Los Pumas will not play in Mendoza in 2016 Rugby Championship

Los Pumas will not play in Mendoza in the 2016 Rugby Championship as the proposed fixture for the city, Argentina vs Australia is set to be hosted elsewhere. As such for the first year in Rugby Championship history Argentina’s fourth largest city is to miss out on hosting a fixture.

Confirmation came from the Mendoza Sub-secretary of Sports, Federico Chiapetta who stated “based on conviction and the economic reality, we are going to bet strongly on social rather than competitive  sport and big spectacles.”

Mendoza is to therefore miss out on staging sa Rugby Championship fixture. This despite the city having played to to the home matches vs South Africa in 2012 and 2013 and against Australia in 2014 and 2015. It was against Australia in 2014 that Los Pumas recorded their first victory in competition history, downing the Wallabies 21-17.

“When there are few resources, we have to define the priorities,  which is why we are committed to social and neighborhood sport“, explained the former member of the local provincial rugby body, the Unión de Rugby de Cuyo (URC).

“The cost of bringing Los Pumas to Mendoza is around 10million pesos and there is a lot of doubt based on the commitments of the former administration. We do not want to generate an unplayable ball, the priority is to cancel out all of this“.

To date only Salta has been allocated a home match for this year’s Rugby Championship. The Northern city will play host to the Springboks in the second round on August 27. The location for the matches against New Zealand and Australia on October 01 and 08 remain undetermined.

With or without a match in Mendoza it was always probable that the All Blacks would play in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Doing so in either La Plata or Buenos Aires itself. One of Argentina’s major inland cities, meanwhile, looms as all but certain to step in for Mendoza.

With Comodoro Rivadavia set to host Italy in June and one of France’s two tests in the country to be in Tucumán, the strongest candidates would appear to be Córdoba and Rosario. Both have hosted test rugby in recent years with Rosario hosting the Wallabies in 2012 and 2013. Córdoba hosted tests vs France in 2912 and Scotland in 2014.

Córdoba and Rosario are Argentina’s second and third largest cities with Mendoza and Tucumán being the fourth and fifth. The option nonetheless exists for a smaller city with an appropriate stadium to host the Wallabies. If so one of Resistencia, San Juan or Santa Fé could get an opportunity.