Prior to the country's entry into Super Rugby in 2016, most national team members played professionally in Europe, mainly in England and France.

Both teams (called "Bancos" and "Ciudad" for the occasion) were formed by members of the BACC and they play a mix between association and rugby football.

[8] National president Juárez Celman was particularly paranoid after the Revolution of the Park in the city earlier in the year, and the police had suspected that the match was in fact a political meeting.

[10] That same year the Union organised the first club championship (currently Torneo de la URBA), which was won by Lomas.

Some players of that team were the Newbery Brothers, Martín Miguens, Alberto Lagos, Luis Duhau, Mariano Paunero and Germán Dates.

[6] For example, in its early days the River Plate Rugby Union (the ancestor of today's national organisation), had a membership whose surnames portrayed their English and Scottish origins - such as Anderson, Baikie, Bellamy, Brodie, Corry-Smith, Elliot, Jacobs, Leicht, Taylor, Thurn.

[6] Away from Buenos Aires, where the game's background is traditionally somewhat refined, Tucuman is a heartland for the sport, where supporters are passionate, and often burn the opposition's flag on the terraces.

[6] Its first contact with a team outside the continent was in 1910, when the British and Irish Lions led by J. Raphael toured Argentina, winning all six matches, scoring 213 points, and conceding a mere 31.

The national team also turned its sights overseas, touring South Africa in 1965, and despite faring badly there, they made contact with Izak van Heerden, the Natal coaching genius who would revolutionise Argentine rugby in the late 1960s.

Argentina had often been linked with joining Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the Super Rugby Union, possibly as two provinces.

Some Argentines were under the impression that New Zealand should be helping them gain entry into Southern Hemisphere competitions, ala Super 14 and the Tri Nations Series.

[13]The Sunday Times of London reported in February 2007 that the IRB was brokering a deal with SANZAR, the body that organises the Tri Nations, to admit Los Pumas to the competition as early as 2008.

The IRB was apparently convinced that the Tri Nations was the proper place for a Southern Hemisphere team, and reportedly found South Africa strongly supporting the move and Australia not opposed.

"[14] Eventually, the IRB admitted its attempt to get the Pumas into a major competition would be unsuccessful until at least 2010, when the key media contract between SANZAR and News Corporation expires.

An IRB spokesman cited fixture congestion in the Southern Hemisphere and the lack of a professional structure in Argentina as additional reasons for the demise of a potential deal.

The decisions made at the conference regarding Los Pumas were:[16] However, NZRU deputy chief executive Steve Tew subsequently expressed doubts that a professional domestic competition in Argentina would be sufficiently viable within the following 10 years to retain elite players in South America, despite all the good intentions and funding of the IRB.

[18][failed verification] This decision was almost instantly assailed by Pichot, who told The Daily Telegraph of London, It is unbelievable what is going on at the moment.

Pichot, formerly critical of the UAR, accepted an invitation to join a "High Performance Board" to help the country achieve its ultimate goal of a place in a major international tournament.

[19] In September 2009, SANZAR announced that it had issued a provisional invitation to Argentina to join an expanded "Four Nations" tournament starting in 2012.

The main condition for Argentine participation is that the UAR can ensure the availability of its top players for the Four Nations; the deal is also dependent on approval from broadcasters and financial considerations.

The team, known as Pampas XV, was initially expected to be based in Stellenbosch in the Western Cape,[21] but ultimately found a home in Potchefstroom.

Also in 2011, the IRB also helped to accommodate Argentina's Four Nations entry by making a major change to its Regulation 9, which governs the release of players for international duty.

The new Regulation 9 introduces a new release period, from late August to early October, for all four major Southern Hemisphere powers.

SANZAR chief Greg Peters noted at the time that this change would make Argentine internationals less attractive to Northern Hemisphere clubs.

Grouped with the All Blacks, Fiji and Italy, Argentina won their game against the Italians, but finished at the bottom of their pool on points difference.

In recent years Argentina have proven themselves capable of scaring and more than occasionally defeating traditional rugby giants.

Heading into the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Argentina's most recent Six Nations scalps were a pair of wins over an experimental Ireland side and one over Italy in 2007.

In the World Cup itself, Argentina beat the host nation, France, in the opening game and Ireland in a later pool match.

[23] In recent years, rugby culture in Argentina has become increasingly associated to violent acts, as well as racist, sexist and homophobic attitudes.