A year to remember: the great 2024 of Argentine rugby

With the season closing after the November windowwe review the five most important milestones of a great year for Argentine rugby. This 2024 had great performances and consecrations of The PumasThe PumitasThe JaguarsThe Pumas 7’s and Doges XV in their respective competitions.

1. The Pumas and a historic Rugby Championship

The overall performance of Los Pumas this year was positive. The most notable thing about this first campaign under the orders of Felipe Contepomi was the performance of the Argentine team in the Rugby Championship. In the most competitive tournament in the southern hemisphere, the albiceleste team achieved three victories, one against each team, and three losses.

The start could not have been more perfect: the Argentine team struck and won by 38-30 to the All Blacks in Wellington. Unfortunately, the men in black were able to take revenge and were left with the next duel for 42-10. Already in Argentine lands, Los Pumas responded to the fall by 20-19 before the Wallabies with a forceful and historical 67-27 in Santa Fe, the biggest result against a Tier 1 team.

However, the highest point for the Argentine team came in the last two days. In front was the two-time world champion, South Africawho already felt like champion of the contest. With a turn on Thomas Albornozthe albicelestes surprised and surpassed 29-28 to the Springboks in a movie match that allowed them to dream of the title. The plot concluded with a bittersweet ending after the fall by 48-7 on South African lands.

2. The Pumas 7’s and a great season on the World Tour

Throughout the year, The Pumas 7’s They were the great animators of the World Sevens Circuit Those led by Santiago Gomez Cora They had been making a lot of noise in recent years and confirmed that wake-up call with a historic season in which they obtained first place in the regular season of the World Tour. Regarding the 2023/2024 season, they shelved three gold medals (Cape Town, Perth and vancouver) and a silver one (Dubai), In addition to taking second place in the Madrid Grand Final.

3. Los Pumitas and a good Rugby Championship and World Cup M20

The first Rugby Championship youth, despite having achieved one victory and two defeats, was positive because the team led by Alvaro Galindo was measured against the great powers of the South in the face of what would be the great objective of the year: the Category World Cup. The path began with a resounding triumph in view of Australia by 25 to 6, so the subsequent falls against New Zealand (43-20) and South Africa (30-28), in the last maneuver of the duel, they left a bitter taste but with a good positioning for the future. In that contest, two names stood out above the rest, the captain Efrain Elias and Benjamin Elizaldeand were part of the ideal team.

The main course of the season began on June 29, when the Argentines began their journey in South Africa in view of England in the World Cup. Although the debut did not have the expected result, after losing 40-21Galindo’s team recovered with victories against the hosts (31-12) and Fiji (52-12) to reach second place in Group C, so they would begin their fight to obtain fifth place.

The first obstacle in the second phase was again South Africawhich they surpassed by 34 to 24to face an old acquaintance from the Rugby Championship, Australiain the last match of the competition. The team rose to the occasion and beat the Junior Wallabies by 14 to 6 to achieve the objective.

4. The Yaguaretes and a new South American championship

The Women’s Sevens Team also had a season that had something to talk about. The first of the three stages that the World Rugby Sevens Challenger was disputed in dubaiwhere those directed by Nahuel Garcia and Facundo Salas They started the year on the right foot to be in third position, surpassing Uganda in the decisive match 36-10. The action continued a few months later in Montevideowhere the best version of the team appeared, which was only defeated in the final by Chinaso they achieved an outstanding second place. Ultimately, they finished the regular season with a fifth place finish in Krakow.

Due to the results mentioned above, the Jaguars They were second in the general table, so they classified the Madrid Grand Finalwhere they were on the verge of promotion to the world group, since they lost in the decisive match against Japan by 26-12.

To crown their progress throughout the season, the team hit the ground running again in the Lima South American Sevenwhere they surpassed Brazil by 19-10 in the final, achieving a historic two-time championship against a rival that has impressive hegemony in the region, as it established 21 times in the specialty.

5. Dogos XV was crowned in the Super Rugby Americas, accompanied by a great season for Pampas

The Córdoba franchise had a spectacular season in the Super Rugby Americasmanaging to end the hegemony of Penarolto become the first Argentine champion of the contest. One of the great protagonists was the previously named Efrain Eliaswhich after the title was sold to Toulouse and also had its debut in Los Pumas.

The Cordobans’ campaign began in February with the victory against American Raptors. Then seven more victories would come, accompanied by two draws (Selknam and Penarol) and two falls before Yacare XV and Pampasreaching 44 units to place itself in second position during the first phase of the contest, only behind the other Argentine franchise, Pampas.

It was for this reason that the semifinal was against the third, Yacare XVwhich he surpassed with just enough in a heart attack 17-14. The grand final was against the Buenos Aires franchise, Pampas, which had comfortably surpassed Peñarol by 50-27. The Cordoba team was going to become strong in The Cathedral to get what you deserve 37-23crowning a season of luxury.