The Argentina national rugby union team (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Selección de rugby de Argentina'') represents

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

in men's international

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

; it is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union ( es, Unión Argentina de Rugby). Nicknamed the Pumas (''Los Pumas'' in Spanish), they play in sky blue and white jerseys. They are ranked 6th in the world by World Rugby, making them the highest-ranked nation in the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. Argentina played its first international rugby match in

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

against a touring British Isles team. Argentina has competed at every

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

since the first tournament of 1987, and the country are considered the strongest team within the Americas, being undefeated against all but

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, against whom they have suffered three losses. The Pumas' impressive results since the 1999 World Cup have seen rugby's popularity in Argentina grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several upset victories, and are capable of regularly defeating Six Nations sides. In the 2007 Rugby World Cup Argentina were undefeated in their pool and reached the semi-finals for the first time; they were defeated by

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

in the semi-finals, but followed up with a win over France to claim third place overall. By the end of the competition, the team had reached an all-time high of third in the World Rankings. After their advances in competitiveness and performance during the 2000s, coupled with their location in the Southern Hemisphere, Argentina was the only tier 1 nation that had no regular competition."Six Nations would be magnificent seven with us, pleads Pichot"
'' Western Mail'', 19 June 2006. Argentina officially joined The Rugby Championship on 23 November 2011. In their first tournament in 2012, Argentina secured a 16–16 draw with The Springboks in only their second game. The

2014 Rugby Championship The 2014 Rugby Championship was the third edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship consisting of Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The tournament was won by New Zealand, with South Africa second, Aus ...

saw the first Championship-match win for Argentina who defeated Australia 21–17. 2015 proved to be a successful year for Argentine rugby, including their first ever win over

in the Rugby Championship, and they reached another semi-final at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In the

2016 Rugby Championship The 2016 Rugby Championship was the fifth edition of the annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, featuring Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The competition is operated by SANZAAR, a joint venture of the four countries' n ...

, the Pumas again defeated the Springboks. Although winless during the 2017 Rugby Championship, the Pumas achieved two wins in their 2018 campaign, defeating both South Africa and Australia. On 14 November 2020, the Pumas beat New Zealand 25–15 to record their first win over the All Blacks, and on August 27, 2022, they defeated the All Blacks for the first time in New Zealand.

History

The History of the Argentina national team starts with the first international played by an Argentine side against the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

when they toured on South America. Argentina gained recognition in 1965, when the team toured

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

s since the first edition in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

, their best performance being the third place achieved in 2007. Argentina followed their growing competitiveness in the Rugby Championship with a strong showing in the 2015 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the second time. The national side has also played in the Rugby Championship since the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

edition, after joining the competition one year before.

Colours, symbol and name

Argentina alternated blue and white jerseys during its first international matches in

. In

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

Mr. Abelardo Gutiérrez of

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima (also known for its acronym GEBA) is an Argentine multi-sports club placed in the city of Buenos Aires. The institution is one of the oldest in the country, having been established in 1880. Gimnasia y Esgrima is also one ...

proposed that Argentina should play against the British Lions wearing a striped light blue and white jersey. That request was accepted and Argentina wore the striped uniform for the first time in its history."La pasión cumple 100 años"
''La Nación'', 10 April 1999 ''Los Pumas'' play in a shirt in the country's flag (and sporting) colours of light blue and white, white shorts, and socks in light blue and white. In 2011, the UAR signed a deal with

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

which became the exclusive kit provider for all its national senior and youth teams, including Pampas XV. The first uniform designed by the American company left the traditional horizontal-striped jersey behind, featuring a single light blue with white shoulders jersey, although it was announced that ''Los Pumas'' would wear its traditional uniform again when they play the 2012 Rugby Championship. Jaguar head shot-edit2

In September 1941, Abelardo Gutiérrez (who had proposed the use of a white and blue jersey for the team 14 years prior) suggested a badge with the figure of a lion. The color of the crest was blue (due to Buenos Aires Cricket Club, where the first rugby match in Argentina had been played). The animal was later replaced by a native to Argentine species, so the jaguar was chosen due to his "agility and courage", according to their words. The ''Pumas'' nickname is the result of an error made by Carl Kohler, a journalist for the then ''Die Transvaler'' newspaper in South Africa, while following the team during their first overseas tour ever – to Southern Africa (to Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and South Africa) in 1965. He tried to devise a catchy nickname for the team similar to existing international team nicknames such as ''All Blacks'', ''Springboks'', and ''Wallabies''. He asked Isak van Heerden, the then coach of the Natal Rugby team who was asked by the SARB to assist with the tour, for ideas. They saw a picture of a type of lion with spots on the UAR crest. Kohler was aware that the Americas had jaguars and pumas, and as he was under pressure to submit his article, made a guess and called them the Pumas, instead of the actual jaguar. The mistake stuck, and was eventually adopted by the Argentines themselves (although the UAR crest still depicts a jaguar).

Kit suppliers

Home grounds

The Pumas use a variety of stadiums when playing at home. One of the most frequently used for tests is

José Amalfitani Stadium The José Amalfitani Stadium is a stadium located in the Liniers neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina, near Liniers railway station. The venue is the home of the Argentine Primera División club Vélez Sarsfield and is also known as ''El Fort ...

