Argentina national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
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 (UAR, from the Spanish: Unión Argentina de Rugby).
Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team
. As of October 2011 they are ranked 7th
in the world by the IRB, making them the highest-ranked nation in the Americas
. They have competed at every Rugby World Cup
staged since the inaugural tournament
of 1987, and the country is undefeated against all American nations, with the exception of Canada, against whom they have suffered two losses out of eight test matches.
Although rugby union is nowhere near as popular as football in Argentina, Los Pumas impressive results since the 1999 World Cup
have seen the sport's popularity grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several upset victories, are tough contenders when playing in Buenos Aires
, and are fully capable of regularly defeating Six Nations sides. A surprise victory over the hosts France
in the first game of the 2007 World Cup
took Argentina to fourth in the IRB World Rankings
. The team were undefeated in their pool, and reached the semi-finals for the first time, beating Scotland
19–13 in their quarter-final. They were defeated 37–13 by eventual winners South Africa
in the semi-finals, but followed this up with a second win over France to claim third place overall.
In March 2008 the team reached an all-time high of third in the IRB World Rankings. As of 23 March 2009 Argentina ranked fifth in the world behind Australia
, South Africa, New Zealand
and Ireland
, but have since slipped to 8th place.
After their advances in competitiveness and performance during the 2000s, coupled with their location in the Southern Hemisphere
, Argentina has been invited to play in the 2012 The Rugby Championship tournament against the national teams of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
After Marcelo Loffreda
left following the 2007 Rugby World Cup
to take up the head coaching job at Guinness Premiership
club Leicester Tigers
, the UAR spent nearly five months searching for a successor until opting for a two-coach setup, with former Pumas Santiago Phelan
and Fabián Turnes
taking over.
, joined together to form the River Plate Rugby Football Union. In 1910 a side managed by Oxford University — supposedly the England
national team, but including three Scottish players — toured Argentina: the people of Argentina termed it the "Combined British
", also known as "Great Britain XV". Argentina made their international debut
against this team, losing 28–3 on 12 July in Flores, Buenos Aires
.
In 1927 the British Isles Lions
toured Argentina, with the Lions winning all nine encounters; the tour did however become a financial success for Argentine rugby. Of the nine encounters, four tests were played, which Argentina lost by over 30 points in all. All the games took place in Buenos Aires. Five years passed until another international team would return to Argentina, which would be the Junior Springboks in 1932, playing a two match series. Argentina lost both.
In 1936 the British Isles visited Argentina again, winning all ten of their matches and only conceding nine points in the whole tour. Only one test was played on the tour, with Argentina losing 23–0. The following month Argentina left the country to play their first away tests – against Chile
in Valparaiso
. Argentina won the first test (and their first game), 29–0. The second match was won by a similar margin. Two years later Argentina hosted Chile, which resulted in Argentina winning by 30 points.
, and although they lost both tests, the scorelines were very close on both occasions. To mark the 1951 Pan-American Games, Argentina organised the first South American tournament in Buenos Aires with Chile, Uruguay
and Brazil
taking part. Argentina dominated the inaugural tournament with Chile putting up the only challenge before losing 13–3 to the Pumas, whose thrashing of Uruguay 62–0 and the Brazilian team 72–0 highlighted their dominance in South America.
In 1952
, Argentina played an Ireland XV
in a non-cap international held in Buenos Aires. Argentina lost the first Test by six points but raised the bar in the second meeting in Buenos Aires to draw 3–3. Although not a win, it was the first time Argentina had avoided defeat against a major European team and it was celebrated as a victory. As a result of the Irish tour, the UAR could not afford to host a visit from the Oxford & Cambridge team the following year. In 1954, they played host to France. The result was much the same as in 1949 with France proving far superior, winning 22–8 in the first Test before a 30–3 thrashing in the second, both of which were played in Buenos Aires.
In 1956, Argentina hosted Oxford & Cambridge again, but lost both of the fixtures 25–6 and 11–3. This was followed by a 4–0 win over Peru
, and a 50–3 win over Uruguay, though Argentina then lost to Chile for the first time. At the second South American tournament, in 1958, Argentina accounted for Uruguay 50–3 and Peru 44–0. And despite some drinking before their game against the hosts Chile in Santiago, Argentina's players still emerged victorious 14–0. In 1959 the Junior Springboks returned to Buenos Aires, winning both fixtures 14–6, and 20–5.
In 1960
, France
visited Buenos Aires
for a three match series with Argentina. The hosts still could not get their first win over the French, with France winning all three tests 37–3, 12–3 and 29–6. The following year Argentina again showed their dominance on a continental level, winning the South American tournament held in Montevideo, by beating Brazil 60–0, Uruguay 36–3 and Chile 11–3. In 1964 a new version of the South American tournament was played in San Pablo and Argentina again demonstrated their dominance with victories over Uruguay 25–6, Brazil 30–5 and Chile 30–8.
In the late 1960s the four home unions began tours to Argentina, and after Wales
struggled in both Tests in Buenos Aires in 1967 it became clear that Argentina would be a difficult place to win a series. Scotland
lost the first test in 1968, but won a close second test two weeks later.
The first trip of the Argentina national rugby team to the other side of the Atlantic was to Rhodesia and South Africa in 1965. The team acquired the nickname "Pumas", from a local journalist after their first tour match, a defeat to Salisbury. The book "Be Pumas" recalls the Wackley Farmer of Rhodesia magazine commenting on the emblem embroidered on the tourists' jerseys was like a puma – rather than a jaguar. After defeats to Salisbury and Northern Transvaal, the first win came against Western Transvaal, another against South West Africa Country Districts and finally against the Southern Universities. The Pumas' landmark win against the Junior Springboks, by 11–6. They were welcomed home to Buenos Aires by a huge crowd; the tour had harvested 11 victories, one draw and four defeats over two months.
A match was then organised against the French champions Section Paloise
, although the match was remembered for the uproar and misconduct of both teams rather than the Argentine victory. Then Oxford & Cambridge arrived, a team that the Pumas had never beaten. The first match finished level at 19–19 and the second saw the University students triumph 9–3. 1965 ended with a match against Chile, which the Pumas won 23–11.
In 1966, the Gazelles arrived, a kind of a Junior Springboks B team. The visitors took two victories 9–3 and 20–15. In September 1967, Argentina played in Buenos Aires in the South American Championship with victories over Uruguay 38–6 and Chile 18–0. Wales arrived in Buenos Aires in 1968 and for the first time in their history the Pumas were able to triumph in a series, winning the first match 9–5 and drawing the second 9–9. The first great decade in Argentine rugby came to a close with the arrival of Scotland in 1969. The first match saw a big Argentine victory 20–3, but in the second game the visitors narrowly won 6–3.
. During their European tour in 1976
, the Pumas came tantalizingly close to a historic victory at Cardiff Arms Park
over Wales
, then the dominant force in the Northern Hemisphere. Only a Phil Bennett
penalty on a foul by Gabrielo Travaglini at the death allowed the Welsh to escape with a 20–19 victory. Two years later Argentina returned for their 1978 European tour and held a virtually full-strength England XV
to a 13–13 draw before losing 6–19 to Italy
.
