Pampas XV

Pampas XV was an Argentine rugby union team that was based in South Africa when they participated in the South African second domestic competition, the Vodacom Cup between 2010 and 2013.[1] The team was established in 2010 and was composed almost entirely by members of the High Performance Plan of the UAR. It was an unofficial third national team, below the Senior squad (Los Pumas) and Argentina XV,[2] although it has been described as the second team as well.[3]

Pampas XV
Full namePampas XV
UnionArgentine Rugby Union
Founded2010
Disbanded2015 (2015)
RegionArgentina
Ground(s)ANZ National Stadium (Capacity: 15,000)
Coach(es) Martín Gaitán
League(s)Pacific Rugby Cup
20151° (Champions)
1st kit
2nd kit

During their short existence, Pampas XV won one Vodacom Cup and two Pacific Rugby Cup titles.

History

The team played in the Southern Section of the Vodacom Cup. In 2010, these teams had to play against other teams in the Southern Section, so the Pampas XV were based in the Stellenbosch area. Their first season was average though, winning 3 matches and losing as many whilst drawing one match. They finished fifth in their conference and failed to qualify for the knockout rounds. However, in 2011 all the teams in the Southern Section had to play against teams in the Northern Section, so they relocated to Olën Park, Potchefstroom.

The first title for Pampas XV came in 2011 when the team won the Vodacom Cup beating Blue Bulls at the final. The squad also went through the season undefeated, passing 40 points in 5 of their 11 matches. Juan Imhoff finished the season as the tournament's top try scorer. That achievement was also the first title won by an Argentine team in a professional competition.[4]

During the 2012 and 2013 competitions, the Pampas XV played at the A.F. Markötter Stadium at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch.

In November 2013, Pampas XV withdrew from the Vodacom Cup thus not competing in the 2014 edition of the competition due to financial considerations.[5] However, in December 2013, it was announced that the Argentine third team would join the Pacific Rugby Cup, where they would face the likes of Fiji Warriors, Samoa A, Tonga A, Junior Japan plus Australian Super Rugby Academy Teams.[6]

The year of their debut in the Pacific Rugby Cup, Pampas XV crowned champions of the tournament when they defeated local team Reds A by 36–21 in Sydney.[7]

The second title for the Pampas XV came in 2015, when they won their second Pacific Cup consecutive title, defeating Fiji Warriors by 17–9. The squad also finished the tournament unbeaten.[8] That same year, the team was dissolved.

Players

Note: Bold denotes players who were internationally capped.

Players signed by professional clubs

The Pampas XV were seen as a stepping stone for Argentina-based Argentine players to be signed by professional clubs in Europe. Several players were noticed playing for the Pampas XV and then gone on to find professional teams:

2010

2011

2016

To the Jaguares (Super Rugby franchise):

Honours

See also

References
  1. "Equipos UAR / Pampas XV". uar.com.ar. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  2. "Pampas XV, el equipo nacional que nos representa en un torneo sudáfricano" (in Spanish). 26 Noticias. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  3. Astesiano, Eugenio. "Frutos del Plan" (in Spanish). Rugby News. Archived from the original on 29 April 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  4. Los Pampas XV, campeones de la Vodacom Cup on La Voz, 13 May 2011
  5. "Pampas out of Vodacom Cup". Sport24. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  6. "Plantel de Seniors para la temporada 2014". UAR.com. 27 December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  7. Los Pampas XV son los campeones invictos de la Pacific Rugby Cup by Alejo Miranda, La Nación, 24 Mar 2014
  8. La última prueba antes del gran salto: Los Pampas XV, bicampeones de la Pacific Challenge by Juan M. Trenado, La Nación, 28 April 2015
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