Argentina at the Rugby World Cup

The Pumas during their November 2006 win over England at Twickenham
Map of nations best results, excluding nations which unsuccessfully participated in qualifying tournaments

Argentina have competed in all six Rugby World Cups, having made their first appearance in the inaugural 1987 tournament. Their best result was in 2007, where they defeated the host side France in their opening game. After defeating their other opponents in Pool D, they proceeded to the knockout stage where they defeated Scotland in the quarter finals, before losing in the semi finals to eventual champions South Africa. In the Bronze Final they once again faced France, whom they succeeded in defeating for a second time to attain third place.

They also progressed past the pool stage in 1999, where they succeeded in defeating Ireland in the quarter final place-offs, but lost in the quarter finals to France.

Argentina has yet to host the World Cup. The Argentina national team is the most successful of any national side from the Americas at the tournament. As the team topped their pool in 2007, they automatically qualified for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

By position

For each tournament, the number of teams in each finals tournament (in brackets) are shown.

Year Round Position Played Won Drew Lost For Against
AustraliaNew Zealand 1987 (16) Pool (13th)–31–24990
United KingdomRepublic of IrelandFrance 1991 (16) Pool (14th)–3––33883
South Africa 1995 (16) Pool (13th)–3––36987
Wales 1999 (20) Quarter Final (8th)–53–2137122
Australia 2003 (20) Pool (9th)–42–214057
France 2007 (20) Third-Place376–120993
New Zealand 2011 (20) Quarter Final (8th)–53–210073
England 2015
Japan 2019
Total––3015–15742605

By matches

1987

Main article: 1987 Rugby World Cup
Team P W D L PF PA Pts
 New Zealand 3300190346
 Fiji 3102561012
 Argentina 310249902
 Italy 3102401102
24 May 1987
Argentina  9 – 28  Fiji
Try: Penalty try
Con: Porta
Pen: Porta		 Tries: Gale
Naivilawasa
Nalaga
Savai
Con: Koroduadua (2)
Rokowailoa
Pen: Koroduadua (2)
Rugby Park, Hamilton
Referee: Jim Fleming Scotland
28 May 1987
Argentina  25 – 16  Italy
Tries: Lanza
Gómez
Con: Porta
Pen:Porta (5)		 Tries: Innocenti
Cuttitta
Con: Collodo
Pen: Collodo (2)
Lancaster Park, Christchurch
Referee: Roger Quittenton England
1 June 1987
New Zealand  46 – 15  Argentina
Tries: Kirk
Brooke
Stanley
Earl
Crowley
Whetton
Con: Fox (2)
Pen: Fox (6)		 Try: Lanza
Con: Porta
Pen: Porta (3)
Athletic Park, Wellington
Attendance: 35,000
Referee: Roger Quittenton England

1991

Main article: 1991 Rugby World Cup

Pool C games -

Team Won Drawn Lost For Against Points
 Australia 30079259
 Western Samoa 20154347
 Wales 10232615
 Argentina 00338833
4 October 1991
Argentina  19 – 32  Australia
Tries: Teran (2)
Con: Del Castillo
Pen: Del Castillo
Drop: Arbizu (2)		 Tries: Campese (2), Horan (2), Kearns
Con: Lynagh (3)
Pen: Lynagh (2)
Stradey Park, Llanelli
Referee: David Bishop New Zealand
9 October 1991
Wales  16 – 7  Argentina
Tries: Arnold
Pen: Ring (3), Rayer		 Tries: Simon
Pen: Del Castillo
Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Referee: Rene Hourquet France
13 October 1991
Argentina  12 – 35  Western Samoa
Tries: Teran
Con: Arbizu
Pen: Laborde, Arbizu		 Tries: Tagaola (2), Lima (2), Bunce, Bachop
Con: Vaea (4)
Pen: Vaea
Sardis Road, Pontypridd
Referee: Brian Anderson Scotland

1995

Main article: 1995 Rugby World Cup

Pool B games -

Team Won Drawn Lost For Against Points
 England 30095609
 Western Samoa 20196887
 Italy 10269945
 Argentina 00369873
27 May 1995
Argentina  18 – 24  England
Tries: Lisandro Arbizu, Patricio Noriega
Con: Lisandro Arbizu
Pen: Lisandro Arbizu (2)		 Pen: Rob Andrew (6)
Drop: Rob Andrew (2)
Kings Park Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 30 000
Referee: Jim Fleming Scotland
30 May 1995
 Western Samoa 32 – 26  Argentina
Tries: Pat Lam, George Leaupepe, George Harder
Con: Darren Kellet
Pen: Darren Kellet (5)		 Tries: Penalty try, Rodrigo Crexwell
Con: José Cilley (2)
Pen: José Cilley (4)
Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London
Attendance: 11 000
Referee: David Bishop New Zealand
4 June 1995
Argentina  25 – 31  Italy
Tries: Matias Corral, Rolando Martin, José Cilley
Con: José Cilley
Pen: José Cilley		 Tries: Paolo Vaccari, Mario Gerosa, Diego Dominguez
Con: Diego Dominguez (2)
Pen: Diego Dominguez (4)
Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London
Attendance: 11 000
Referee: Clayton Thomas Wales