, England
, Australia
and a 21–21 tie to the All Blacks
, which is probably the most important result ever obtained by the Pumas, thanks to an outstanding performance by Hugo Porta
who scored all of Argentina's points.
By the time the first Rugby World Cup
was held in Australia and New Zealand, in 1987, Argentines were confident their national team would at least make it to quarter-finals. However, an unexpected loss to Fiji
prevented the team from clinching the first round. Argentina won their first ever World Cup game when they defeated Italy in Christchurch.
Over the following years, the retirement of many of Argentina's most experienced players, and the defection of many others to professional leagues (rugby union is still an amateur sport in Argentina and UAR's regulations of the time prevented any player who played professionally from playing for the national team) left Argentina with an inexperienced side.
This led to disappointing performances in the 1991 and 1995 World Cups
, although in the latter Argentina presented a powerful pack which was praised by the international media. Argentina's tighthead prop, Patricio Noriega
and hooker, Federico Méndez
, went to play in Australia and South Africa respectively after their performance. Noriega even played for the Wallabies
.
In 1999, a more experienced and somewhat under-rated Argentina made it to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. They had finished second in their group to Wales, and went onto the quarter-final play-offs. After a vibrant 28–24 win against Ireland
, they were eliminated by France, 28–47, in the quarter-final. Gonzalo Quesada
was the highest overall points scorer in the tournament with 102.
was appointed coach of Argentina. Argentina missed out on progressing to the 2003 World Cup
quarter-finals due to a 15–16 loss to Ireland. It was noted that because of the fixture list, Argentina had to play four games in a fortnight
, whereas Ireland played the same number of games in four weeks. It was suggested that Ireland, as a major nation, would not accept a similar fixture list, and that this may have played a role in the outcome of the game.
Since then they have shown good form, splitting a two-test home series with Wales
in June 2004; handing defending Six Nations
champion France a 24–14 loss in November 2004 at Marseille
, where France had never lost before; and, later in the same tour, losing 21–19 to Ireland on a last-minute drop goal. After returning to Argentina, the Pumas lost 39–7 to the visiting Springboks of South Africa; however, the Pumas were without 10 regular starters who had returned to their club teams in Europe.
Perhaps one of the Pumas' best matches in recent years came on 23 May 2005 in Cardiff
, when they played the British and Irish Lions
in the Lions' send-off match for their tour to New Zealand
. The Pumas were forced to choose a side of second- and even third-choice players (prop Mauricio Reggiardo, later voted man of the match, came out of retirement for the game) as 25 players from their selection pool were unavailable due to club commitments. However, a Pumas performance widely hailed as inspired, combined with lacklustre play by a mostly second-choice Lions side, put Argentina on the verge of one of the greatest upsets in recent rugby history. It took a Jonny Wilkinson
penalty at the death—and arguably the decision by Australian referee Stuart Dickinson
to allow eight minutes of added time at the end of the match—for the Lions to salvage a 25–25 draw and avoid a humiliating defeat.
When the Springboks returned to Argentina in November of that year, they faced a much stronger Pumas side, with most of their European-based players present. The Pumas took a 20–16 lead into the half-time break at Vélez Sársfield
. While they faded in the second half, they were not embarrassed, losing 34–23. The following week, the Pumas travelled to Murrayfield
to take on Scotland
and won a closely fought match 23–19. This marked the fifth consecutive time since 1990 that Los Pumas had defeated Scotland. They claimed another Six Nations
scalp a week later, defeating Italy
39–22 in Genoa
.
In the 2006 mid-year Tests
, Argentina welcomed a Wales side for a two-Test tour. Los Pumas swept the series, marking their first Test series win over Wales. The first test, on 11 June, was a closely fought affair, won 27–25. It was historically significant as the first Argentina Test ever to be held in Patagonia
. The visitors were welcomed very warmly, as the match was held in Puerto Madryn
, one of the major towns in an area that was settled by Welsh
in the 1860s and where Welsh is still frequently spoken. The second Test at Vélez Sársfield on 17 June saw the Pumas take a 45–13 lead before two late Welsh tries cut the final margin to 45–27. This did, however, mark Argentina's largest win ever over Wales. Los Pumas next entertained the world's top team, the All Blacks, at Vélez Sársfield the following week. The All Blacks won 25–19, but not until surviving an all-out Pumas assault on their try line in the final minutes.
On 9 July, Argentina defeated Uruguay 26–0 in a Round 3a match during the Americas qualifying
for the 2007 World Cup
. Being their second win during that stage, Argentina moved directly into the 2007 World Cup, taking the Americas 1 position. They joined Pool D, along with hosts France, and Ireland.
The 2006 end-of-year Tests
began with a bang for Los Pumas, as they went into Twickenham
and handed a 25–18 defeat. The error-riddled England side were booed off the Twickenham pitch after they crashed to their seventh consecutive Test defeat, equalling their worst ever run. Further success followed for the Pumas, going on to defeat Italy in Rome and then coming within one point of achieving a similar result against France in Paris.
Los Pumas had been invited by the Belgian Rugby Federation
to play their local games there in case of being accepted in an annual competition. Soon after they also received invitations from Spain, Switzerland, France and Portugal.
In the meantime, 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 baulk at admitting Argentina. The IRB was apparently convinced that the Tri Nations was the proper place for a Southern Hemisphere team, and has reportedly found South Africa strongly supporting the move and Australia not opposed. However, The Sunday Times indicated that the biggest stumbling block may well be the UAR itself, "some of whose members are deeply attached to amateurism." Eventually, by August of that year, it became clear that the competition would not be expanded until the key SANZAR media contract with News Corporation
expires in 2010. An IRB spokesman, in revealing this news, not only noted the contract, but also Southern Hemisphere fixture congestion and the lack of a professional structure in Argentina as reasons that Los Pumas could not be admitted any sooner.
with a two-test series against visiting Ireland, who was grouped against them in France. In the first test on 26 May at Santa Fe, they scored a 22–20 win on a last-minute drop goal by Felipe Contepomi
. Both teams were heavily experimental, especially the Irish, with stars such as Brian O'Driscoll
, Ronan O'Gara
, Paul O'Connell
and Gordon D'Arcy
missing from the touring squad. The Pumas were themselves missing many stars who were playing that weekend in the final round of the 2006-07 Top 14 season in France. The second test against Ireland was a 16–0 Pumas win at Vélez Sársfield on 2 June. On 9 June, Los Pumas completed a clean sweep of their mid-year tests
with a 24–6 win over in Mendoza
. They split their final warmup tests
, defeating neighbours 70–14 at CASI
in Buenos Aires on 4 August and losing to Wales at Millennium Stadium
27–20 on 18 August.
