873, exclusively by the resident British people to begin with.''Orígenes de los deportes británicos en el Río de La Plata'', Buenos Aires, 1932 The first rugby union match in Argentina was played that same year in the

Buenos Aires Cricket Club Ground The Buenos Aires Cricket Club Ground was a cricket field in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The ground, located in the Palermo district, gained historic relevance because the first football (in 1867)Palermo neighbourhood, where the Galileo Galilei planetarium is located today. Both teams (called "Bancos" and "Ciudad" for the occasion) were formed by members of the BACC and they play a mix between football and rugby. Lomas Belgrano 1899

On 29 June 1886, it is recorded that Buenos Aires F.C. (predecessor of current

Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club, sometimes known simply as Buenos Aires, is an Argentine sports club based in San Fernando, Buenos Aires. Having set its official date of foundation on 8 December 1864, the club claims to be the oldest club sti ...

) and Rosario A.C. played the first inter-clubs match in

Plaza Jewell Plaza Jewell is the name given to Club Atlético del Rosario headquarters and sports ground. It is located in the city of Rosario in Argentina, close to Mariano Moreno bus station and Rosario Norte railway station. Having been opened in 1889, Pl ...

, Rosario, Santa Fe.''The Complete Book of Rugby'' by Richard Bath (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997. ) The line-ups were: Rosario: C.E. Baines, W. Graham, A. Musgrove, A. Williamson, R.C. Baines (captain), A. Dickenson, Boland, Geary, E.D. Graham, Hall, Hanckel, Parry, Smyth, Topping, Towse. Buenos Aires: G.E. Gunson, F.J. Bennett, W.R. S. Baikie (captain), J.C. Hutchings, J. Nisbet, A. H. Scott, W.P. Drabble, J. Earnshaw, A. Lace, R. Barton, J. Paterson, A. Hughes, J.P. Simpson, R.W. Anderson, W.H. Stuart. The match was won by Rosario by 3-0 with a

try Try or TRY may refer to: Music Albums * ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio * ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs * "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987) * "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014) * "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004) * " Try (Ju ...

scored by A. Dickenson. 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.''The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records'' by Frank Cotton and Chris Rhys (Century Publishing, London, 1984. ) National president Juárez Celman was particularly paranoid after the

Revolution of the Park The Revolution of the Park (''Revolución del Parque''), also known as the Revolution of '90, was an uprising against the national government of Argentina that took place on July 26, 1890, and started with the takeover of the Buenos Aires Artille ...

in the city earlier in the year, and the police had suspected that the match was in fact a political meeting. In 1899, four clubs from Buenos Aires (

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, Belgrano, Flores and

Lomas Lomas (Spanish for "hills"), also called fog oases and mist oases, are areas of fog-watered vegetation in the coastal desert of Peru and northern Chile. About 100 lomas near the Pacific Ocean are identified between 5°S and 30°S latitude, a nort ...

) and one from Rosario ( Rosario A.C.) got together to form "The River Plate Rugby Union". That same year the Union organised the first club championship (currently

Torneo de la URBA The URBA Top 13 (formerly "Torneo de la URBA", named "Top 13" since the 2022 season) This body, one of the oldest rugby unions in the world, later became known as the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR), which became a member of the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international ru ...

(IRB) only after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. From the founding date until 1903, the only teams taking part in tournaments had been founded by English natives or their descendants. Only they knew the rules of the game and their families were from the high society. It was only in 1904 when the first team formed by "

criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish race-based colonial caste system (the European descendants) Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South Ameri ...

s" made its appearance, named "Centro de Estudiantes de la Facultad de Ingeniería". Some players of that team were the Newbery Brothers, Martín Miguens, Alberto Lagos, Luis Duhau, Mariano Paunero and Germán Dates. Although rugby went professional in the mid-1990s, the domestic competition in Argentina has largely remained amateur. That has ensured large numbers of Argentines 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. Casi 1922

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 its geographical isolation, and despite

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and to a much lesser extent,

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

playing the game, Argentina towers above them, and has not had a reasonable match on the continent. Its first contact with a team outside the continent was in 1910, when the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

led by J. Raphael toured Argentina, winning all six matches, scoring 213 points, and conceding a mere 31. The British Lions returned to Argentina in

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

, that time led by David MacMyn, playing 9 matches, 4 of them against the Argentina national team. Other rivals of the Lions during the tour included CA San Isidro, Buenos Aires FC, and

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima (also known for its acronym GEBA) is an Argentine multi-sports club placed in the city of Buenos Aires. The institution is one of the oldest in the country, having been established in 1880. Gimnasia y Esgrima is also one ...