, home of

Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield () is an Argentine sports club based in Liniers, Buenos Aires. Its football team plays in Primera División, the highest level of the Argentine league system. Founded in 1910, the club has spent most of its hist ...

and sited in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. When

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made their first tour to Argentina in 1910, the national team played them at

Sociedad Sportiva Argentina The Sociedad Sportiva Argentina was an Argentine multi-sports club sited in Buenos Aires. The headquarters were located in Florida street nº 183 while the stadium was sited in Palermo, next to Hipódromo Argentino. Originally established in 1899 ...

of Palermo. That test was also notable for being the first Argentina match ever. When the British combined returned to Argentina in

, the national side started to use GEBA and Buenos Aires Cricket Club as their home venues. GEBA was a frequent venue during the next decades, but hosted only three matches after the 1960s, as the Pumas started using larger stadiums; the ''Pumas last match at GEBA was in 1993."Argentina at ground: GEBA"
ESPN Scrum.com On the other side, the Buenos Aires Cricket was also used for a large number of matches until 1948 when it was destroyed by fire."El club de rugby más antiguo de la Argentina" at Rugbytime.com
, 19 September 2008"Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club" at Centro de Documentación, Investigación y Referencia Histórica-Deportiva
June 2009 In 1997 BACRC inaugurated the first purpose-built rugby union stadium in Argentina, erected in

Los Polvorines Los Polvorines is a district (''localidad'') in the urban conurbation of Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the county seat of Malvinas Argentinas Partido of Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''P ...

, Greater Buenos Aires. A total of nine international games were played there by the national team until 2005 when it was sold. ''Los Pumas'' played in Ferro Carril Oeste stadium between 1970 and 1986, when Argentina moved to Vélez Sarsfield Stadium. Some of the teams that visited those venues were

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, New Zealand,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, and Australia among others. During the mid year tests in 2007, as well as Vélez Sársfield, Argentina played games at venues including Brigadier Estanislao López in Santa Fe, Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, and Gigante de Arroyito, in Rosario. Argentina have also used the

River Plate Stadium Estadio Monumental (), officially Estadio Mâs Monumental for sponsorship reasons,Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

at Estadio Raúl Conti in

Puerto Madryn Puerto Madryn (; cy, Porth Madryn), also known as ''Madryn'', is a city in the province of Chubut in Argentine Patagonia. It is the capital of the Viedma Department, and has about 93,995 inhabitants according to the last census in 2010. Puer ...

. Other venues that have hosted Argentina rugby team were José M. Minella in Mar del Plata (2008), Monumental José Fierro in Tucumán (2012, 2014),

Mario Kempes Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi (; born 15 July 1954) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker or attacking midfielder. A prolific goalscorer, he finished as La Liga's top goalscorer twice with Valencia and amassed 11 ...

in Córdoba (2012), Centenario in Resistencia (2014), Padre Martearena in

Salta Salta () is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic ce ...

(venue for The Rugby Championship, 2016–2019 editions),

Estadio del Bicentenario Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario is a stadium in Pocito Department of San Juan Province, Argentina. It is used mostly for football events, hosting the home matches of San Martín de San Juan, Sportivo Desamparados, and other local clubs. The sta ...

in San Juan –where the team played tests v England and Wales (2017–18), and

Estanislao López Estanislao López (26 November 1786 – 15 June 1838) was a ''caudillo'' and governor of the , between 1818 and 1838, one of the foremost proponents of provincial federalism, and an associate of Juan Manuel de Rosas during the Argentine Civ ...

in Santa Fe (2017).

Records

Overall

Argentina have won 241 of their 476 Test matches. When the world rankings were introduced by the IRB in October 2003, Argentina were ranked seventh. They fell to eighth in the rankings in June 2004, before rising back to seventh by November that year. They fell back to eighth in February 2005, and stayed there until falling to their lowest ranking of ninth in February 2006. Since then, Argentina rose to eighth in July 2006, then sixth in November of that year. They had a one-week fall to seventh, then one week later rose to fifth to start the World Cup 2007. ''Los Pumas'' twice surpassed their highest ranking at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. Defeating number three France, the second opening game loss for a World Cup hosting nation, moved them into fourth place, their highest position since the

IRB World Rankings The World Rugby Rankings (formerly the IRB Rankings) is a ranking system for national teams in rugby union, managed by World Rugby, the sport's governing body. There are separate men's and women's rankings. The teams of World Rugby's member natio ...

were established. They lost to eventual champions South Africa in the semi-final but beat France yet again in the bronze medal round to set another highest ranking, third, behind South Africa and New Zealand. Argentina has won every match against South American national teams, including 41 against Uruguay, 38 against Chile, 17 against Paraguay and 13 against Brazil. On 14 November 2020, they registered their first win against New Zealand, meaning that they have recorded a victory over every Tier 1 nation. Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by an Argentina national XV at test level up until 19 November 2022.Argentina statistics

Rugby World Cup

The Rugby Championship

Updated: 7 November 2022

Players

Current squad

On 28 October, Michael Cheika named a 33-man squad for Argentina's 2022 End-of-year matches against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. Head Coach:

Michael Cheika Michael Cheika (born 4 March 1967) is an Australian rugby union and rugby league coach, and former rugby union player. He is currently head coach of Argentina in rugby union and Lebanon in rugby league. Cheika was the coach of the Australia r ...

* Caps Updated: 19 November 2022

Coaches

Coaches: UAR
Entrenadores de Los Pumas de todos los Tiempos

Player records (career)