At the World Cup, Los Pumas were drawn into the so-called pool of death
, featuring two other teams ranked in the top six in the IRB rankings—Ireland and the hosts France. On top of this, they opened the World Cup at Stade de France
against the French, marking the third consecutive World Cup in which they played against the host nation in the World Cup opener. In possibly one of their finest hours, the Pumas took a 17–9 lead into the half, and held on for a surprising 17–12 win. The Pumas subsequently beat Georgia
33–3 on 11 September at the Stade de Gerland, Lyon
. Argentina then went on to beat Namibia
63–3 in Marseille
, the biggest winning margin in Argentine World Cup history. They then went on to secure a 30–15 victory against Ireland which ensured that they topped the group. They then defeated Scotland
19–13 in the quarter-final at the Stade de France. The Pumas' improbable run towards the Webb Ellis trophy ended in a comprehensive 37–13 defeat by the Springboks in the semi-final at Stade de France. However, the Pumas recovered to beat France for the second time in the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, a 34–10 win in the 3rd/4th place playoff. The 3rd place showing for the Pumas in the 2007 World Cup was Argentina's best ever result in Rugby World Cup
history, equal or better to the best showing by IRB founding nations Wales
(who were 3rd in the 1987 Rugby World Cup
), Scotland
(who were 4th in the 1991 Rugby World Cup
) and Ireland (which has never qualified for the Rugby World Cup semi-finals).
During their World Cup run, the normally football-crazed Argentines embraced the Pumas so much that El Superclásico, the Buenos Aires football derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate
that is normally the biggest event in Argentine sport, was rescheduled so that it would not conflict with the Pumas' quarter-final match. As the only major Spanish language
country in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the Pumas also had considerable support from rugby fans in Spain, Uruguay, and other Latin American countries during their impressive five game winning streak.
However, New Zealand Rugby Football Union
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.
On 7 June 2008, the Pumas beat Scotland
in Rosario
, Argentina 21–15, thus maintaining their position as the 3rd highest ranked team in the IRB rankings. They have since dropped to fourth due to Australia wins.
In June 2009 the British media reported that Argentina were lobbying for the 2013 British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia to incorporate a series of games in Argentina. The proposed format would be three provincial games in Argentina followed by two international tests, followed by three provincial games in Australia followed by three international tests.
, which took place in June. They followed this up with a comprehensive 78-15
win against a South American Invitational XV in early August. Their only warm-up international match came soon afterwards, when Los Pumas took on Wales
in Cardiff. Despite a strong first-half showing, Argentina were convincingly beaten 28-13. Their final warm-up game came against the Aviva Premiership club Worcester Warriors, which they won 21-15.
Los Pumas kicked off their 2011 World Cup with a tightly-fought 13-9 loss against England
, a match which they led for over 60 minutes. They carried on to convincgly beat Romania
43-8. The match that followed was a match which decided the outcome of the pool and the quarter finalists, as Argentina faced Scotland
. Despite Scotland leading for the majority of the match, a very late try by replacement fullback Lucaz Gonzalez Amorosino and a successful conversion meant Los Pumas won 13-12. They finished the pool stages in a less than convincing fashion, winning 25-9 against Georgia
.
Argentina went on to play what would be their final match of the tournament, a quarter final against eventual champions All Blacks. In a match which was much closer than anticipated, Argentina opened the scoring with a try by Juan Farias Cabello, and led before conceding several penalties. As the game went on, the All Blacks began to dominate large periods of possession, resulting in two tries and several further penalties, leading to a final score of 33-10.
While not as glamorous as the 2007 tournament for the Pumas, their campaign was considered relatively successful as they qualified for the Quarter-Finals from a gritty pool group which featured an equally competitive England and Scotland, and put up a valiant display against the All Blacks for the majority of their final match. Many pundits also believed that the Pumas' lack of their star fly-half, Juan Martin Hernandez
, who was injured prior to the announcement of the World Cup squad prevented the Pumas from winning the fateful kicking battle during the England match, which would have led the Pumas to top their group and face the theoretically easier and more familiar teams of France and then Ireland or Wales in the lead-up to the final.
and VISA is the shirt sponsor.
in Buenos Aires. When Great Britain first came to Argentina in the tour of 1910, the first Argentina Test was played in Buenos Aires. During the mid year Tests
in 2007, as well as Vélez Sársfield, Argentina played games at venues including Estadio B.G. Estanislao López in Santa Fe
and Estadio Malvinas Argentinas
in Mendoza
. Argentina have also used the River Plate Stadium
in the past, and in 2006 hosted Wales
at Estadio Raúl Conti
in Puerto Madryn
.
were introduced by the IRB in October 2003, Argentina were ranked seventh. They fell to eighth in the rankings in June 2004, before rising back to seventh by November that year. They fell back to eighth in February 2005, and stayed there until falling to their lowest ranking of ninth in February 2006. Since then, Argentina rose to eighth in July 2006, then sixth in November of that year. They had a one week fall to seventh, then one week later rose to fifth to start the World Cup 2007.
Los Pumas twice surpassed their highest ranking at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Defeating number three France, the first opening game loss for a World Cup hosting nation, moved them into fourth place, their highest position since the IRB World Rankings
were established. They lost to eventual champions South Africa in the semi-final but beat France yet again in the bronze medal round to set another highest ranking, third, behind South Africa and New Zealand. They are currently ranked 8th in the world (as of 25 September 2011).
Their Test record against all nations:
. Alvaro Galindo was ruled out with injury and replaced by Genaro Fessia.
Head Coach: Santiago Phelan
4 reserves also travelled with the squad to Europe for the warm-up tests.
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...
matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR, from the Spanish: Unión Argentina de Rugby).
Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
. As of October 2011 they are ranked 7th
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...
in the world by the IRB, making them the highest-ranked nation in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. They have competed at every 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....
staged since the inaugural tournament
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...
of 1987, and the country is undefeated against all American nations, with the exception of Canada, against whom they have suffered two losses out of eight test matches.
Although rugby union is nowhere near as popular as football in Argentina, Los Pumas impressive results since the 1999 World Cup
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...
have seen the sport's popularity grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several upset victories, are tough contenders when playing in Buenos Aires
Buenos 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...
, and are fully capable of regularly defeating Six Nations sides. A surprise victory over the hosts France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in the first game of the 2007 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,...
took Argentina to fourth 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...
. The team were undefeated in their pool, and reached the semi-finals for the first time, beating Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
19–13 in their quarter-final. They were defeated 37–13 by eventual winners South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in the semi-finals, but followed this up with a second win over France to claim third place overall.
In March 2008 the team reached an all-time high of third in the IRB World Rankings. As of 23 March 2009 Argentina ranked fifth in the world behind Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, South Africa, New Zealand
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
and 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...
, but have since slipped to 8th place.
After their advances in competitiveness and performance during the 2000s, coupled with their location in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, Argentina has been invited to play in the 2012 The Rugby Championship tournament against the national teams of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.
After 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...
left following 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,...
to take up the head coaching job at Guinness Premiership
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 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...
, the UAR spent nearly five months searching for a successor until opting for a two-coach setup, with former Pumas Santiago Phelan
Santiago Phelan
Santiago Phelan is a retired Argentine rugby union footballer. His usual position was flanker....
and Fabián Turnes
Fabián Turnes
Fabián Turnes is a former Argentine rugby union footballer and a current coach. He played as a centre.Turnes played at Banco Nación, from 1983/84 to 1988/89, where he won two titles of Argentine Champion, in 1985/86 and 1988/89...
taking over.