. The Lions would make a third tour on Argentina in 1936, playing 10 matches. Other team that toured on Argentina were the Junior

Springboks The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...

in 1932, that won all eight matches played. During the post-

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

period, the French national team toured Argentina in 1954 playing several matches v. local clubs and combined teams and even the Argentine side. A total of 14 matches were played by France in the country, winning all of them. The national team also turned its sights overseas, touring South Africa in 1965, and despite faring badly there, they made contact with Izak van Heerden, the

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

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 (born 11 September 1951) 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. During the 1970s and 1980s, he pl ...

, who is arguably the greatest Argentine player of all time, and some outstanding packs. In the 1970s, major Argentine rugby clubs included Rosario A.C.,

and both teams from San Isidro, C.A. San Isidro ("CASI"), and

San Isidro Club San Isidro Club (mostly known for its acronym SIC) is an Argentine sports club based in the Boulogne Sur Mer district of Greater Buenos Aires. The club has gained recognition due to its rugby union team, being one of the most successful clubs o ...

(mostly known for their acronyms, "CASI" and "SIC" respectively). Argentina has long been seen as the biggest power outside the Six Nations and the Tri Nations; between 1981-90 in four tests,

won only two out of four, and Scotland lost both tests on their 1994 tour.

Competitions

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 Litoral The Torneo Regional del Litoral – Primera División is an annual rugby union competition in Argentina. The tournament is contested by clubs from the Rosario, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos Unions, and is one of several regional competitions held in ...

, which is organised by the unions of Rosario, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos. URBA Finals

Historically, club rugby in Argentina has been dominated by clubs from the powerful

Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires The Buenos Aires Rugby Union ( es, "Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires"), usually referred as URBA, is the Argentine governing body that organises and controls the rugby union in the Buenos Aires Province (including the main district, Buenos Aires a ...

(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 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 ...

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 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 ...

. 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 Hindú Club is an Argentine sports club based in the Don Torcuato district of Greater Buenos Aires. The institution is mostly known for its rugby union team, which currently competes in the Top 12, the first division of the Unión de Rugby de Bu ...

in the final.

Representative rugby

The

Campeonato Argentino The Campeonato Argentino de Mayores (also known as Campeonato Argentino) was an annual rugby union competition held in Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the s ...

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 had often been linked with joining Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the Super Rugby Union, 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 The Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These are the four highest ranked national teams in the Southern Hemisphere; the Six Nations is a ...

. Allegedly, the

New Zealand Rugby Union New Zealand Rugby (NZR) is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1892 as the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU), 12 years after the first provincial unions in New Zealand. In 1949 it became an affiliate to t ...

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. Argentina vs England 2011 RWC (1)

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 Agustín Pichot (born 22 August 1974, in Buenos Aires) 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 ...

publicly urged that Argentina be added to Europe's Six Nations Championship. In an interview with the '' Western Mail'' of

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, 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'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, w ...

'' of London reported in February 2007 that the IRB was brokering a deal with

SANZAR SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina Rugby; previously known as SANZAR) is the body which oversees Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union. SANZAAR meets annually and is composed of the CEOs from ...

, 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 (abbreviated News Corp.), also variously known as News Corporation Limited, was an American multinational mass media corporation controlled by media mogul Rupert Murdoch and headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas in New ...

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: * 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'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' 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 The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board ...

announced that an Argentine team would join the national developmental competition, the

Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup was an annual rugby union competition in South Africa. Annual Vodacom Cup competitions were played between its inaugural season in 1998 and 2015 and was contested between February and May each year. The Vodacom Cup was the succes ...

, starting in 2010. The team, known as

Pampas XV Pampas XV is an Argentine professional rugby union team that currently competes in Super Rugby Americas.Stellenbosch Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronounc ...

in the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

, but ultimately found a home in Potchefstroom.

Pampas XV Pampas XV is an Argentine professional rugby union team that currently competes in Super Rugby Americas.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 The Rugby Championship) from 2012 onwards.

