History of the Argentina national rugby union team

The History of the Argentina national rugby union team starts with the first international played by an Argentine side against the British Isles in 1910 when they toured on South America. Argentina gained recognition in 1965, when the team toured South Africa playing a series of friendly matches there. In that tour the national team was nicknamed Los Pumas, a name that became an identity mark for Argentina, remaining to present days.

Argentina has taken part in all the Rugby World Cups since the first edition in 1987, being their best performance the 3rd place achieved in 2007. The national side also plays the Rugby Championship since the 2012 edition, after joining the competition one year before.Argentina is now part of Rugby Championship by Frankie Deges, The Buenos Aires Herald, 23 Nov 2011

Background

In the middle of the 19th century, the Irish immigrants in Argentina introduced sports and helped establish clubs in the country, although the first clubs in Argentina only admitted English members. Natives were rarely accepted, most of the cases as an exception.

The first rugby union match in Argentina was played in 1873, in the Buenos Aires Cricket Club Ground, located in Palermo, Buenos Aires. Both teams were formed by members of the BACC and they play a mix between football and rugby.Orígenes de los deportes británicos en el Río de La Plata, Buenos Aires, 1932

On 29 June 1886, it is recorded that Buenos Aires F.C. (predecessor of current Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club) and Rosario A.C. played the first inter-club match at Plaza Jewell, Rosario, Santa Fe.The Complete Book of Rugby by Richard Bath (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997. )"Rugby: A 123 años del primer partido en la Argentina", Atlético del Rosario website, 28 Jun 2009

In 1899, four clubs in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, joined to form the River Plate Rugby Football Union and organised the first club championship that same year.

1910–1936: From the first matches to World War I In 1910, a side managed by Oxford University – supposedly the England national team, but including three Scottish players — toured Argentina as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the May Revolution. The people of Argentina termed it the "Combined British", also known as "Great Britain XV". Argentina made its international debut against this team under the name "The River Plate Rugby Football Union" on 12 June. The match was played at Sociedad Sportiva Argentina of Palermo and Argentina lost 28–3. The only try for the Argentine squad (the first international try) was scored by Buenos Aires F.C. player Frank Heriot. The Argentina line-up was: J.E. Saffey; C. McCarthy, Oswald Gebbie (cap), F. Heriot, Henry Talbot; Carlos Mold, W.A. Watson; Barry Heatlie, L.H. Gribell, W.M. Hayman; F. Henrys, F.W. Sawyer; A. Bovet, A. Donelly, Alvan Reid., all of them descendants of British immigrants."El centenario del debut", Clarín, 13 June 2010 Argentina's most notable players were captain Oswald St. John Gebbie and Barrie Heatlie, a South African that had played for the Springboks."De festejo también, pero por el Centenario" by Jorge Búsico, La Nación, 27 May 2010

In 1927, the British Lions toured Argentina for a second time, 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. The important fact was that all the players on the field were Argentine-born.

1927 also saw the first time Argentina wore the traditional light blue and white jersey, after a proposal from Mr. Abelardo Gutiérrez of Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires. That request was accepted and Argentina wore the striped uniform v. the British Lions."La pasión cumple 100 años", La Nación, 10 April 1999

Five years passed until another international team would return to Argentina, which would be the Junior Springboks, who arrived in the country for the first time in 1932 to play a series of friendly matches v. local clubs and combined teams.Pumas and Juniors Springboks, RuggaWorld, 10 Dec 2005 On July 16 and 23 the JS played Argentina, winning both matches, 42–0 and 34–3, respectively. The line-up for the first match was R. de Abelleyra; H. Maurer, A. Turner, C. Echeverría, N. Escary; E.J. Stanfield, J.E. Bridger; J.L. Francombe, N. C. Tozer, G.A. Stewart, Ernesto Cilley, A. Navajas, K.A.M. Cookson, Arturo Rodríguez, C.A. Huntley Robertson (captain)Memoria 1932 on UAR website

Two of the members of the Junior Springboks, Rybeck Elliot and Wollie Wolheim, would return to Argentina one year later to play for Hindú Club.El sudafricano que vino a la Argentina, Museo del Rugby de Argentina

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 Valparaíso. 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 period

Argentina hosted the first South American tournament, in 1951.Memoria 1951, UAR website The other teams participating were Uruguay and Chile.Teros/Historia on URU websiteArgentina, campeón sudamericano, Clarín, 25 May 2011

Argentina won the tournament after large victories over Uruguay (62–0) and Brazil (72–0) being the last v. Chile by 13–3. All the matches were played at Estadio G.E.B.A.

