The Puma Trophy () is an international rugby union trophy between Argentina and Australia. The trophy is a bronzed statue of a puma, the nickname of the Argentina national team.
History Although Argentina and Australia's first Test match against one another was in 1979, the Puma Trophy was first introduced in 2000. In the inaugural contest the trophy was played over two Tests, with Australia winning 53–6 and 32–25 in Argentina. It was later contested again in Buenos Aires during Australia's 2002 tour of Argentina and Europe, which Australia won 17–6.
In 2012, following Argentina's inclusion into the The Rugby Championship, the Puma Trophy became contested annually over two Tests, although was played in one-off Tests during Rugby World Cup (RWC) years due to the shortening of the tournament. The first draw between the two sides since the creation of the Puma Trophy happened in the 2020 Tri Nations Series (15–15). The next meeting, two weeks later, was also a draw. As a result, Australia retained the trophy for another year.
In round two of the 2023 Rugby Championship, which was shortened to one-off matches per team due to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Argentina defeated Australia on Australian soil for the first time since 2018 to seal the Puma Trophy for the first time in its history. Argentina, whom were behind by four points with four minutes of the match remaining, scored in the 78th minute to win the game. It was also their first win in Sydney from six matches.
The following year, Argentina successfully retained the trophy for the first time. After initially losing their first Test in La Plata in the 80th minute by one point, they achieved their biggest win against Australia in the second Test, winning 67–27 in Santa Fe. The 40-point win was also Australia's second-largest defeat ever, behind their 53–8 loss to South Africa in 2008. In 2025, they successfully retained the trophy again after defeating Australia by two-points in their second Test in Sydney.
In late 2025, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) and New Zealand Rugby (NZR) confirmed they were undertaking traditional reciprocal tours of each other in 2026 and 2030. This change scrapped the annual Rugby Championship for those years, which meant any matches between Argentina and Australia during 2026 would take place outside of the usual Rugby Championship tournament. Rugby Australia (RA) later revealed that they would be undertaking a two-Test tour of Argentina during which the Puma Trophy would be contested.
In 2026, Australia, whom recorded one Test win and one draw in Argentina, reclaimed the Puma Trophy on their first tour of the country since 2000.
Statistics and results
Host Matches Won byArgentina Won byAustralia Draws Argentina points Australia points 13 3 9 1 335 389 16 3 11 2 303 445 Neutral 1 0 1 0 21 33 Overall 30 6 21 3 659 867
Results
Year Date Venue Home Score Away Winner 2000 17 June Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane 53–6 24 June Canberra Stadium, Canberra 32–25 2002 2 November Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires 6–17 2012 15 September Robina Stadium, Gold Coast 23–19 6 October Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario 19–25 2013 15 September Subiaco Oval, Perth 14–13 5 October Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario 17–54 2014 13 September Robina Stadium, Gold Coast 32–25 4 October Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 21–17 2015 25 July Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 9–34 2016 17 September Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth 36–20 8 October Twickenham Stadium, London 21–33 2017 16 September Canberra Stadium, Canberra 45–20 7 October Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 20–37 2018 15 September Robina Stadium, Gold Coast 19–23 6 October Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta 34–45 2019 27 July Lang Park, Brisbane 16–10 2020 21 November Newcastle International Sports Centre, Newcastle 15–15 5 December Western Sydney Stadium, Parramatta 16–16 2021 25 September North Queensland Stadium, Townsville 27–8 2 October Robina Stadium, Gold Coast 32–17 2022 6 August Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 26–41 13 August Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan 48–17 2023 15 July Western Sydney Stadium, Parramatta 31–34 2024 31 August Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, La Plata 19–20 7 September Estadio Brigadier General Estanislao López, Santa Fe 67–27 2025 6 September North Queensland Stadium, Townsville 28–24 13 September Sydney Football Stadium, Moore Park 26–28 2026 29 August Estadio 23 de Agosto, San Salvador de Jujuy 21–27 5 September Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza 28–28
See also
History of rugby union matches between Argentina and Australia
References
Further reading