National team

The national team are nicknamed Los Pumas and wear blue and white jerseys. They are considered a top tier nation by World Rugby, and have competed in the Rugby Championship since 2012. Argentina played their first international on June 12, 1910, against a touring

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

, losing 28 points to three. Argentina also competed at the first ever

held in Australia and New Zealand in 1987. Grouped with the All Blacks, Fiji and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, 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. Argentine

Gonzalo Quesada Gonzalo Quesada (born 2 May 1974) is a retired Argentine rugby player who presently works as a coach for Stade Français in France's Top 14. Biography Quesada was born May 2, 1974, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He played for amateur club Hindú al ...

was also the top scorer of the tournament. The

2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...

saw them finish third in pool A. The Nations Cup is a tournament involving the country's "A" national side, now branded as Argentina XV, and was first held in 2006. In recent years Argentina have proven themselves capable of scaring and more than occasionally defeating traditional rugby giants. As of 2020, they have defeated every Tier 1 rugby nation. Argentina also drew with the

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

in 2005 in

, 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 Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

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

José Amalfitani Stadium The José Amalfitani Stadium is a stadium located in the Liniers neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, near Liniers railway station. The venue is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sarsfield and is also known as ''El Fort ...

and six in France—Argentina have seven wins, with their three losses by a combined total of 13 points. Today (November 2020) Argentina is ranked eighth in the

World Rugby Rankings The World Rugby Rankings (formerly the IRB Rankings) is a ranking system for national teams in rugby union, managed by World Rugby, the sport's governing body. There are separate men's and women's rankings. The teams of World Rugby's member nation ...

Players

Probably the best known players are: *

, a member of both the International Rugby and World Rugby Halls of Fame who played during the 1970s and 1980s. *Past ''Pumas'' captain

. Member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame, and current vice chairman of the World Rugby Council. *Past ''Pumas'' 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 The World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year is an accolade awarded annually by World Rugby at the World Rugby Awards. The award is presented to honour "the achievements of those involved at the highest level of the world game on the field". Th ...

award in 2007. Contepomi has since been inducted to the World Rugby Hall of Fame. *Former player

Marcelo Loffreda Marcelo Loffreda (born May 17, 1959, in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an Argentine former rugby union footballer and coach. Loffreda won 44 caps with one as captain, playing at centre for the Argentine rugby union side (''los Pumas''). He played muc ...

, who coached the ''Pumas'' to third place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup before leaving to take up the head coaching job at

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

club Leicester Tigers. *Former player and past ''Pumas'' head coach

Santiago Phelan Santiago Phelan (born March 31, 1974 in San Isidro, Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine rugby union footballer. His usual position was flanker. Phelan played for Argentine club Club Atlético San Isidro and represented the Argentina national ...

. * Stade Français coach

Rugby sevens national team

The

Argentina national rugby sevens team The Argentina national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, and, beginning in 2016, in the Summer Olympics. The Argentine rugby sevens team has had some success ...

plays in the IRB Sevens World Series. Argentina is scheduled to host an annual tournament in that competition beginning with the 2013-2014 season.

Women's rugby

Although Argentina's women's team are in their infancy and have not yet played a test match, they have been playing international sevens rugby since 2004. (Current playing record).

Media coverage

ESPN Latin America ESPN Latin America (on-air as ESPN) is the Latin American division of ESPN Inc., and broadcasts sports-related programming for the region in Spanish. It was launched on 31 March 1989. Its programming is adapted to the likes of viewers, who tend ...

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 The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

, and New Zealand's ITM Cup. Fox also broadcasts numerous internationals, such as the

, as well as other tests and tours.

Social attitudes and controversy

In recent years, rugby culture in Argentina has become increasingly associated to violent acts, as well as racist, sexist and homophobic attitudes. Prominent cases such as the murder of Ariel Malvino in 2006, the homophobic hate crime against Jonathan Castellari in 2018, and most recently the murder of Fernando Báez Sosa in 2020—all perpetrated by rugby players both professional and amateur—have been highlighted by Argentine media as examples of the "violent" nature of the country's rugby culture. Following Báez Sosa's murder, former national rugby team captain

stated that rugby culture had "naturalized violence".

References

External links

Argentine Rugby Union (UAR)

Rugby Fun (news)

Rugby Time (news)

Desde Abajo (news)

by ''

'', 5 October 2007
"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, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rugby Union In Argentina