Los Pumas set to move Rugby Championship game to Twickenham

For the first time in Rugby Championship history a neutral venue is to play host to one of the competition’s matches. The governing body of Argentina Rugby, the UAR posted on it’s website this evening that Los Pumas are set to move Rugby Championship game to Twickenham.

UAR President Carlos Araujo made it known that he ha brought up the temptation that his organization has of playing against the Wallabies in the British capital. He did so at the SANZAAR annual conference in Australia today.

Araujo noted that “taking this match to London is something very important to the UAR and to Argentine rugby. That our test team is able to play as the home side at an imposing stadium highlights just how our team is known and our current place in global rugby“.

“The Personal Rugby Championship is without doubt, one of the most important tournaments in the world and to take a match to the Northern Hemisphere would allow us to be the home side on lands in which our sport was born“.

Argentina’s home fixture against Australia is scheduled to be played on October 08 and fall in the final round of the competition. In the prior round Australia will play away to South Africa in Pretoria on October 01 while Argentina will host New Zealand on the same date.

For the Wallabies flying to London following playing in Pretoria would be a simple exercise, albeit a new experience. In fact, logistically the flight would be easier than traveling from Johannesburg to Buenos Aires due to there being no direct flights. The trip requires a transfer from São Paulo to the Argentine capital.

The move would not be entirely new for Argentine rugby. In 2009 one of the two home internationals against England was played in England. The UAR rented Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester and succeeded in collecting a good return. Although the stadium seating over 70,000 was far from full the official attendance for the match was 40,521.

More recently Argentina took on the Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium. Played on November 21 of last year a crowd of 38,101 attended the match.

To date only one of Argentina’s home internationals in 2016 is officially known. Los Pumas will play host to South Africa in Salta in the second round of the competition. Comodoro Rivadavia is to secure hosting rights to a test vs Italy on June 11 while one of two home internationals against France, also in June, will be played in Tucumán.

Out of the running in 2016 is Mendoza. The western Argentine city hosted a Rugby Championship fixture every year from 2012-2015 but will not be doing so this year. South Africa played in Mendoza in 2012 and 2013 while Australia did so in 2014. Los Pumas managed one win, one draw and two losses from these fixtures.

Meanwhile a venue in either Greater Buenos Aires or La Plata is the logical choice for Argentina’s home match in round five of the Rugby Championship against New Zealand. The All Blacks played in La Plata in 2012, 2013 and 2014 but did not play a match in Argentina in 2015. Argentina’s non-Rugby Championship fixture vs South Africa was played at Vélez Sarsfield Stadium in Buenos Aires.