LONG READ 'Unprecedented excellence': How have Argentina's Pumas found their claws?

How far have the Pumas come since they first entered the Rugby Championship? The proud South American country was inducted into the historic Tri Nations in 2012, and their 13-year ascent has encountered numerous challenges – not all of them on the rugby pitch.

Although they have faced their southern hemisphere rivals with spirited and passionate gusto since time immemorial, the Pumas were only able to land their first win two years after their first official TRC match.

In 2014, Daniel Hourcade guided Argentina to a 21-17 victory over Australia in Mendoza, earning their first Springboks triumph one year later at Kings Park.

Though they had broken through the first blockade, they were unable to consistently defeat their elite foes, securing a total of 10 wins against Tier One opposition between 2011 and 2020.

But with the turn of the decade, something changed. The Pumas have earned 11 such victories in the past five years, seven of which have been in the past four editions of the Rugby Championship.

Argentina left the tight confines of last place to become an ambitious and dangerous opposition, and now, a serious title contender who has spread fear amongst their opponents. While their best World Cup performance happened in 2007, a fabled third-place finish paving the way for Rugby Championship inclusion, they have now become a consistent force capable of throwing down the gauntlet to the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks, and even the British and Irish Lions. All four rugby heavyweights have been dispatched in the past year.

Meanwhile, their U20s ‘Pumitas’ were bronze medallists at the recent age-grade World Championship – the team’s highest placing in nine years – and their men’s dazzling sevens side are regular cup and two-time title winners on the HSBC SVNS.

How did the needle move? What changed to achieve this unprecedented excellence?

In a word, pathway. The Unión Argentina Rugby put in place a monumental and iron-clad structure which revolutionised how youth players are guided towards becoming fully fledged Pumas.

Working side by side with the 25 federations and 574 clubs which comprise the vibrant mantle of Argentine rugby, the UAR forged a system that would increase the chances of their players to become the best version of themselves.

Players who are tall, or who have the propensity to keep growing, are at the top of the pecking order, but we are careful in how we identify and select those who will become part of the youth pathway.

In a country with 102,000 licensed players, Argentina devised a cunning plan to help players improve massively, setting them on a path of growth and success. Esteban Meneses, the technical national teams director, shed light on how the system works, starting with the clubs.

“The UAR player pathway has the clubs as the starting point,” Meneses tells RugbyPass. “Then they are enlisted in one of our 17 regional academies by recommendation of their club. Between January and March, and after several practice sessions, we identify and select those who possess the right profile to take part in our U18 programme. They will work in one of the five existing national academies. That’s where their lives in high-performance really begins.”

As Argentina possesses one of the biggest player ‘factories’ in the world, the UAR technical teams devote much of their time to identifying talents and understanding if they have the right resources to reach the top.

“We start with 900 U18 players and end up with 100 who, after working with the national academies for four or five months, will play in a U19 tournament,” Meneses, a former Uruguay head coach and Portugal assistant, continues. “The 40 best players proceed to become Pumitas [U20 internationals]. It is the last stage of the development programme before they head to one of Super Rugby Americas franchises.”

But how does the player identification process work? Meneses explains what the Argentinian staff look for in every individual.

“While the physical trait is seen as essential for the player profile we seek, we are also looking for those who have a strong mindset. Players who are tall, or who have the propensity to keep growing, are at the top of the pecking order, but we are careful in how we identify and select those who will become part of the youth pathway. Several abilities and qualities can tell what players have the best chance to be successful in our programme.

“We also want our players to continue their studies and learn the value of nutrition, among other things. For us, it is essential to develop good humans as well.”

While the regional and national academies are the first stepping stone inside the UAR model, the dawn of Super Rugby Americas gifted players and union alike a tremendous opportunity. The competition gathered pace after the Covid-19 pandemic, when the brilliant Jaguares franchise lost their place in Super Rugby. It comprises three teams from Argentina as well as national franchises from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, and allows young talent to continue developing in a professional environment. Next year, the Argentine union will add a fourth team.