Early years
The first rugby union match in Argentina was played in 1873, the game having been brought to Argentina by British immigrants. In 1899, four clubs in Argentina's capital, 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...
, joined together to form the River Plate Rugby Football Union. In 1910 a side managed by Oxford University — supposedly the 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...
national team, but including three Scottish players — toured Argentina: the people of Argentina termed it the "Combined British
1910 British Lions tour to Argentina
The 1910 British Lions tour to Argentina is a retrospective term applied to the tour of Argentina made by a side made up of 16 English players and 3 Scots. The organisers of the tour named the team the "English Rugby Union team", but the host country advertised the touring team as the Combined...
", also known as "Great Britain XV". Argentina made their international debut
1910 British Lions tour to Argentina
The 1910 British Lions tour to Argentina is a retrospective term applied to the tour of Argentina made by a side made up of 16 English players and 3 Scots. The organisers of the tour named the team the "English Rugby Union team", but the host country advertised the touring team as the Combined...
against this team, losing 28–3 on 12 July in Flores, Buenos Aires
Flores, Buenos Aires
Flores is a middle class barrio or district in the centre part of Buenos Aires city, Argentina. Flores was considered a rural area of the Province of Buenos Aires until 1888 when it was integrated to the City....
.
In 1927 the British Isles Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
toured Argentina, with the Lions winning all nine encounters; the tour did however become a financial success for Argentine rugby. Of the nine encounters, four tests were played, which Argentina lost by over 30 points in all. All the games took place in Buenos Aires. Five years passed until another international team would return to Argentina, which would be the Junior Springboks in 1932, playing a two match series. Argentina lost both.
In 1936 the British Isles visited Argentina again, winning all ten of their matches and only conceding nine points in the whole tour. Only one test was played on the tour, with Argentina losing 23–0. The following month Argentina left the country to play their first away tests – against Chile
Chile national rugby union team
The Chile national rugby union team is a rugby union nation representing Chile. They first played in 1935 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Chile is administered by the Federación de Rugby de Chile...
in Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
. Argentina won the first test (and their first game), 29–0. The second match was won by a similar margin. Two years later Argentina hosted Chile, which resulted in Argentina winning by 30 points.
Post war
In the late 1940s Argentina hosted a combined Oxford & Cambridge side, which defeated them in both games of a two match series. In 1949 Argentina hosted the FrenchFrance national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, and although they lost both tests, the scorelines were very close on both occasions. To mark the 1951 Pan-American Games, Argentina organised the first South American tournament in Buenos Aires with Chile, Uruguay
Uruguay national rugby union team
The Uruguay national rugby union team is the representative side of Uruguay, governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. They have been playing international rugby since 1948. Their jersey is blue and black and they are known as Los Teros. They qualified twice for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999 and...
and Brazil
Brazil national rugby union team
The Brazil national rugby union team is the national side of Brazil, representing them at rugby union. Brazil is a third tier rugby union side, and have yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union has been growing substantially in Brazil since 2005 and the number of players is...
taking part. Argentina dominated the inaugural tournament with Chile putting up the only challenge before losing 13–3 to the Pumas, whose thrashing of Uruguay 62–0 and the Brazilian team 72–0 highlighted their dominance in South America.
In 1952
1952 Ireland rugby union tour of South America
1952 Ireland rugby union tour of South America. This tour by the Ireland national rugby union team coincided with the death of Eva Peron, the wife of Juan Peron, the President of Argentina. As a result it was almost cancelled. Eva Peron died on July 26, six days after the Irish squad had departed...
, Argentina played an Ireland XV
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...
in a non-cap international held in Buenos Aires. Argentina lost the first Test by six points but raised the bar in the second meeting in Buenos Aires to draw 3–3. Although not a win, it was the first time Argentina had avoided defeat against a major European team and it was celebrated as a victory. As a result of the Irish tour, the UAR could not afford to host a visit from the Oxford & Cambridge team the following year. In 1954, they played host to France. The result was much the same as in 1949 with France proving far superior, winning 22–8 in the first Test before a 30–3 thrashing in the second, both of which were played in Buenos Aires.
In 1956, Argentina hosted Oxford & Cambridge again, but lost both of the fixtures 25–6 and 11–3. This was followed by a 4–0 win over Peru
Peru national rugby union team
The Peru national rugby team, nicknamed los Tumis, is an emerging team in the Americas and a member of the Confederación Sudamericana de Rugby ....
, and a 50–3 win over Uruguay, though Argentina then lost to Chile for the first time. At the second South American tournament, in 1958, Argentina accounted for Uruguay 50–3 and Peru 44–0. And despite some drinking before their game against the hosts Chile in Santiago, Argentina's players still emerged victorious 14–0. In 1959 the Junior Springboks returned to Buenos Aires, winning both fixtures 14–6, and 20–5.
1960s: "Los Pumas"
.In 1960
1960 France rugby union tour of Argentina
-Results:-Forwards:...
, France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
visited Buenos Aires
Buenos 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...
for a three match series with Argentina. The hosts still could not get their first win over the French, with France winning all three tests 37–3, 12–3 and 29–6. The following year Argentina again showed their dominance on a continental level, winning the South American tournament held in Montevideo, by beating Brazil 60–0, Uruguay 36–3 and Chile 11–3. In 1964 a new version of the South American tournament was played in San Pablo and Argentina again demonstrated their dominance with victories over Uruguay 25–6, Brazil 30–5 and Chile 30–8.
In the late 1960s the four home unions began tours to Argentina, and after Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
struggled in both Tests in Buenos Aires in 1967 it became clear that Argentina would be a difficult place to win a series. Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
lost the first test in 1968, but won a close second test two weeks later.
The first trip of the Argentina national rugby team to the other side of the Atlantic was to Rhodesia and South Africa in 1965. The team acquired the nickname "Pumas", from a local journalist after their first tour match, a defeat to Salisbury. The book "Be Pumas" recalls the Wackley Farmer of Rhodesia magazine commenting on the emblem embroidered on the tourists' jerseys was like a puma – rather than a jaguar. After defeats to Salisbury and Northern Transvaal, the first win came against Western Transvaal, another against South West Africa Country Districts and finally against the Southern Universities. The Pumas' landmark win against the Junior Springboks, by 11–6. They were welcomed home to Buenos Aires by a huge crowd; the tour had harvested 11 victories, one draw and four defeats over two months.
A match was then organised against the French champions Section Paloise
Section Paloise
Section Paloise is a French rugby union club from Pau in Pyrénées-Atlantiques currently competing in Rugby Pro D2, the second level of the French league system.-History:...
, although the match was remembered for the uproar and misconduct of both teams rather than the Argentine victory. Then Oxford & Cambridge arrived, a team that the Pumas had never beaten. The first match finished level at 19–19 and the second saw the University students triumph 9–3. 1965 ended with a match against Chile, which the Pumas won 23–11.
