Argentina national rugby union team
Las Pumas, also known as the Argentina national rugby team.
The first rugby match in Argentina was played in 1873, the game having been brought to South America by the British, although it was only 26 years later, in 1899, that four clubs in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, got together to form the River Plate Rugby Football Union.
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.
Argentina's traditional strengths have lied in their fowards and their scrummaging.
Argentina missed out on progressing to the 2003 World Cup Quater-finals due to a one point loss to Ireland in a nailbiting game. It was noted that because of the fixture list, Argentina had to play four games in a fortnight, whereas Ireland had the same games in four weeks. It was suggested that Ireland, as a major nation would not accept similar fixture list, and this was unfair.
Since then they have shown good form beating Wales 50-44.
Famous players
- Lisandro Arbizu
- Diego Dominguez
- Rolando Martin
- Patricio Noriega (1971 - )
- Agustín Pichot
- Pedro Sporleder
See also
