隊徽http://eurosport.planet-rugby.com/mediastore/images/teams/crests/AR.jpg

Argentina Profile

Despite rugby being the poor relation to the round ball game in soccer mad
Argentina, 'Los Pumas' - as the national team are known - emerged from RWC
'99 with great pride from their best-ever World Cup finish. Although they
lost in the quarter-finals to France, 47-26, they had played extremely well
during the Pool stages, beating a much-fancied Samoa side 32-16, running host
nation Wales close in the opening match of the tournament and beating Japan.

But their most famous victory came in the quarter-final play-off against
Ireland in Lens, when they played a magnificent match to upset the form book
and boot the Irish out of the World Cup. In scrumhalf and captain Agust気
Pichot, the Pumas have a world-class player who is always dangerous in broken
play situation and capable of conjuring scores from nowhere.

It is in the scrummage where Argentina traditionally excel and the country
has produced more than its fair share of world-class front row men down the
years, but Pichot has found some able assistance in the backline in recent
years, with flyhalf Felipe Contepomi and wing Diego Albanese both proving to
be world-class players in their positions.

With increasing numbers of their players signing up on professional contracts
at clubs around the world - particularly France and Britain - many previously
amateur Pumas now have the chance to train and play full-time which should
reap dividends in the future and help Argentina become a genuine world power
in rugby.

The 2001 season was a fantastic year for Argentina, winning six of their
eight Tests. The year began with winning their fourth Pan Am Championship
title, with victories against Uruguay, the USA and Canada. A trip to New
Zealand saw Los Pumas lose 19-67 to the All Blacks in Christchurch, but less
than a month later they bounced back to beat Italy 38-17 at home.

Argentina managed wins over Scotland and Wales, both away from home, at the
end of 2001, while another memorable win for them came in 2002 against France
(the newly-crowned Six Nations champions), this time at home.