In 1966, the Gazelles arrived, a kind of a Junior Springboks B team. The visitors took two victories 9–3 and 20–15. In September 1967, Argentina played in Buenos Aires in the South American Championship with victories over Uruguay 38–6 and Chile 18–0. Wales arrived in Buenos Aires in 1968 and for the first time in their history the Pumas were able to triumph in a series, winning the first match 9–5 and drawing the second 9–9. The first great decade in Argentine rugby came to a close with the arrival of Scotland in 1969. The first match saw a big Argentine victory 20–3, but in the second game the visitors narrowly won 6–3.
1970s and 1980s
Through the 1970s, Argentina confirmed its steady rise towards top-tier status under the influence of its first truly world-class player, fly-half Hugo PortaHugo 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...
. During their European tour in 1976
1976 Argentina rugby union tour of Wales and England
The 1976 Argentina rugby union tour of Wales and England was a series of six matches played by the Argentina national rugby union team in September and October 1976....
, the Pumas came tantalizingly close to a historic victory at Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
over Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
, then the dominant force in the Northern Hemisphere. Only a Phil Bennett
Phil Bennett
Phillip Bennett was a Welsh international rugby union fly half from 1969 to 1978. His flair and range of tricks, including his famous sidestep and swerve, meant he was a firm favourite with crowds.-Rugby career:...
penalty on a foul by Gabrielo Travaglini at the death allowed the Welsh to escape with a 20–19 victory. Two years later Argentina returned for their 1978 European tour and held a virtually full-strength England XV
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...
to a 13–13 draw before losing 6–19 to 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,...
.
Late 20th century
From the late seventies to the early nineties, Argentina never lost the two matches of a series held in Buenos Aires, in a period that included victories against FranceFrance national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, 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...
, Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
and a 21–21 tie to the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
, which is probably the most important result ever obtained by the Pumas, thanks to an outstanding performance by 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 scored all of Argentina's points.
By the time the first 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....
was held in Australia and New Zealand, in 1987, Argentines were confident their national team would at least make it to quarter-finals. However, an unexpected loss to 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...
prevented the team from clinching the first round. Argentina won their first ever World Cup game when they defeated Italy in Christchurch.
Over the following years, the retirement of many of Argentina's most experienced players, and the defection of many others to professional leagues (rugby union is still an amateur sport in Argentina and UAR's regulations of the time prevented any player who played professionally from playing for the national team) left Argentina with an inexperienced side.
This led to disappointing performances in the 1991 and 1995 World Cups
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....
, although in the latter Argentina presented a powerful pack which was praised by the international media. Argentina's tighthead prop, Patricio Noriega
Patricio Noriega
Patricio Noriega is a former Argentine Rugby Union footballer who played prop. He started his career in local club Hindu and had his test debut for Los Pumas in 1991 against Paraguay. After playing two Rugby World Cup's he then migrated to Australia to join Super 12 team the ACT Brumbies in 1996...
and hooker, Federico Méndez
Federico Mendez
Federico Mendez , also known as Freddie Mendez is an Argentine rugby union footballer.Méndez played professional rugby in South Africa, England and France...
, went to play in Australia and South Africa respectively after their performance. Noriega even played for the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
.
In 1999, a more experienced and somewhat under-rated Argentina made it to the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. They had finished second in their group to Wales, and went onto the quarter-final play-offs. After a vibrant 28–24 win against 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...
, they were eliminated by France, 28–47, in the quarter-final. 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 the highest overall points scorer in the tournament with 102.
The new millennium
In April 2000, Marcelo LoffredaMarcelo 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...
was appointed coach of Argentina. Argentina missed out on progressing to the 2003 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...
quarter-finals due to a 15–16 loss to Ireland. It was noted that because of the fixture list, Argentina had to play four games in a fortnight
Fortnight
The fortnight is a unit of time equal to fourteen days, or two weeks. The word derives from the Old English fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights"....
, whereas Ireland played the same number of games in four weeks. It was suggested that Ireland, as a major nation, would not accept a similar fixture list, and that this may have played a role in the outcome of the game.
Since then they have shown good form, splitting a two-test home series with Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in June 2004; handing defending Six Nations
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....
champion France a 24–14 loss in November 2004 at Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, where France had never lost before; and, later in the same tour, losing 21–19 to Ireland on a last-minute drop goal. After returning to Argentina, the Pumas lost 39–7 to the visiting Springboks of South Africa; however, the Pumas were without 10 regular starters who had returned to their club teams in Europe.
Perhaps one of the Pumas' best matches in recent years came on 23 May 2005 in 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...
, when they played the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in the Lions' send-off match for their tour to New Zealand
2005 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand
In 2005 the British and Irish Lions rugby union team toured New Zealand for the first time since 1993, playing 7 tour matches against first and second division clubs from the National Provincial Championship series, 1 tour match against the national New Zealand all Māori club, and 3 official test...
. The Pumas were forced to choose a side of second- and even third-choice players (prop Mauricio Reggiardo, later voted man of the match, came out of retirement for the game) as 25 players from their selection pool were unavailable due to club commitments. However, a Pumas performance widely hailed as inspired, combined with lacklustre play by a mostly second-choice Lions side, put Argentina on the verge of one of the greatest upsets in recent rugby history. It took a Jonny Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
penalty at the death—and arguably the decision by Australian referee Stuart Dickinson
Stuart Dickinson
Stuart Dickinson is a former Australian rugby referee. He made his international refereeing debut in 1997 in a Rugby World Cup qualifier between Tahiti and Papua New Guinea....
to allow eight minutes of added time at the end of the match—for the Lions to salvage a 25–25 draw and avoid a humiliating defeat.
When the Springboks returned to Argentina in November of that year, they faced a much stronger Pumas side, with most of their European-based players present. The Pumas took a 20–16 lead into the half-time break 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...
. While they faded in the second half, they were not embarrassed, losing 34–23. The following week, the Pumas travelled to Murrayfield
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
to take on Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and won a closely fought match 23–19. This marked the fifth consecutive time since 1990 that Los Pumas had defeated Scotland. They claimed another Six Nations
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....
scalp a week later, defeating 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,...
39–22 in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
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....
, Argentina welcomed a Wales side for a two-Test tour. Los Pumas swept the series, marking their first Test series win over Wales. The first test, on 11 June, was a closely fought affair, won 27–25. It was historically significant as the first Argentina Test ever to be held in Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
. The visitors were welcomed very warmly, as the match was held in Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn is a city in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is the head town of the Viedma Department, and has about 57,571 inhabitants according to the last census in 2001....
, one of the major towns in an area that was settled by Welsh
Welsh settlement in Argentina
Y Wladfa refers to the Welsh settlement in Argentina, which began in 1865 and occurred mainly along the coast of Chubut Province in the far southern region of Patagonia...
in the 1860s and where Welsh is still frequently spoken. The second Test at Vélez Sársfield on 17 June saw the Pumas take a 45–13 lead before two late Welsh tries cut the final margin to 45–27. This did, however, mark Argentina's largest win ever over Wales. Los Pumas next entertained the world's top team, the All Blacks, at Vélez Sársfield the following week. The All Blacks won 25–19, but not until surviving an all-out Pumas assault on their try line in the final minutes.