1999

Main article: 1999 Rugby World Cup

Pool 4 games

Team Won Drawn Lost For Against Points
 Wales 201118714
 Samoa 20197724
 Argentina 20183514
 Japan 003361400
1 October 1999
Wales  23 – 18  Argentina
Tries: Colin Charvis, Mark Taylor
Con: Neil Jenkins (2)
Pen: Neil Jenkins (3)		 Pen: Gonzalo Quesada (6)
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: Paddy O'Brien New Zealand
10 October 1999
Argentina  32 – 16  Samoa
Tries: Alejandro Allub
Pen: Gonzalo Quesada (8)
Drop: Gonzalo Quesada		 Tries: Peter Paramore
Con: Silao Leaegailesolo
Pen: Silao Leaegailesolo (3)
Stradey Park, Llanelli
Referee: Wayne Erickson Australia
16 October 1999
Argentina  33 – 12  Japan
Tries: Diego Albanese, Agustín Pichot
Con: Felipe Contepomi
Pen: Gonzalo Quesada (7)		 Pen: Keiji Hirose (4)
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: Stuart Dickinson Australia

Quarter final place offs -

20 October 1999
Ireland  24 – 28  Argentina
Pen: David Humphreys (7)
Drop: David Humphreys		 Tries: Diego Albanese
Con: Gonzalo Quesada
Pen: Gonzalo Quesada (7)
Stade Félix Bollaert, Lens
Attendance: 41,320
Referee: Stuart Dickinson Australia

Quarter finals -

24 October 1999
France  47 – 26  Argentina
Tries: Xavier Garbajosa (2), Philippe Bernat-Salles (2), Émile Ntamack
Con: Christophe Lamaison (5)
Pen: Christophe Lamaison (4)		 Tries: Agustín Pichot, Lisandro Arbizu
Con: Gonzalo Quesada (2)
Pen: Gonzalo Quesada (3), Felipe Contepomi
Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Attendance: 50,000
Referee: Derek Bevan Wales

2003

Main article: 2003 Rugby World Cup

Group A games -

Team Won Drawn Lost For Against BP Points
 Australia 40027332218
 Ireland 30114156315
 Argentina 20214057311
 Romania 1036519215
 Namibia 0042831000
10 October 2003
Australia  24 – 8  Argentina
Try: Sailor 20', Roff 74'
Con: Flatley
Pen: Flatley (4)		 Try: Corleto 72'
Pen: M. Contepomi
Telstra Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 81,350
Referee: Paul Honiss New Zealand
14 October 2003
Argentina  67 – 14  Namibia
Tries: Méndez, Bouza (2), J. Fernández Miranda, Penalty try (2), Gaitán (3), N. Fernández Miranda
Con: Quesada (7)
Pen: Quesada		 Tries: Grobier, Husselman
Con: Wessels (2)
Bluetongue Central Coast Stadium, Gosford
Attendance: 17,887
Referee: Nigel Whitehouse Wales
22 October 2003
Argentina  50 – 3  Romania
Tries: Gaitán, Hernández (2), M. Contepomi, N. Fernández Miranda, Bouza (2)
Con: J. Fernández Miranda (4), Quesada (2)
Pen: J. Fernández Miranda		 Pen: Ionut Tofan
Aussie Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 33,673
Referee: Chris White England
26 October 2003
Argentina  15 – 16  Ireland
Pen: Quesada (3)
Drop: Quesada, Corleto		 Tries: Quinlan
Con: Humphreys
Pen: Humphreys, O'Gara (2)
Adelaide Oval
Attendance: 30,203
Referee: André Watson South Africa

2007

Main article: 2007 Rugby World Cup

Los Pumas began their final preparation for the 2007 World Cup with a two-test series against visiting Ireland, who was grouped against them in France. In the first test on 26 May at Santa Fe, they scored a 22–20 win on a last-minute drop goal by Felipe Contepomi. Both teams were heavily experimental, especially the Irish, with stars such as Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara, Paul O'Connell and Gordon D'Arcy missing from the touring squad. The Pumas were themselves missing many stars who were playing that weekend in the final round of the 2006–07 Top 14 season in France.[1][2] The second test against Ireland was a 16-0 Pumas win at Vélez Sársfield on 2 June.[3] On 9 June, Los Pumas completed a clean sweep of their mid-year tests with a 24–6 win over Italy in Mendoza. They split their final warmup tests, defeating neighbours Chile 70-14 at CASI in Buenos Aires on 4 August and losing to Wales at Millennium Stadium 27–20 on 18 August.

