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Los Jaguares may return to Super Rugby. In an interview with Argentine journalists Alejo Miranda and Xavier Prieto Astigarraga, UAR President Gabriel Travelaglini confirmed the possibility is real that Argentina will be back in Super Rugby.
The UAR has received an invitation to play in Super Rugby Pacific. However, it is not to return next year; rather, the invitation is for Los Jaguares to rejoin Super Rugby beginning in 2026.
Argentina had a team in Super Rugby 2016-2020. Los Jaguares reached the final of the 2019 competition. A mass exodus came in 2020 when the Super Rugby season ended prematurely. The Jaguares brand name remained but became Jaguares XV in the Súper Liga Americana de Rugby (SLAR).
Los Jaguares XV won SLAR 2021. The Argentine side was unbeaten. The bulk of that team departed Argentina to continue their professional careers abroad. Los Jaguares XV were beaten Semi Finalists in SLAR 2022. For 2023 the competition was rebranded into Super Rugby Americas and changes saw Los Jaguares XV replaced with Los Pampas playing in Buenos Aires and Los Dogos in Córdoba.
Both Los Pampas and Los Dogos will be back for Super Rugby Americas 2023. The competition is confirmed to feature seven teams at present. They are the same competitors from the 2023 season. That being six South American teams and the Raptors from Colorado.
Super Rugby 2016-2020 saw Los Jaguars playing home matches in Buenos Aires. There were direct flights to Auckland, New Zealand with Air New Zealand. That service no longer exists. Los Jaguares tended to travel via Santiago, Chile on Latam. There are direct flights from Santiago to Auckland as well as to Australia.
Super Rugby has been rebranded into Super Rugby Pacific. The 2023 season contained twelve teams. They were six New Zealand teams (Highlanders, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Chiefs, Blues and Moana Pacifica), five Australian teams (Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies, Rebels, and Force) and Fijian Drua from Fiji.
While Argentina may rejoin Super Rugby there are no such intentions for South Africa to return. South Africa’s former Super Rugby teams play in the United Rugby Championship (URC). The possibility also exists for Los Jaguares to join the URC. The UAR has explored the possibility of the team playing in the URC while being based in Spain.