On 9 July, Argentina defeated Uruguay 26–0 in a Round 3a match during the Americas qualifying
2007 Rugby World Cup - Americas qualification
In qualification for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, 19 countries in the Pan American Rugby Association compete for 3 direct entries and 1 repechage place against the winner of Africa 2 v Europe 4.-Round 1a:Caribbean teams...
for the 2007 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,...
. Being their second win during that stage, Argentina moved directly into the 2007 World Cup, taking the Americas 1 position. They joined Pool D, along with hosts France, and Ireland.
The 2006 end-of-year Tests
2006 end-of-year rugby test series
The 2006 end of year tests, also known as the 2006 Autumn Internationals, refers to several international rugby union matches that took place during November 2006 principally between touring teams from the southern hemisphere—, , New Zealand, Pacific Islands and —and one or more teams from the Six...
began with a bang for Los Pumas, as they went into Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
and handed a 25–18 defeat. The error-riddled England side were booed off the Twickenham pitch after they crashed to their seventh consecutive Test defeat, equalling their worst ever run. Further success followed for the Pumas, going on to defeat Italy in Rome and then coming within one point of achieving a similar result against France in Paris.
Los Pumas had been invited by the Belgian Rugby Federation
Belgian Rugby Federation
The Belgian Rugby Federation is the governing body for rugby union in Belgium. It was founded in 1931 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 1988....
to play their local games there in case of being accepted in an annual competition. Soon after they also received invitations from Spain, Switzerland, France and Portugal.
In the meantime, 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 baulk at admitting Argentina. The IRB was apparently convinced that the Tri Nations was the proper place for a Southern Hemisphere team, and has reportedly found South Africa strongly supporting the move and Australia not opposed. However, The Sunday Times indicated that the biggest stumbling block may well be the UAR itself, "some of whose members are deeply attached to amateurism." Eventually, by August of that year, it became clear that the competition would not be expanded until the key SANZAR media contract with 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 in 2010. An IRB spokesman, in revealing this news, not only noted the contract, but also Southern Hemisphere fixture congestion and the lack of a professional structure in Argentina as reasons that Los Pumas could not be admitted any sooner.
2007 World Cup
Los Pumas began their final preparation for the 2007 World Cup2007 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,...
with a two-test series against visiting Ireland, who was grouped against them in France. In the first test on 26 May at Santa Fe, they scored a 22–20 win on a last-minute drop goal by 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...
. Both teams were heavily experimental, especially the Irish, with stars such as Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
, Ronan O'Gara
Ronan O'Gara
Ronan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish rugby union player, playing at fly-half for both Munster and Ireland. He is the all time highest point scorer for both Munster and Ireland. In addition to his prolific point-scoring, he has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions...
, Paul O'Connell
Paul O'Connell
Paul O'Connell is an Irish rugby union player who plays lock for Munster and Ireland. He also captained the British and Irish Lions on their 2009 tour to South Africa.-Early life:...
and Gordon D'Arcy
Gordon D'Arcy
Gordon William D'Arcy is an Irish rugby player, more specifically an inside centre. He is registered to Lansdowne RFC and plays for provincial and RaboDirect Pro12 side Leinster.-Career:...
missing from the touring squad. The Pumas were themselves missing many stars who were playing that weekend in the final round of the 2006-07 Top 14 season in France. The second test against Ireland was a 16–0 Pumas win at Vélez Sársfield on 2 June. On 9 June, Los Pumas completed a clean sweep of their mid-year tests
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...
with a 24–6 win over in Mendoza
Estadio Malvinas Argentinas
The Estadio Malvinas Argentinas is a stadium, in the city of Mendoza, Argentina, at General San Martín Park.It was built in 1976 in preparation for the 1978 World Cup...
. They split their final warmup tests
2007 Rugby World Cup warm-up tests
Throughout August 2007, various teams prepared for the Rugby World Cup in France with a short series of test matches, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere and involving the RBS Six Nations sides. In addition, South Africa will play one test in Scotland following the 2007 Tri Nations and Argentina...
, defeating neighbours 70–14 at CASI
Club Atlético San Isidro
The Club Atlético San Isidro is a sports club based in San Isidro, Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mostly known for its rugby union team , the club hosts other activities such as field hockey, tennis, football, golf and squash amongst others.-History:The sporting institution was founded on 24...
in Buenos Aires on 4 August and losing to Wales at Millennium Stadium
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...
27–20 on 18 August.
At the World Cup, Los Pumas were drawn into the so-called pool of death
Group of death
A group of death in a multi-stage tournament is a group which is unusually competitive, because the number of strong competitors in the group is greater than the number of qualifying places available for the next phase of the tournament...
, featuring two other teams ranked in the top six in the IRB rankings—Ireland and the hosts France. On top of this, they opened the World Cup at Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
against the French, marking the third consecutive World Cup in which they played against the host nation in the World Cup opener. In possibly one of their finest hours, the Pumas took a 17–9 lead into the half, and held on for a surprising 17–12 win. The Pumas subsequently beat Georgia
Georgia national rugby union team
The Georgia national rugby union team represents Georgia in rugby union. The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try"...
33–3 on 11 September at the Stade de Gerland, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
. Argentina then went on to beat Namibia
Namibia national rugby union team
The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999...
63–3 in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, the biggest winning margin in Argentine World Cup history. They then went on to secure a 30–15 victory against Ireland which ensured that they topped the group. They then defeated Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
19–13 in the quarter-final at the Stade de France. The Pumas' improbable run towards the Webb Ellis trophy ended in a comprehensive 37–13 defeat by the Springboks in the semi-final at Stade de France. However, the Pumas recovered to beat France for the second time 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,...
, a 34–10 win in the 3rd/4th place playoff. The 3rd place showing for the Pumas in the 2007 World Cup was Argentina's best ever result in 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....
history, equal or better to the best showing by IRB founding nations Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
(who were 3rd in the 1987 Rugby World Cup
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...
), Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
(who were 4th in the 1991 Rugby World Cup
1991 Rugby World Cup
The 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
) and Ireland (which has never qualified for the Rugby World Cup semi-finals).
During their World Cup run, the normally football-crazed Argentines embraced the Pumas so much that El Superclásico, the Buenos Aires football derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
that is normally the biggest event in Argentine sport, was rescheduled so that it would not conflict with the Pumas' quarter-final match. As the only major Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
country in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the Pumas also had considerable support from rugby fans in Spain, Uruguay, and other Latin American countries during their impressive five game winning streak.
After the 2007 World Cup
In November 2007, in the wake of Argentina's World Cup run, the future status of Los Pumas 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 Argentina 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 2010, 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 be "fully integrated into the Southern top-flight Rugby playing structure" (read "Tri Nations").
However, New Zealand Rugby Football Union
New Zealand Rugby Football Union
The New Zealand Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in New Zealand, it was founded in 1892, 12 years after the first Provincial Unions in New Zealand, and in 1949, became an affiliate to the International Rugby Board, the governing body of Rugby Union for the world...
