Rugby union in Argentina

Rugby union in Argentina
Centro de Estudiantes de Ingeniería, the first team formed by Argentine-born players.
Country	Argentina
Governing body	Argentine Rugby Union
National team	Argentina
First played	1873; 144 years ago (1873)
Registered players	110,000 (2013)
Club competitions
List Super Rugby Nacional de Clubes Campeonato Argentino Torneo de la URBA Regional competitions
International competitions
List The Rugby Championship Americas Rugby Cup  World Rugby competitions Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup Sevens Sevens World Series Women's Rugby World Cup World Rugby Women's Sevens Series

Rugby union in Argentina is a popular team sport. The first rugby match played in the country dates back to 1873, as the game was introduced by the British. The Argentina national team, sometimes referred to as the Pumas, have competed at the Rugby World Cup, and are considered a tier one nation by the IRB.

The Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR) was formed in 1899 as the River Plate Rugby Football Union, 26 years after the first rugby match had been played. It was affiliated to the English Rugby Football Union until 1932.

The union is a member of the International Rugby Board with a seat on that body's Executive Council. The UAR is one of the oldest rugby unions in the world. The union became a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.

Rugby enjoys widespread popularity in Argentina, most especially in the Greater Buenos Aires urban area, which boasts more than eighty rugby clubs, and Tucumán Province.

While rugby in Argentina is still largely amateur, there are many professional players. Most important Argentine players emigrate to Europe (mainly to England and France) where they play professionally.

At the middle of the 19th century the Irish 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 practiced 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 neighbourhood, 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.