Argentina Rugby: 2009 Northern Tour and URBA Finals

The Pumas have named their first squad in preparation for their Northern tour, while the omitted players from the squad—from the Buenos Aires championship—prepare to play the finals of what is considered by many as Argentina’s premier domestic tournament.

There are other tiers “above” the Buenos Aires championship, which itself is known by many as the Torneo de la URBA , and sometimes referred to as the URBA Top 14 (Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires —or the Buenos Aires Rugby Union).

The Campeonato Argentino is held annually and represents the 24 unions of Argentina (not the 24 provinces, of which the country is divided into) of which are either multiple rugby provinces or only part of one. There are two divisions, the Zona Campeonato (which has the eight best unions) and the 16-team Zona Ascenso.

To put Buenos Aires union’s strength into perspective, they have won the Campeonato at least 50 percent of the time since it began, including a remarkable unbeaten run from 1966 to 1984.

There is also the Nacional de Clubes that involves 16 clubs (from within the above mentioned unions or provinces), divided into four zones.

But the Buenos Aires Championship is one of the jewels of the crown within Argentinean rugby, often with its players providing the core of the national team.

And why wouldn’t it?

The Buenos Aires team has already secured its place in South American rugby lore, with a glorious run in the '90s when they beat the Springboks, the Welsh, as well as England and France more than once.

A crucial time in Argentinean rugby approaches, with the potential for the isolated power of world rugby to enter the Tri Nations, meaning that they will finally play regular rugby.

To put it into perspective, since the 2007 World Cup, the Pumas have played nine matches. In the same time period, the All Blacks have played 24, the Wallabies 23, and the Springboks 22.

The current SANZAR powers play more matches than any other test team in the world, roughly two to four matches more than the Six Nations teams per year. 

The convoluted calendar has become a product of the modern rugby year, with games between high profile teams considered by some as the ultimate crowd pullers and moneymakers.

Still, with the test season maxed out for the tier-one teams, it almost makes it more of a pretence that the Argentineans haven’t been included in a true global competition outside of the World Cup.

While their destination, time zones, and lack of a genuine blue chip provincial championship (in the eyes of the old world of rugby, despite the competitions listed above) may have hurt in the past, the proof is in the test results ledger. The fast tracking of the most powerful team in the Americas will not only benefit Argentina, but will eventually reap dividends to sleeping giants such as teams like the United States, Canada, and Uruguay.

The just named squad of 24, provided by the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR), will train at Meudon from Oct. 25-27 under coach Santiago Phelan and his support team that includes former Stade Francais coach Fabien Galthie.

It will be a challenging tour for the South Americans, playing Wales, England, and Scotland in consecutive weeks. The latter two home nation's teams will be in the same pool as the Pumas in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The squad includes arguably the country's best player, Felipe Contepomi, who has recovered from his knee injury suffered when playing for Leinster (he now is based with Toulon).

Argentina’s other marquee playmaker, Juan Martin Hernandez, is not in the squad, and is still based with the Natal Sharks, but expected to be part of the final touring team.

Also missing from the training squad are center Gonzalo Tiesi of Harlequins, prop Marcos Ayerza of Leicester Tigers, and London Irish scrumhalf Alfredo Lalanne. However, all three will likely feature in the three matches at one stage, as it falls in the IRB test window and represents a period of international release.

As for the Buenos Aires championship, the semifinals will take place this weekend with Hindu, CASI, Alumni, and La Plata all making it to the final four.

Hindu, the reigning champions and winners of the last three championships, are favorites, having finished top of the placement (as it is referred to in the competition). 

CASI, the third place team in the regular season, has won 33 championships—more than any other side. The famous club, which is more than 100 years old and was the original side in which famous Argentinean scrum half Agustín Pichot represented, will look to break Hindu’s recent hold on the championship. CASI last won the title in 2005.

Semifinals

URBA TOP 14

CASI vs. Alumni (Friday, 23 Oct 21:30)

Hindú vs. La Plata (Saturday, 24 Oct 19:30)

Intermediate

SIC vs. Newman

Hindú vs. CASI

Early Intermediate

Hindú vs. Alumni

SIC vs. Newman

First Training Squad:

Forwards: Rodrigo Roncero, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Martin Scelzo, Pablo Henn, Mario Ledesma, Alberto Vernet Basualdo, Alvaro Tejeda, Esteban Lozada, Patricio Albacete, Manuel Carizza, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Alejandro Abadie, Alejandro Campos, Tomas Leonardi

Backs: Nicolas Vergallo, Benjamin Urdapilleta, Felipe Contepomi (captain), Ignacio Mieres, Matias Viazzo, Federico Martin Aramburu, Horacio Agulla, Lucas Borges, Marcelo Bosch, Martin Rodriguez.

Argentina’s Upcoming Matches

Sat, 14 Nov 2009—England vs. Argentina @ Twickenham

Sat, 21 Nov 2009—Wales vs. Argentina @ Millennium Stadium          

Sat, 28 Nov 2009—Scotland vs. Argentina @ Murrayfield       

2011 World Cup, Pool B

Sat, 10 Sep 2011—Argentina vs. England @ Jade Stadium

Sun, 25 Sep 2011—Argentina vs. Scotland @ Jade Stadium