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The countdown to RWC 2019 is on. This year’s RWC will be groundbreaking with the tournament being the first in Asia, the first outside of Tier 1 territories and the most unpredictable on record. Competing in rugby’s showpiece tournament will be twenty countries, in four pools of five. The best two per pool will advance to the final eight.
In the final piece of a series of four articles Americas Rugby News (ARN) looks at the Road to RWC 2019. The Americas will be represented by Argentina, Canada, Uruguay, and the USA. In today’s installment ARN looks at the regional heavyweights Argentina.
Unlike Canada, Uruguay, and the USA Argentina will have to wait until July to play their first test match of the year. Prior to that the Argentina XV will play in the Americas Rugby Championship (ARC), and the Sudamérica 6 Naciones ‘A’.
Los Pumas are to be thrown into the deep end with their first assignment of the year being the Rugby Championship. With it being the year of the RWC a reduced format sees each country playing three rather than six matches.
Argentina will play two of their three matches at home in the Rugby Championship. In reversal from 2015 Los Pumas will face Australia away but be on home soil against New Zealand and Australia.
After the tournament Los Pumas are to travel to South Africa for one final fixture, a RWC Warm-Up in Pretoria. That fixture will be on August 17 and, despite it being the final confirmed match, there are to be others added to the calendar.
Additional fixtures are to see a match in September in Japan. The game is to be played with the team settling-in ahead of the tournament beginning on September 20, two days before Argentina’s first game. It will not be against Japan due to the Japanese having a match confirmed against South Africa on Friday September 06.
The proposed date for Argentina’s RWC warm-up match in Japan is September 07. Between playing in Pretoria and that date there is additional opportunity for a further fixture on either Saturday August 24, Saturday August 31.
| DATE | FIXTURE | VENUE |
| July 20* | Argentina vs New Zealand | Buenos Aires* |
| July 27* | Australia vs Argentina | Brisbane* |
| August 10* | Argentina vs South Africa | Salta* |
| August 17 | South Africa vs Argentina | Pretoria |
| September 07* | TBA vs Argentina | Japan* |
* Denotes likely but unconfirmed at the time of publication
For RWC 2019 Argentina are in Pool C. The Pumas have a highly challenging assignment against England, France, Tonga, and the USA. Of the countries Argentina has the best record from RWC 2015 in being the only Semi Finalist yet both England and France were finalists in RWC 2007 and 2011 respectively.
Negotiating their way through to the final eight will demand excellence from Argentina. Neither Tonga nor the USA can be taken lightly which adds to the demands on Mario Ledesma’s team.
| DATE | FIXTURE | VENUE |
| September 21 | Argentina vs France | Tokyo |
| September 28 | Argentina vs Tonga | Hanozono |
| October 05 | Argentina vs England | Tokyo |
| October 09 | Argentina vs USA | Kumagaya |
