Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
In a special feature Americas Rugby News is pleased to be collaborating with Rob Yarr. Known in rugby circles as @RugbyScribbler, Yarr is currently living in Chile, taking a break from his home in the UK.
Gringo’s View
It is 5:20am at the airport. I’m here thinking to the weekend ahead; all the sights and sounds of Buenos Aires. I’ve almost forgotten the reason I’m going is to see Los Pumas take on the mighty All Blacks, when I see my first piece of All Blacks gear. It’s a Chilean who is also off to the game, and quite rightly he’s confused: a follower of Jaguares and Los Pumas for all of his life, who is about to realise his dream of watching the All Blacks. I love an under-dog, Argentina play good rugby and it’s a dream to see them in Buenos Aires, but I can’t help but feel excited to see the World Champions strut their stuff en vivo for the first-time.
I fear a massacre. Excluding the 2017 Lions tour the All Blacks have lost their first game at home since 2009 with South Africa saw them off. I’ve always enjoyed watching Argentina play and memories of their fans and match-day camaraderie flood my mind from their World Cup match vs Georgia at the venue in which I worked for RWC 2015, Kingsholm and they love a good battle in Buenos Aires – I just really hope they can deliver.
The build-up
Buenos Aires is certainly different to Europe. Public transport wasn’t crowded, in-fact you’d be forgiven if you didn’t know there was a game on that day (take note Arriva Trains Wales..) However, once we reached Estadio Vélez-Sarsfield it was different; the streets were brimming with rugby fans, counterfeit kit, flags, the lot. Despite the inevitability of the result, there was excitement, teams who had travelled far across the 8th largest country on earth and further to see the Pumas take yet another crack at the World Champions.
Whilst the surroundings of Estadio Vélez Sarsfield felt lacking for the local pubs and bars many frequent before matches in the Six Nations, the fan village makes up for the lack of match-day vibe Buenos Aires generates (Indeed, in a city so large it’d be comical to compare it to a city the size of Cardiff for example).
There was plenty of pre-match entertainment, from food-trucks, live music and inflatables to live dancers, photobooths and men on stilts, covered in lights. The only thing that surprised me was the lack of beer. Having never watched a live rugby game without a beer in my hand, I feared that Rugby may not actually be the sport for me but alas I was wrong. The lack of beer didn’t seem to make any difference.
In fact, many in the rugby world call for beer to be banned from stadia to stop the annoying drunken day-trippers who constantly squeeze through the rows to get beer. I can assure you banning beer will not make a blind bit of difference. Ultimately, people need the bathroom, want food, sodas or whatever it may be and get raucous when watching sports.
From my experience this weekend, I do not believe that it makes all that much difference to the spectacle or how the crowd is and feels. There were just as many irritating fans, and just as many loud and passionate ones; it made no difference. Conversely, the lack of beer related to income seemed more than compensated for for the wide array of alternatives offered in entertainment and merchandise. Whilst basing this on one singular experience is limited, it felt noteworthy.
The match
The match was disappointing in many ways; despite the 17-35 score line, it never really felt like the game clicked into gear. Despite some great phases Los Pumas never really got going. The final pass, the kick-through, the finesse was left wanting on a painful number of occasions. Although it’s true that both sides spoiled a number of opportunities, as an underdog loving neutral, it’s frustrating to think that if Argentina had capitalised on their opportunities they could have probably run the All Blacks a lot closer.
This observation comes from someone so totally engrossed in Northern Hemisphere rugby. I’d muse that this is not an uncommon narrative, but seeing the passion of the fans and the draw they get, not just from Argentina but from the continent, it’d truly be phenomenal for World Rugby if Argentina could de-throne the All Blacks.
Rugby in the Americas
We always talk of the ‘untapped’ market of the USA. Whilst I have no facts or figures, it felt as though a lot travelled from Chile across for the game, many claiming that they regularly do-so. Indeed both of my flights were almost exclusively rugby fans and rugby clubs. With Chile in the Rugby World Cup 7s taking the spoils in the Bowl Final and Brazil making huge progress in XVs too, and a South American league announced for 2020, perhaps we should be expanding our minds- Rugby in the United States is not the limit of the untapped market, but in-fact the Americas themselves.
The thought of an American rugby culture to compete with the European one, whilst it may seem far-fetched, would be a dream reality for World Rugby and would truly enrich the sport. Perhaps the next step is what many have been calling for; a Rugby World Cup in Argentina. Making this possible requires, from my viewpoint improvements in Argentinian flights, the currency exchange and general efficiency.
In conclusion, Argentina’s match-day experience was phenomenal and well worth doing. Buenos Aires will feel largely familiar to European visitors and the people were excellent. So far, my eyes have been opened to South American rugby and it’s far larger than I ever imagined. Next stop, press and comms when Chile take on the Maori All Blacks on November 17th.
Rob Yarr writes about rugby on his own website, Rugby Scribbles. Follow Rob on twitter @RugbyScribbler and Facebook The Rugby Scribbler. Alternatively contact him via email rugbyscribbler@gmail.com
