Let’s start with a caveat. Assuming they win their remaining match in Cardiff on Saturday, South Africa is the primary success story from the Quilter Nations Collection. The Springboks could have received all their video games, and they’re going to have banished each of the pretenders most certainly to dethrone them, France and Eire. With both 14 or 15 males on the sector, it didn’t matter – the Springbok juggernaut rolled on relentlessly.
However beneath these titans in inexperienced and gold, the distant specks of mortal endeavour have been seen, busy with their very own enhancements. There have been extra storied ranges of success which might have made for epic tales on one other day. England achieved a clear sweep, beating three Rugby Championship heavyweights and exorcising the ghost of the All Blacks.
South Africa apart, the largest excellent news story was neither Australia nor New Zealand, however Felipe Contepomi’s Argentina. Over 20 years in the past, ex-Leicester and England outside-half Les Cusworth was a technical advisor to the Pumas, trying to transfer them ahead from the darkish age of VHS videotapes and into the enlightened day of DVD, evaluating La Albiceleste to the England he knew as a participant, earlier than professionalism ever occurred.
Cusworth had been concerned with Argentina since 2001 when he started working as an adviser to then-coach and ex-Pumas centre Marcelo Loffreda. He lived within the suburb of Hurlingham, the place the well-heeled properties might need been transplants from a village in picturesque Kent or Surrey or Sussex. “We began out with what now seems like a medieval type of evaluation: we had two VHS tapes and a knife and fork,” commented the Welford Highway will-o’-the-wisp wryly.
How occasions have modified. Final week Cusworth was delivering a report back to the Rugby Soccer Union on the teachings that may be discovered from the Pumas success beneath Contepomi. With the rump of gamers of nationwide curiosity having emigrated again to Europe after the demise of the Tremendous Rugby Jaguares in 2020, that’s in all probability the best praise that may be paid.
The scenario remains to be not too dissimilar to 2001. Cusworth once more, preaching from his pulpit 24 years in the past: “There are 400 Argentine gamers in Europe. The problem is what number of we are able to preserve right here. The UAR [the Argentine Rugby Union] is beginner by statute. There’s a large worry going skilled would possibly unravel the membership construction that has been constructed up over time.”
The picture of rugby as a sport for the beginner elite, and the upper-class privilege embodied by faculties like Contepomi’s personal alma mater Colegio Cardenal Newman, and golf equipment comparable to CASI [Club Atlético San Isidro], CUBA [Club Universitario Buenos Aires] or SIC [San Isidro Club] is slowly altering for the higher.
The UAR not too long ago introduced the creation of a fourth skilled franchise within the Tremendous Rugby Americas competitors, Los Capibaras. They symbolize the area of Litoral, and be part of the prevailing Dogos XV [based in Cordoba], Pampas [Buenos Aires] and Tarucas [Tucuman]. With golf equipment from Brazil [Cobras], Chile [Selknam], Uruguay [Penarol] and Paraguay [Yacare] additionally concerned the SRA is starting to agency as a South American model of the URC in Europe.
The standard? The highest sides would give it a good shake within the RFU’s newly-branded second-tier ‘Champ’ however fall wanting Currie Cup or NPC customary, and the attendance for one sport between Los Tarucas and Os Cobras reached a high-water mark of 8,500, with the Argentina-based sides usually hitting 5-6,000. Nevertheless modest the monetary rewards in comparison with salaries in France or Japan, the sport is rising and extra skilled pathways are opening up.
As UAR president Gabriel Travaglini identified on the announcement: “This growth strengthens not solely Argentina, but additionally rugby all through the area, as a result of it expands the expertise pool, raises the bar, and enhances the spectacle. We’re satisfied that this addition will enrich the match and function a driving power to proceed driving the expansion of South American rugby.”
The elevated presence of native skilled pathways is extending the social attain of the sport into new neighbourhoods. The 2 ‘development detonators’ have been Argentina’s success on the twin World Cups in 1999 and 2007. In 1999 the Pumas beat Ireland on the group stage and superior to the quarter-finals; in 2007 they progressed even additional, ending the pool above Eire and hosts France, and beating Scotland within the quarter-finals earlier than shedding to eventual winners South Africa within the final 4.
Because the Pumas valiantly resisted the ultimate frenzied Irish assaults on their goal-line in 1999, the equal of Dixons and Currys in Buenos Aires switched TV channels to cowl the conclusion of the sport. Clusters of spectators fashioned spontaneously exterior store home windows to help the nationwide staff. Wind the clock on eight years later, and the kick-off within the well-known Boca Juniors v River Plate soccer derby was amended to keep away from a conflict with the Pumas’ quarter-final towards Scotland. For as soon as, La Bombonera remained silent. It didn’t tremble, or ship out tectonic ripples throughout the capital metropolis in celebration of the round-ball sport. For someday not less than, rugby was king.