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.
On 7 June 2008, the Pumas beat Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
in Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, Argentina 21–15, thus maintaining their position as the 3rd highest ranked team in the IRB rankings. They have since dropped to fourth due to Australia wins.
In June 2009 the British media reported that Argentina were lobbying for the 2013 British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia to incorporate a series of games in Argentina. The proposed format would be three provincial games in Argentina followed by two international tests, followed by three provincial games in Australia followed by three international tests.
2011 World Cup
World Cup preparations for Los Pumas began with a drawn 1-1 series against the French BarbariansFrench Barbarians
The Barbarian Rugby Club, more commonly known as the French Barbarians , are an invitational rugby union team that is based in France. The team is based on the Barbarians and was founded by Jean-Claude Skrela after he played for and adored the Barbarians in the later days of his career...
, which took place in June. They followed this up with a comprehensive 78-15
win against a South American Invitational XV in early August. Their only warm-up international match came soon afterwards, when Los Pumas took on Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in Cardiff. Despite a strong first-half showing, Argentina were convincingly beaten 28-13. Their final warm-up game came against the Aviva Premiership club Worcester Warriors, which they won 21-15.
Los Pumas kicked off their 2011 World Cup with a tightly-fought 13-9 loss against 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...
, a match which they led for over 60 minutes. They carried on to convincgly beat Romania
Romania national rugby union team
The Romania national rugby union team , nicknamed The Oaks , is the representative side of Romania in rugby union. Long considered one of the stronger European teams outside the Six Nations, they have participated in all six Rugby World Cups, and currently compete in the first division of the...
43-8. The match that followed was a match which decided the outcome of the pool and the quarter finalists, as Argentina faced Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
. Despite Scotland leading for the majority of the match, a very late try by replacement fullback Lucaz Gonzalez Amorosino and a successful conversion meant Los Pumas won 13-12. They finished the pool stages in a less than convincing fashion, winning 25-9 against Georgia
Georgia national rugby union team
The Georgia national rugby union team represents Georgia in rugby union. The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try"...
.
Argentina went on to play what would be their final match of the tournament, a quarter final against eventual champions All Blacks. In a match which was much closer than anticipated, Argentina opened the scoring with a try by Juan Farias Cabello, and led before conceding several penalties. As the game went on, the All Blacks began to dominate large periods of possession, resulting in two tries and several further penalties, leading to a final score of 33-10.
While not as glamorous as the 2007 tournament for the Pumas, their campaign was considered relatively successful as they qualified for the Quarter-Finals from a gritty pool group which featured an equally competitive England and Scotland, and put up a valiant display against the All Blacks for the majority of their final match. Many pundits also believed that the Pumas' lack of their star fly-half, Juan Martin Hernandez
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...
, who was injured prior to the announcement of the World Cup squad prevented the Pumas from winning the fateful kicking battle during the England match, which would have led the Pumas to top their group and face the theoretically easier and more familiar teams of France and then Ireland or Wales in the lead-up to the final.
Colours and name
Los Pumas play in a shirt in the country's flag (and sporting) colours of light blue and white, white shorts, and socks in light blue and white. The emblem on the shirts features a jaguar, notwithstanding the team's nickname. The Pumas nickname is the result of an error made by Carl Kohler, a journalist for the then Die Transvaler newspaper in South Africa, while following the team during their first overseas tour ever — to Southern Africa in 1965. He tried to devise a catchy nickname for the team similar to existing international team nicknames such as All Blacks, Springboks, and Wallabies. He asked Isak van Heerden, the then coach of the Natal Rugby team who was asked by the SARB to assist with the tour, for ideas. They saw a picture of a type of lion with spots on the UAR crest. Kohler was aware that the Americas had Jaguars and Pumas, and as he was under pressure to submit his article, made a guess and called them the Pumas, instead of the actual Jaguar. The mistake stuck, and was eventually adopted by the Argentines themselves (although the UAR crest still depicts a jaguar). As of 2007 the strip is manufactured by AdidasAdidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
and VISA is the shirt sponsor.
Home grounds
The Pumas use a variety of stadiums when playing at home. One of the most frequently used for Tests is Vélez SársfieldEstadio 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...
in Buenos Aires. When Great Britain first came to Argentina in the tour of 1910, the first Argentina Test was played in Buenos Aires. During the mid year Tests
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 2007, as well as Vélez Sársfield, Argentina played games at venues including Estadio B.G. Estanislao López in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
and Estadio Malvinas Argentinas
Estadio Malvinas Argentinas
The Estadio Malvinas Argentinas is a stadium, in the city of Mendoza, Argentina, at General San Martín Park.It was built in 1976 in preparation for the 1978 World Cup...
in Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
. Argentina have also used the River Plate Stadium
Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti
Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, is a stadium in the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires, Argentina at the intersection of Figueroa Alcorta and Udaondo. It is the home venue of Club Atlético River Plate and is named after former club president Antonio Vespucio Liberti...
in the past, and in 2006 hosted Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
at Estadio Raúl Conti
Estadio Raúl Conti
Estadio Raúl Conti is a multi-purpose stadium in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches of the Puerto Madryn Rugby Club. The stadium's capacity is 15,000 people. The Argentina national rugby union team have played at the ground once, winning 27–25...
in Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn is a city in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is the head town of the Viedma Department, and has about 57,571 inhabitants according to the last census in 2001....
.
Overall
Argentina have won 161 of their 270 Test matches, a win record of 59.63%. When the world rankingsIRB 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...
were introduced by the IRB in October 2003, Argentina were ranked seventh. They fell to eighth in the rankings in June 2004, before rising back to seventh by November that year. They fell back to eighth in February 2005, and stayed there until falling to their lowest ranking of ninth in February 2006. Since then, Argentina rose to eighth in July 2006, then sixth in November of that year. They had a one week fall to seventh, then one week later rose to fifth to start the World Cup 2007.
Los Pumas twice surpassed their highest ranking at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Defeating number three France, the first opening game loss for a World Cup hosting nation, moved them into fourth place, their highest position since 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...
were established. They lost to eventual champions South Africa in the semi-final but beat France yet again in the bronze medal round to set another highest ranking, third, behind South Africa and New Zealand. They are currently ranked 8th in the world (as of 25 September 2011).
