The Rugby Championship in Numbers

Los Pumas are presently en route to Johannesburg. The Argentine national side will face South Africa in the opening round of the 2017 Rugby Championship next Saturday. It will be the second match following the opener in Sydney, Australia earlier in the day as the Wallabies host New Zealand. Below is a list of the Rugby Championship in Numbers.

• This year is to be the 6th edition of the Rugby Championship. The first was in 2012 with Argentina joining what had been the Tri Nations from 1996-2011.
• Los Pumas have played 27 matches thus far in the Rugby Championship. The return has been 3 wins, 1 draw and 23 losses.
• In the three most recent editions of the tournament Los Pumas have recorded victories. In 2014 Argentina defeated Australia 21-17 in Mendoza while in 2015 and 2016 the South Americans defeated South Africa 37-25 and 26-24 in Durban and Salta respectively.
• The draw was 16-16 against South Africa in the inaugural tournament in Mendoza.
• Playing away from home Los Pumas have played ten times in South Africa. The one win was that in Durban in 2015.
• Los Pumas have scored 466 points in the Rugby Championship, including 40 tries.
• In defense Argentina have conceded 861 points and 97 tries.
• Nicolás Sánchez is Argentina’s leading point scorer in the Rugby Championship. The Tucumán fly half has 157 points (41 penalties and 27 conversions) from 21 matches played. He is second overall after South Africa’s Morné Steyn who has 192 points.
• Argentina’s leading try scorer is Juan Imhoff with 5 tries from 13 matches from 2012-2015. Juan Manuel Leguizamón and Joaquín Tuculet are tied for second with 4 tries each.
• Five hat-tricks have been scored in the Rugby Championship. One of them was scored by Imhoff. The Rosario flier did so against South Africa in 2015. The others to do so are New Zealander Ben Smith and South African Bryan Habana vs Australia in 2013 and 2012 respectively, New Zealander Cory Jane vs Argentina in 2012 and Australian Israel Folau against Argentina in 2013.
• The most points scored in a Rugby Championship match are 73 by South Africa vs Argentina in 2013.
• Morné Steyn’s 28 points in the 73-13 win are the most by any player in a match. The most scored by a Puma is 17 by Nicolás Sánchez vs New Zealand in Hamilton.
• Five players have played in all matches for their country in the Rugby Championship. Of them Martín Landajo is the one Puma. The others are New Zealand captain Kieran Read and Springboks Bryan Habana, Tendai Mtawarira and Adriaan Strauss.
• Bryan Habana and Kieran Read have started in all Rugby Championship matches for their respective teams.
• Argentina has three players set to make their Rugby Championship debuts in 2017. They are Gonzalo Bertranou, Bautista Ezcurra and Emiliano Boffelli. Of them Ezcurra remains uncapped. Boffelli is in the squad to face South Africa next weekend.
• Argentina has used a total of 61 players in the Rugby Championship. Those with the most appearances are Martín Landajo (27), Agustín Creevy (24), Lucas González Amorosino (21), Juan Manuel Leguizamón (21), Nicolás Sánchez (21) and Tomás Cubelli (20).