As Jorge Busico, the founding father of a faculty for journalism in Buenos Aires noticed: “2007 was an awesome, large detonator. Many extra folks began to play rugby and extra golf equipment have been created. There was a extremely main growth of rugby in Argentina. There’s a entire [new] tradition of rugby being performed for cash. Right this moment’s gamers, in contrast to 15 or 20 years in the past, need to earn cash enjoying rugby. [Where the game] used to belong to an elite class, that is now not the case… [although] it has by no means ceased to be a sport performed by a sure class.”
The well-known Bombonera stadium has murals of native dockworkers painted on its partitions, as rugby, identical to soccer is starting to have a good time the lives of unusual folks. You may nonetheless see these dockyards on the Atlantic coast from the topmost tiers of the stadium itself, the tiers closest to heaven.
The enchantment of the sport to unusual people in Argentina, and past that South America , ailing solely be highlighted by the Pumas’ present run of success beneath Contepomi. Nowhere has their sport improved greater than its spectacular outcomes within the second half usually, and the final quarter specifically.
On their November tour, the Pumas received their second halves by a mean rating of 25-9, and their remaining quarters by a mean of 19-7. They scored an enormous 69% of their factors complete within the second interval and 53% within the final 20 minutes. Giving the sport particular form and punchy course off the bench could be very a lot ‘on pattern’ in worldwide rugby and Argentina, together with South Africa and England, have been the trend-setters not the trend-followers in November.
Two of probably the most promising introductions to the tough world of worldwide rugby have been at prop, with 23-year-old loose-head Boris Wenger and 20-year-old tight-head Tomás Rapetti arriving as the 2 entrance rowers voted ‘most certainly to succeed’ because the days of Marcos Ayerza, Juan Figallo and Ramiro Herrera. Wenger was promptly devoured up by Harlequins and can obtain high quality tuition from Adam ‘Bomb’ Jones on the Stoop. Rapetti was signed by Top 14 powerhouse Toulouse after the 2025 Junior World Cup, having represented the distinguished Asociación Alumni membership in Buenos Aires and tracked the skilled pathway by Los Pampas in SRA. Tremendous Rugby Americas has change into the brand new bridge linking Argentines to skilled contracts abroad.
Nicky Smith is among the high three scrummaging loose-heads in Europe however he will need to have been stunned on the sheer energy generated by the 6ft 3ins, 125kg rookie within the final half hour in Cardiff.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 26, 2025
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 26, 2025
Rapetti is more likely to joined by not less than considered one of his mates from the U20s within the full Pumas senior squad, with 150kg monster Gael Galván already contracted to Stade Rochelais within the High 14. Rapetti floor by the gears to the very finish and set the platform for the final Argentine strive.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 26, 2025
That’s what you name ‘bench impression’. Rapetti towards Wales, and Santi Carreras versus Scotland, performed solely the final 35 minutes of every match however had a dramatic impact on the end result. Scotland have been successful 21-0 when the person named in RugbyPass’ team of the Rugby Championship arrived.
The uptick in Argentine backline confidence was palpable with the Bath playmaker on the sector.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 26, 2025
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 26, 2025
With the Pumas behind on the scoreboard, the person with 22 on his again ran and handed, igniting strikes from inside his personal half to construct tempo.
— William Bishop (@RPvids1994) November 26, 2025
When Argentina lastly nosed forward, he pinned Scotland again in their very own 22 with the kicking sport. The Pumas scored their final strive after turning over the subsequent lineout, with Carreras offering the scoring move to Justo Piccardo. It was a becoming climax for a staff which is setting traits somewhat than following them.
South Africa could also be out on their very own and enjoying the rugby of the gods at present second, however there may be loads of life and even just a little of the ambrosial nectar filtering down the extent beneath. England are thought-leaders within the present sport, however so are Contepomi’s Argentina. Not even the newly-minted ‘Pom Squad’ was capable of dominate them within the remaining quarter of the final sport at Twickenham.
The UAR is steadily constructing an expert layer in South America through the Tremendous Rugby Americas match, and the social demographic of the rugby-playing public in Argentina is slowly altering in response. At some point, the Pumas might even be capable of stage a sport of rugby on the previous chocolate field, and an oval ball will swirl and tremble over the dockyards. Now, wouldn’t that be one thing?