At the World Cup, Los Pumas were drawn into the so-called pool of death, featuring two other teams ranked in the top six in the IRB rankings—Ireland and the hosts France. On top of this, they opened the World Cup at Stade de France against the French, marking the third consecutive World Cup in which they played against the host nation in the World Cup opener. In possibly one of their finest hours,[4] the Pumas took a 17-9 lead into the half, and held on for a surprising 17-12 win. The Pumas subsequently beat Georgia 33-3 on 11 September at the Stade de Gerland, Lyon. Argentina then went on to beat Namibia 63-3 in Marseille, the biggest winning margin in Argentine World Cup history. They then went on to secure a 30-15 victory against Ireland which ensured that they topped the group. They then defeated Scotland 19-13 in the quarter-final at the Stade de France. The Pumas' improbable run towards the Webb Ellis trophy ended in a comprehensive 37-13 defeat by the Springboks in the semi-final at Stade de France. However, the Pumas recovered to beat France for the second time in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, a 34-10 win in the 3rd/4th place playoff. The 3rd place showing for the Pumas in the 2007 World Cup was Argentina's best ever result in Rugby World Cup history, equal or better to the best showing by IRB founding nations Wales (who were 3rd in the 1987 Rugby World Cup), Scotland (who were 4th in the 1991 Rugby World Cup) and Ireland (which has never qualified for the Rugby World Cup semi-finals).

During their World Cup run, the normally football-crazed Argentines embraced the Pumas so much that El Superclásico, the Buenos Aires football derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate that is normally the biggest event in Argentine sport, was rescheduled so that it would not conflict with the Pumas' quarter-final match.[5] As the only major Spanish language country in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the Pumas also had considerable support from rugby fans in Spain, Uruguay, and other Latin American countries during their impressive five-game winning streak.

Pool D games -

Team Pld W D L TF PF PA +/- BP Pts
 Argentina 44001614333+110218
 France 43012418837+151315
Ireland 420296482−1819
 Georgia 4103550111−6115
 Namibia 4004330212−18200
 ARGFRAGEOIRENAM
Argentina – 17 – 12 33 – 3 30 – 15 63 – 3
France – – 64 – 7 25 – 3 87 – 10
Georgia – – – 10 – 14 30 – 0
Ireland – – – – 32 – 17
Namibia – – – – –
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                   
6 October – Stade Vélodrome, Marseille        
  Australia  10
13 October – Stade de France, St-Denis
  England  12  
  England  14
6 October – Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
    France  9  
  New Zealand  18
20 October – Stade de France, St-Denis
  France  20  
  England  6
7 October – Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
    South Africa  15
  South Africa  37
14 October – Stade de France, St-Denis
  Fiji  20  
  South Africa  37 Bronze Final
7 October – Stade de France, St-Denis
    Argentina  13  
  Argentina  19   France  10
  Scotland  13     Argentina  34
19 October – Parc des Princes, Paris

Quarter-finals -

7 October 2007
21:00
Argentina  19 – 13  Scotland
Try: Longo Elía 33' c
Con: F. Contepomi (1/1)
Pen: F. Contepomi (3/4) 23', 29', 43'
Drop: Hernández (1/4) 54'		 Report Try: Cusiter 63' c
Con: Paterson (1/1)
Pen: Parks (1/2) 16'
Paterson (1/1) 38'
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 76,866
Referee: Joël Jutge (France)

Semi-finals -

14 October 2007
21:00
South Africa  37 – 13  Argentina
Tries: du Preez 7' c
Habana (2) 32' c, 76' c
Rossouw 40' c
Con: Montgomery (4/4)
Pen: Montgomery (3/3) 17', 71', 75'		 Report Try: M. Contepomi 45' c
Con: F. Contepomi (1/1)
Pen: F. Contepomi (2/4) 15', 30'
Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Attendance: 77,055
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)

Bronze final games -

19 October 2007
21:00
France  10 – 34  Argentina
Try: Poitrenaud 69' c
Con: Beauxis (1/1)
Pen: Élissalde (1/1) 18'		 Report Tries: F. Contepomi (2) 28' c, 77' c
Hasan Jalil 32' c
Martín Aramburú 53' m
Corleto 65' m
Con: F. Contepomi (3/5)
Pen: F. Contepomi (1/1) 21'
Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 45,958
Referee: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)

Hosting

So far Argentina has not hosted any World Cup games, as no RWC has been held in the Americas yet.

References

  1. ↑ "First Test Preview: Argentina v Ireland". Irish Rugby Football Union. 25 May 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
  2. ↑ "Argentina 22-20 Ireland". BBC. 26 May 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
  3. ↑ "Argentina 16-0 Ireland". BBC. 2 June 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
  4. ↑ "Coach asks Argentina to stay calm". BBC Sport. 8 September 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
  5. ↑ PA Sport (9 October 2007). "Contepomi's field of dreams". Sportal.co.nz. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2007.