Torneo de la URBA
| Torneo de la URBA | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Rugby union |
| Formerly known as | River Plate Rugby Championship |
| Inaugural season | 1899 |
| Number of teams | 24 (Grupo I) |
| Region | Buenos Aires Province (URBA) |
| Current champion | Belgrano A.C. (2016) |
| Most titles | CA San Isidro (33 titles) |
| Website | urba.org.ar |
| Broadcast partner | ESPN, DirecTV |
| Related competition | Nacional de Clubes |
The Torneo de la Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires, or simply Torneo de la URBA, is an Argentine rugby union competition held in Buenos Aires. Created on 10 April 1899, it is the oldest rugby competition in South America and one of the oldest club competitions in the world.
The Torneo de la URBA is currently the strongest club competition in Argentina, with 82 clubs playing in 4 divisions.
The precursor of both the Argentine Rugby Union and today's Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires, "River Plate Rugby Championship" was established in Buenos Aires on 10 April 1899, being its founding members: Buenos Aires F.C., Belgrano A.C. and Lomas A.C. from Buenos Aires, and Rosario A.C. from Rosario, Santa Fe. The first president of the body was Leslie Corry Smith.
That same year, the RPRU organised the first edition of the Buenos Aires' inter-club competition, which inaugural winner team was Lomas. In 1995 the Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires was created, as a result of a reorganization of the UAR. Since then, the championship renamed "Torneo de la URBA".
Since 2001, the final phase of the tournament is contested by 14 teams which play each other in a single-robin tournament. This second stage was named "Top 14" in 2008.
The Torneo de la URBA is open to all clubs from the Buenos Aires Province. As a founding member of the RPRU, Atlético del Rosario was also authorised to participate, even though the club is from the city of Rosario in Santa Fe Province (while the other clubs from that city take part in the Torneo del Litoral organised by the Rosario and Santa Fe unions).
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