Their Test record against all nations:
| Against | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn | % Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Australia The Australian Wallabies first played against Argentina on 27 October 1979, resulting in a win to Argentina.The teams have met seventeen times, with Australia winning twelve, Argentina four and one match drawn... |
4 | 12 | 1 | 26.47% | |
| 11 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| British and Irish Lions British and Irish Lions The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales... |
7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0% |
| 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 66.6% | |
| 33 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 17 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 29.41% | |
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75% | |
| 44 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and France The national rugby union team of France first toured Argentina in 1949, winning a two-test series. These games were Argentina's debut as a Test-playing nation. Argentina did not manage a win until their 16th meeting in 1985, under the captaincy of Hugo Porta.... |
11 | 32 | 1 | 26.13% | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 17 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Ireland The history of rugby union matches between Argentina and Ireland is one of a very even contest. the sides have met seventeen times with a result of nine wins to Ireland, seven to Argentina and one drawn game. At the end of the 2010 Autumn Internationals there was only a nineteen point difference... |
7 | 9 | 1 | 44.11% | |
| 17 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Italy Argentina first played against Italy in 1978 in Rovigo, with Italy running out 19-6 winners. They next met in the Rugby World Cup in 1987, Argentina coming out on top 25-16. Since then, Argentina have had the better record.-Overall summary:-Results:... |
11 | 5 | 1 | 67.64% | |
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80% | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 17 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and New Zealand The New Zealand All Blacks first played against Argentina on 30 October 1976, but New Zealand did not award test caps for the two internationals on that tour, nor for Argentina's first internationals in New Zealand in 1979... |
0 | 16 | 1 | 0% | |
| 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 25% | |
| 16 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Scotland The national rugby union teams of Scotland and Argentina have played since 1969. However, the status of the countries' first three matches—two in 1969 and one in 1973—is ambiguous, as only Argentina awarded Test caps for those encounters... |
10 | 6 | 0 | 62.5% | |
| 13 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and South Africa Argentina and South Africa first met in 1993. To date, South Africa have won all of their encounters. These two teams do not tour each other regularly and encounters between them are rare in the professional era... |
0 | 13 | 0 | 0% | |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 37 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 16 History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Wales -Overall summary:... |
5 | 10 | 1 | 34.37% | |
| World XV World XV A World XV is a rugby union team, typically composed of invited players from various countries. Various World XVs have been arranged from time to time, often to take part in celebration and testimonial games, usually against national teams; recent World XV games have generally not been considered... |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| Total | 329 | 192 | 128 | 9 | 59.7 |
World Cup
- 19871987 Rugby World CupThe 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...
– Pool stage - 19911991 Rugby World CupThe 1991 Rugby World Cup was the second edition of the Rugby World Cup, and was jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France; at that time, the five European countries that participated in the Five Nations Championship making it the first Rugby World Cup to be staged in the...
– Pool stage - 19951995 Rugby World CupThe 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
– Pool stage - 19991999 Rugby World CupThe 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...
– Quarter-finals - 20032003 Rugby World CupThe 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...
– Pool stage - 20072007 Rugby World CupThe 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,...
– Semi-finals, (3rd place) - 20112011 Rugby World CupThe 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...
– Quarter-finals
Current squad
30-man Argentina squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup2011 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...
. Alvaro Galindo was ruled out with injury and replaced by Genaro Fessia.
Head Coach: Santiago Phelan
Santiago Phelan
Santiago Phelan is a retired Argentine rugby union footballer. His usual position was flanker....
4 reserves also travelled with the squad to Europe for the warm-up tests.
Coaches
Coaches:- 1932: Edmundo Cundo Stanfield
- 1936: Luis Cilley, Edmundo Stanfield and C. Huntley Robertson.
- 1954: Juan C. Wells.
- 1956: Dermot Cavanagh and Horacio Savino.
- 1959: Jorge Merelle.
- 1960: Saturnino Racimo.
- 1965: Izaak Van Heerden, Alberto Camardón and Ángel Guastella.
- 1965–1966: Alberto Camardón and Ángel Guastella.
- 1967–1970: Alberto Camardón, Ángel Guastella and Jorge Merelle.
- 1971: Ángel Guastella and Eduardo Poggi.
- 1972–1973: Ángel Guastella, Eduardo Poggi and Oscar Martínez Basante.
- 1974: Carlos Villegas, Emilio Perasso and Jorge Merelle.
- 1975: Eduardo Poggi and Eduardo Scahrenberg.
- 1976–1977: Carlos Villegas and Emilio Perasso.
- 1978: Ángel Guastella, Aitor Otaño and José L. Imhoff.
- 1979–1980: Luis Gradín and Aitor Otaño.
- 1981–1983: Rodolfo O'Reilly.
- 1984: Héctor Silva and Aitor Otaño.
- 1985–1986: Héctor Silva, Aitor Otaño and Ángel Guastella.
- 1987: Héctor Silva and Ángel Guastella.
- 1988–1990: Rodolfo O'Reilly and Raúl Sanz.
- 1990–1991: Luis Gradín and Guillermo Lamarca.
- 1992: Luis Gradín and John HartJohn Hart (rugby coach)John Bernard Hart, ONZM was a New Zealand rugby union coach, mainly for Auckland and the All Blacks. After many years in business, during which he rose to become Group Employee Relations Director for Fletcher Challenge, then New Zealand's largest company, John Hart began his first class coaching...
. - 1993–1994: Héctor Méndez and José J. Fernández.
- 1995: Alejandro Petra and Ricardo Paganini.
- 1995: Alejandro Petra and Juancho Dabusti.
- 1996: José L. Imhoff, José J. Fernández, Héctor Méndez and Alex WyllieAlex WyllieAlex "Grizz" Wyllie is a former New Zealand rugby union footballer and coach.Wyllie began his first-class career with Canterbury in 1964 and played 210 matches for the province until 1979, serving as captain on over one hundred occasions...
. - 1997: José Luis Imhoff, Héctor Méndez and Alex Wyllie.
- 1998: José Luis Imhoff and Alex Wyllie.
- 1999: José Luis Imhoff and Alex Wyllie, next Héctor Méndez and Wyllie, next Wyllie alone.
- 2000 – 20072007 Rugby World CupThe 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,...
: Marcelo LoffredaMarcelo LoffredaMarcelo 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...
and Daniel Baetti. - 2008–present: Santiago PhelanSantiago PhelanSantiago Phelan is a retired Argentine rugby union footballer. His usual position was flanker....
and Fabián TurnesFabián TurnesFabián Turnes is a former Argentine rugby union footballer and a current coach. He played as a centre.Turnes played at Banco Nación, from 1983/84 to 1988/89, where he won two titles of Argentine Champion, in 1985/86 and 1988/89...
See also
- Argentina national rugby union team (sevens)Argentina national rugby union team (sevens)The Argentina national rugby union sevens team compete in the World Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens.-Current squad:A 12-man squad for the 2010–11 IRB Sevens World Series:#Santiago Bottini#Francisco Cuneo#Gonzalo Gutierrez Taboada#Francisco Merello...
Argentina sevens team - Churchill CupChurchill CupThe Churchill Cup was an annual rugby union tournament, held in June, contested by representative men's teams from Canada, England, the United States, and other invited teams from a wide array of countries....
- English Argentine
- Puma TrophyPuma TrophyThe Puma Trophy was established as a perpetual trophy between the Argentina and Australian rugby union nations, the trophy is a bronzed statue of a Puma. Argentina and Australia first played against each other in 1979.Australia won the trophy in 2000...
- South American JaguarsSouth American JaguarsThe South American Jaguars was an international rugby union team consisting of South American players that played during the early 1980s against the South African Springboks. South Africa invited South America to tour there as a way of counteracting its sporting isolation which was due to the...