Rugby Union in Argentina - History

History

At the middle of the 19th century the British immigrants in Argentina introduced sports and contributed to 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. Rugby union began to be practised in Argentina in 1873, exclusively by the resident British people. The first rugby union match in Argentina was played that same year in the Buenos Aires Cricket Club Ground, located in Palermo neighborhood, where the Galileo Galilei planetarium is located today. Both teams (called "Bancos" and "Ciudad" for the occasion) were formed by members of the BACC and they play a mix between football and rugby.Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club - Historia del Club

On 28 June 1886, it is recorded that Buenos Aires FC (predecessor of current Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club) and Rosario AC played the first inter-clubs match in Plaza Jewell, Rosario, Santa Fe, being the local team the winner.

Early rugby was not immune to political problems either. An 1890 game in Buenos Aires resulted in both teams, and all 2,500 spectators being arrested. National president Juárez Celman was particularly paranoid after the Revolution of the Park in the city earlier in the year, and the police had suspected that the match was in fact a political meeting.

In 1899, three clubs from Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires FC, Belgrano AC and Lomas) and one from Rosario (Rosario AC) got together to form "The River Plate Rugby Union". That same year the Union organised the first rugby championship (currently Torneo de la URBA), which was won by Lomas.

This body, one of the oldest rugby unions in the world, later became known as the Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR), which became a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) only after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.

From that year until 1903, the only teams taking part in tournaments had been founded by English native or their descendants. Only they knew the rules of the game and their families were from the high society. It was only in 1904 when the first team formed by "criollos" made its appearance, named "Centro de Estudiantes de la Facultad de Ingeniería". Some players of that team were the Newbery Brothers, Martín Miguens, Alberto Lagos, Luis Duhau, Mariano Paunero and Germán Dates.

Although rugby went professional in the mid-1990s, the domestic competition in Argentina has largely remained amateur. That has ensured large numbers of Argentinians playing overseas, particularly in European competitions, though these players are still eligible for the national team, and make up a large amount of the side.

It was originally dominated by the British community in Argentina, but unlike certain other regions, it became successfully transplanted to the local population. For example, in its early days the River Plate Rugby Union (the ancestor of today's national organisation), had a membership whose surnames portrayed their English and Scottish origins - such as Anderson, Baikie, Bellamy, Brodie, Corry-Smith, Elliot, Jacobs, Leicht, Taylor, Thurn.

Away from Buenos Aires, where the game's background is traditionally somewhat refined, Tucuman is a heartland for the sport, where supporters are passionate, and often burn the opposition's flag on the terraces. This is a region which has provided Argentina with some of its toughest forwards.

One of Argentina's main problems has been geographical isolation, and despite Chile, Uruguay and to a much lesser extent, Brazil playing the game, Argentina towers above them, and has not a reasonable match in its continent. Its first contact outwith the continent was in 1910, when the British and Irish Lions led by J. Raphael toured on Argentina, winning all six matches, scoring 213 points, and conceding a mere 31. The British Lions returned to Argentina in 1927, that time led by David McMyn's playing 9 matches, 4 of them against the Argentina national team. Other rivals of the Lions during the tour included CA San Isidro, Buenos Aires FC, and Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires. The Lions would make a third tour on Argentina in 1936, playing 10 matches.

Other team that toured on Argentina were the Junior Springboks in 1932, that won all eight matches played.

In the post-War period, Argentina turned its sights overseas, touring South Africa in 1965, and despite faring badly there, they made contact with Izak van Heerden, the Natal coaching genius who would revolutionise Argentine rugby in the late 1960s. Van Heerden's coaching was not the only turnaround in Argentina's fortunes at this time, it also saw the emergence of Hugo Porta, who is arguably the greatest Argentine player of all time, and some outstanding packs.

In the 1970s, major Argentine rugby clubs included Rosario, Buenos Aires, San Isidro, and Gimnasia y Esgrima.

Argentina has long been seen as the biggest power outside the Six Nations and the Tri Nations; between 1981-90 in four tests, England won only two out of four, and Scotland lost both tests on their 1994 tour.