“The biggest change was the birth of the franchises and the Super Rugby Americas,” Meneses stresses. “It gave players a chance to keep progressing, being monitored closely.

“The Pumitas are invited to get involved in the pre-season of one of the Argentinian franchises, giving them a taste of the professional side of rugby. We work closely with the franchise, managing the player’s development and growth.

“There’s a joint effort between us, the Pumitas and the franchise staff to find what’s best for the player: to come play for the Pumitas in the U20s Rugby Championship, or to stay with the franchise and feature in the Super Rugby Americas. Their development is key for us, and we can only achieve best results if we work altogether.

The endgame is to develop top-level players for the Pumas. That’s the aim of the high-performance programme.

“Even if they temporarily leave, they will always be part of our pathway and understand the demands and ideas behind the Pumas. There are more than a few who previously played for a non-Super Rugby Americas franchise who are now representing the Pumas. They were able to get back into the system because the framework was in place. They were shaped in order to achieve that end.

“Players can now sharpen their skills while competing at a high-level competition, raising the standard every season. The endgame is to develop top-level players for the Pumas. That’s the aim of the high-performance programme.”

Meneses believes the unity of the whole system has been key.

“The high-performance side of the Argentina Union works vertically and horizontally. As Pumas coach, Felipe Contepomi is at the top. He devises his vision of what an Argentinian international should be, and we execute it. We are aligned under the same goal and mission. We have several people working under him, but at the same time with him. Conditioning or technical coaches, team managers, psychologists, physicians – there’s a train of thought everyone follows. The best word to understand the way we work is interdisciplinary.”

The diverse range of staff has enabled players to become more prepared for the Test match scene, with athletes benefiting from the various tools provided by the UAR pathway. Crucially, though, it also provides opportunities for players to grow as people and minimise any disruption to their education away from the game.

“Our young players now have a better fighting chance to go pro and play for the Pumas without having to leave their country and/or pause their studies,” Meneses says.

“A pro career can last 10 years, 15 at most, and we are focused on helping players to study and earn a degree and a job off the pitch. They deserve to be developed not only as athletes, but as people, and that’s why, for example, we have a sports psychologist working with them. If they have the right set of tools at their disposal, they will have a higher chance of being successful in their lives.”

While the likes of Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer, Julián Montoya, Santi Carreras and a few others emerged in the former Super Rugby, competing against the Australia, South African and New Zealand franchises, the new crop are products of this refined pathway Meneses has overseen.

Ignacio Ruiz (Jaguares XV), Tomas Rapetti (Pampas), Boris Wenger (Dogos XV), Pedro Rubiolo (Jaguares XV), Juan Martin González (Jaguares XV), Agustín Moyano (Dogos XV), Simón Benítez Cruz (Pampas), Justo Piccardo (Pampas), Benjamín Elizalde (Pampas) and Ignacio Mendy (Jaguares XV) featured or are still playing for one of the Super Rugby Americas franchises.

Although most of them have signed up with an overseas club, Meneses is certain of how the pathway helped them reach the international game.

“We want the Super Rugby Americas to be more competitive and more enjoyable for players, staff and fans. Nonetheless, we understand that some of our players might want to challenge themselves and opt to sign with an overseas club. If they want to go abroad, at least they will depart for that adventure with far better chances of being successful, which will benefit the Pumas in the end.”

While Super Rugby Americas remains in its infancy, the numbers are striking: since the dawn of the pathway project in 2019, Argentina’s win rate has soared. They have 18 wins against top-10 opposition since 2020, just one fewer than they managed in the previous decade.

The precise and thorough work laid down by the union might seem invisible to the public eye, but the successful careers enjoyed by today’s Pumas, and those will follow in the pawprints, are as clear as the untarnished white and blue of their country’s flag.