The Argentina national rugby union team represents Argentina in men’s international rugby union. Nicknamed the Pumas, they play in sky blue and white jerseys. They are ranked 8th in the world by World Rugby, making them the highest-ranked nation in the Americas. Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team.
About Argentina national rugby union team in brief
The Argentina national rugby union team represents Argentina in men’s international rugby union; it is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union. Nicknamed the Pumas, they play in sky blue and white jerseys. They are ranked 8th in the world by World Rugby, making them the highest-ranked nation in the Americas. Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team. Argentina has taken part in all the Rugby World Cups since the first edition in 1987, their best performance being the third place achieved in 2007. The national side also plays the Rugby Championship since the 2012 edition, after joining the competition one year before. In September 1941, Abelardo Gutiérrez suggested a badge with the figure of a lion. The color of the crest was blue. The animal was later replaced by a native to Argentine species, so the jaguar was chosen due to his courage and according to their words. The nickname is the result of an error by Carl Kohler for the then Die Die Die newspaper in South Africa, while following the Southern Africa team. He tried to devise a catchy nickname for the team – similar to existing international team nicknames such as Springboks, Wallabies and pumas – and was aware that the Americas had a type of lion with spots on the UAR crest.
He asked Isak van Heden, the coach of the Natal Rugby team, to assist with the idea, and he was under pressure to submit his ideas for the nickname. The first idea was a picture of a jaguars, and so the nickname was chosen for the national team. The team is currently ranked eighth in the World Rugby World Rankings, behind New Zealand, England, South Africa and Australia. Argentina is considered the strongest team within the Americas, being undefeated against all but Canada, against whom they have suffered three losses. In the 2007 Rugby World Cup Argentina were undefeated in their pool and reached the semi-finals for the first time. In their first tournament in 2012, Argentina secured a 16–16 draw with South Africa in only their second game. The 2014 Rugby Championship saw the first Championship-match win for Argentina who defeated Australia 21–17.
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