In 1954 the French national team toured Argentina and Chile playing with the national team on August 29 at Gimnasia y Esgrima. Argentina lost the match by 8–22. On September 12, both teams played a second test match at the same venue, with another victory for France which won by 30–3."Gira de Francia por Argentina" at UAR website

At the second South American tournament, in 1958, Argentina accounted for Uruguay 50–3 and Peru 44–0, and finally Argentina emerged victorious against the hosts Chile in Santiago, by 14–0 to win their second title.

In 1959 the Junior Springboks returned to South America to play a series of friendly matches in Buenos Aires and Rosario against local clubs and combined teams. The South African played Argentina in two test-matches at GEBA, winning both fixtures 14–6, and 20–5. The JS played a total of 15 matches in Argentina, winning all of them.

The third edition of the South American competition, in 1961 held in Uruguay found Argentina to win their third consecutive title after defeating Chile (11–3), Brazil (thrashing them by 60–0) and local team Uruguay by 36–3, with all the matches being played at Carrasco Polo of Montevideo.

Argentina won their four South American title in 1964 with victories over Uruguay (25–6), Brazil and Chile (both with the same score, 30–8).

1960s: The birth of Los Pumas In 1960, France visited Argentina and Uruguay for a series of 13 matches, 3 of them against 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, all of them played at Estadio G.E.B.A. The Argentine line-up for the first game was 15.Rodolfo Devoto, 14.Enrique Krossler, 13.Esteban Karplus, 12.Ricardo Oliveri, 11.Enrico Neri, 10.Isidro Comas (cap), 9.Eduardo González del Solar, 8.Florencio Varela, 7. Glauco Wessek, 6.Jorge Pulido, 5.Aitor Otano, 4.Rodolfo Schmidt, 3.Eduardo Sorhaburu, 2.Juan Casanegra, 1.Elías Gavina

The following year Argentina again showed their dominance at 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 achieved huge victories over Uruguay (25–6), Brazil (30–5) and Chile (30–8).

In the late 1960s, the four home unions began tours of 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 by 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 of The Weekly Farers after their first tour match, a defeat on 8 May by Rhodesia in Salisbury 17–12. The journalist mistook the animal that appeared on the UAR emblem (a yaguareté) for a puma, probably because it was an unknown species in South Africa. Nevertheless, the nickname has remained as a mark of identity for the team since then.¿Por qué Los Pumas? by Mariana Chapotot, Infobae.com, 4 Dec 2012La historia de los apodos de los equipos de rugby, La Vanguardia, 28 Oct 2015 After defeats by 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 scored a landmark win of 11–6 against the Junior Springboks on June 19 at Ellis Park Stadium. The line-up for that historic day was Roberto Cazenave; Enrico Neri, Marcelo Pascual, Arturo Rodríguez Jurado (h), Eduardo España; Eduardo Poggi, Adolfo Etchegaray; Raúl Loyola, Héctor Silva, Eduardo Scharenberg; Rodolfo Schmidt, Aitor Otaño (c); Ronnie Foster, Nicanor González del Solar, Luis García Yáñez.

That victory over the Junior Springboks was widely praised by the media, being considered as the first landmark victory by the Argentine rugby team since the beginning of the sport in the country.El día que nacieron Los Pumas, El Gráfico Argentina played a total of 16 matches, with 11 won and only 4 lost over two months. The players were welcomed home to Buenos Aires by a huge crowd.

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 – a kind of a Junior Springboks B team – arrived in Argentina. 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; 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.

In 1968, Wales toured Argentina to play six games. Argentina defeated Wales in the first test by 9–6, with the following line-up: 15.Jorge Seaton, 14.Mario Walther, 13.Arturo Rodriguez Jurado, 12.Marcelo Pascual, 11.Alejandro Travaglini, 10.Jorge Dartiguelongue, 9.Adolfo Etchegaray, 7.Miguel Chesta, 8. Hector Silva, 6.Raul Loyola, 5.Aitor Otano, 4.Adrian Anthony, 3.Marcelo Farina, 2.Ricardo Handley, 1.Luis Garcia Yanez. The second test finished in a 9–9 tie.

The 1970s: multiple tours

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 Porta.