South American Jaguars

The South American XV (sometimes known as CONSUR XV and formerly as South American Jaguars)[1] is a rugby union team made up from the national rugby sides in the Sudamérica Rugby (formerly CONSUR) rugby federation.

For the Argentine franchise that competes in Super Rugby, see Jaguares (Super Rugby).

South America
Full nameSouth America XV
UnionsSudamérica Rugby
Nickname(s)Jaguars
Founded1980 (1980)
RegionSouth America
Coach(es)Argentina Daniel Hourcade
Team kit
First match
Boland Cavaliers 12–42 South America
(12 April 1980)
Largest win
NE Cape 3–72 South America
(17 March 1982)
Largest test win
South Africa 12–21 South America
(3 April 1982)
Largest test defeat
Argentina 78–15 South America
(6 August 2011)

The squad was first formed in 1980 to compete against South African teams, despite the ban imposed on that country in repudiation of apartheid. Over the eight test matches played, seven of them were won by the Springboks and only one was won by the Jaguars. This single victory came at Bloemfontein in 1982.

In 2011, a new South America XV was formed to face the Argentine side before they trip to New Zealand to play the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

History

First team: the 1980s
The South American side entering the field with Hugo Porta leading the team. They beat South Africa 21–12

The side was formed in 1980 after an invitation from the SARU to the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR) to play a series of games there as a way of counteracting its sporting isolation which was due to the country's apartheid policies.

The team that toured was mainly made up of Argentina players and included a few Uruguayan, Chilean, Paraguayan, Brazilian and even Spanish players. The team was named "Sudamérica XV", wearing a white jersey with blue, red and gold stripes. The badge included a puma, a condor, a lapwing and a jaguar, representing Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay respectively. Rodolfo O'Reilly was appointed as coach.[2]

Boys from other countries knew that (South America XV) was a facade, and, although they played some matches in the tour, it were the Pumas who played the tests

— Rodolfo O'Reilly remembering his days as coach of South American Jaguars in an interview with Argentine newspaper La Gazeta.[2]

The Jaguars was a 'shadow' Argentine national team, not officially recognised by the UAR as a stratagem to elude the prohibition of the Argentine government that since the early 1970s forbade any official relationship between any Argentine sport federation and South African and Rhodesian ones, due to the apartheid politics of those countries.[2] This ostracism had started in 1971 when the Argentine government forbade the Pumas to play a match in Rhodesia during the tour in South Africa.[3]

First kit (1980)

In March 1973, the Argentine government and the UAR had a great conflict: the government contested to UAR the permit given to San Isidro Club to visit South Africa, and forced the federal committee of UAR to resign. A new committee was elected on 24 April 1973. In November the government also forbade all visits to South Africa by any Argentine team and any visit of a South African team into Argentina. This ban remained until 1991.

The only victory of South America in a test match came in 1982, when they beat South Africa 21–12, with all points scored by captain Hugo Porta. It also became the first win of an Argentine side over South Africa so all the players on the field were from that country.[2]

In 1984 the Argentine Government forced the UAR to forbid the use of any Argentine emblem by the players. As a result, the body decided not to send any representative to South Africa, declining the invitation. Nevertheless, the players accepted the invitation, being part of the South American Jaguars that toured that year.[4] That tour was the last, with the Jaguars being dissolved.[5][6]

Rebirth
South America playing Uruguay in 2019

In 2011, the side played one match against Argentina, in San Juan as part of their 2011 Rugby World Cup warm-ups.[7] Argentina won 75-15.

The team reassembled in 2013, and played England on 2 June 2013 at Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo as a warm-up match for the English before playing 2 tests against Argentina.[8][9]

The team competed at the 2015 Urucup, with players from the Argentine Pladar Litoral plus three guests from Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela.[10]

In November 2018, South American XV toured Chile and Paraguay to play the respective national teams. In August 2019, the team played Uruguay.

Test results

Summarised list of matches played by the South American side (only considered "tests" are included):

Date Venue City Home team Score Away team Character
26 April 1980Wanderers StadiumJohannesburg South Africa24–9 South AmericaTour to South Africa
3 May 1980Kings Park StadiumDurban South Africa18–9 South America
18 October 1980Wanderers ClubMontevideo South America13–22 South Africa Tour to South America
25 October 1980Prince of Wales Country ClubSantiago South America16–30 South Africa
27 March 1982Loftus VersfeldPretoria South Africa50–18 South AmericaTour to South Africa
3 April 1982Free StateBloemfontein South Africa12–21 South America
20 October 1984Loftus VersfeldPretoria South Africa32–15 South AmericaTour to South Africa
27 October 1984NewlandsCape Town South Africa22–13 South America
6 August 2011BicentenarioSan Juan Argentina78–15 South AmericaVISA Cup
2 June 2013Estadio CharrúaMontevideo South America21–41 EnglandTour to Argentina
31 May 2014Ateneo InmaculadaSanto Tomé Argentina40–0 South AmericaCopa Banco Santa Fe
8 March 2015Estadio CharrúaMontevideoUruguay Uruguay B18–21 South AmericaUrucup [note 1]
11 March 2015Estadio CharrúaMontevideoArgentina Argentina U-2029–20 South AmericaUrucup
14 March 2015Estadio CharrúaMontevideoUruguay Uruguay U-2016–43 South AmericaUrucup
10 November 2018Municipal StadiumLa Pintana Chile21–38 South AmericaTour to South America
17 November 2018Héroes de CurupaytíAsunción Paraguay22–73 South America
24 August 2019Estadio CharrúaMontevideo Uruguay24–20 South AmericaWarm-up match [note 2]

Notes
  1. It was a friendly competition contested by several South American national teams, organised by Uruguayan Rugby Union.
  2. Served as preparation for the 2019 World Cup.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sudamérica XV.
  1. Memoria y Balance 1980 on UAR website
  2. Pumas disfrazados de corderos by Juan Ignacio Provéndola on La Izquierda Diario, 3 Apr 2018
  3. Memoria y Balance 1971, p.9, on UAR (archived, 1 Nov 2012)
  4. Memoria y Balance 1984, p.3, on UAR
  5. LA HISTORIA DETRÁS DEL EQUIPO DE SUDAMÉRICA XV on Chile Rugby, 10 Nov 2018
  6. South Africa v South America at Cape Town on ESPN Scrum
  7. Plantel de Sudamérica Invitación para enfrentar a Los Pumas on CONSUR, 20 Jul 2011
  8. South America XV v England
  9. England confirm Argentina tour
  10. Sudamérica XV, pronto para volver a tierras uruguayas Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine - Rugby Time, 4 March 2015
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