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Juan Martín Hernández backs the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR) for Argentina. In an interview with A Pleno Rugby the former 74 time Puma noted how important he believes the project to be for Los Pumas in the long term.
Argentina is facing a dilemma. COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 Super Rugby season early and there will not be a 2021 season for Los Jaguares. There are possibilities for Los Jaguares to play a season abroad either within Australia or South Africa. This would assure elite level competition, though it would operate on an estimated USD$20 million loss.
The SLAR will resume in 2021. The competition began in 2020 with five teams: Ceibos (Córdoba, Argentina), Corinthians (Brazil), Olímpia Lions (Asunción, Paraguay), Peñarol (Montevideo Uruguay), and Selknam (Santiago, Chile). Los Cafeteros Pro (Medellín, Colombia) will join them in 2021.
The six-team league could potentially become seven, or more. Additional teams have been tabled from across Argentina in addition to from Uruguay (Nacional, Montevideo) and Mexico. With a backer the league could expand as has occurred in North America.
Could Los Jaguares join to play as a Buenos Aires franchise? Or could the Jaguares’ players be spread around the teams for the 2021 competition?
Hernández notes that SLAR could be the way forward as a longterm project for Argentina. He said that:
“the best players could be here or they could train to play for Ceibos, Corinthians or in Uruguay, Selknam or wherever. If we can train those players at a regional level and the level grows, at some point it will be interesting, it will be very competitive and it will be very good. But it is very long term.”
“Some have already decided to go abroad and for those that are are, the most difficult point is how to maintain the level of these players. If they are going to play in the Rugby Championship, then what competition will they have to prepare with?”
“I think that the Liga Sudamericana is going to be very important. Not in the short-term, it won’t provide the level or quality to b able to play in the Rugby Championship in the short-term. Nonetheless, I think that it is very useful for the medium and long-term; in two, three, four, or five years time it is going to be spectacular.”
Hernández made a compararon between Los Jaguares in Super Rugby and the rival teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The resources at the disposal of the teams differ with Argentina’s one-team policy limiting opportunities.
“In the Rugby Championship you compete against New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, who when choosing a prop have four others who are starting players in their Super Rugby franchises. One of them plays, but the others are at the highest level. There are ten loose heads to select from. So, in an ideal world there would be more Argentine franchises to provide for Los Pumas, more Argentine franchises in one place that could compete in Super Rugby to have more options.”
