Sport in Argentina - Rugby Union

Rugby Union

Rugby union is a popular and largely amateur sport. However, despite this amateurism, the national team have become one of the most powerful in the sport, finishing third in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and rising as high as third in the IRB World Rankings immediately after. Since November 2004, Argentina have picked up at least one win over all the participants in Europe's Six Nations Championship, drawn with the British and Irish Lions and narrowly lost to the All Blacks, who were forced to survive a last-second assault on their try line. In particular, the Pumas have enjoyed a dominating record in recent years against France, going 7–2 since 2000, with a total points against of 7.

The most important Argentine players emigrate to Europe (mainly to England and France), where they play professionally. Probably the best known players are Hugo Porta (who played during the 1970s and the 1980s), current captain Felipe Contepomi, his immediate predecessor as captain Agustín Pichot, current star utility back Juan Martín Hernández, current head coach and 1990s star Santiago Phelan and Marcelo Loffreda, who coached the team during their 2007 World Cup run before leaving to take up the coaching post at English club power Leicester Tigers.

There has always been discussion regarding the possibility of Argentina joining the Tri Nations, alongside the Southern Hemisphere powers of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, although this proposal and a similar one to join the Super Rugby Southern Hemisphere professional league have historically been denied. More recently, Argentina has lobbied for inclusion in the Six Nations, which arguably makes more sense considering that most top Argentine players are based in Europe. In 2006, both Pichot and Loffreda publicly urged that Argentina be admitted to the Six Nations, with both on record as being willing to have the Pumas play their "home" fixtures in Europe (possibly in Spain or Portugal) to alleviate travel issues for all teams involved. While these discussions were ongoing, The Sunday Times reported in February 2007 that the sport's world governing body, the International Rugby Board, was brokering a deal with Tri Nations organiser SANZAR that could have seen Los Pumas admitted to that competition as early as 2008. Nonetheless, this plan was eventually not implemented. Ultimately, after Argentina's 2007 World Cup run, it was decided that the earliest that the team could enter a major international competition would be 2012, and that the Pumas would eventually join the Tri Nations. SANZAR has since extended a provisional invitation for Argentina to join an expanded Tri Nations in 2012.