Argentina is the second largest country in South America after Brazil with a population of around 37 million people. The country claimed its independence from Spain in 1816 after Spanish explorers had discovered the region in the early 16th Century.
The first rugby match in Argentina was played in 1873, the game having been brought to South America by the British, although it was only 26 years later that four clubs in the capital Buenos Aires got together to form the River Plate Rugby Football Union.
This body, one of the oldest rugby unions in the world, later became known as the Unión Argentina de Rugby, which became a member of the International Rugby Board only after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987.
Although Rugby has not matched football for popularity in Argentina, the impressive results by Los Pumas – the national side – since the last Rugby World Cup in 1999, have seen its popularity grow exponentially against a troubled economic backdrop.
The domestic game boasts just over 300 clubs – including Hindú, San Isidro and CASI – and around 25,000 senior players, although many star names have benefited from playing professionally in Europe.