Argentinian Rugby

[Kiwiwomble]

quick question for our Argentinian members

Where does Rugby sit on the list of most popular sports?

Rugby obviously first in NZ, although suffering with competition at younger grade from what i hear
Rugby right down the list currently in AUS, Cricket, NRL, AFL and Football (A-League) all ahead of it i believe
Still pretty popular in SA i think, obvious competition with Cricket and Football

how about Argentina? I'm assuming Football out in front?

I'm thinking mainly financially, I think to really grown a high level domestic league is a very important so wondering how one might be financially viable

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

I dont know but i can educately guess and point you in the right direction.
Footie first, by a mile.
Second, I'm pretty sure it's TC (Turismo Carretera, our local racing competition).

Then it becomes blurry and it has a lot to do with how well the teams are performing, whether there is a particularly big event for that sport on a give year, etc. Hard to compare things like tennis (tons of games, 4 big tournaments per year) vs rugby (1 world cup every 4 years)
We've had quite a few top 20 tennis players over the last 10-20 years, so when they were on a roll, they've been quite popular.
Rugby grew a lot since 2007, but then again, you see how Jaguares couldn't fully fill their stadium. Comparing tv viewership is tricky given time zones, when they play, who they play against, etc.

For a while, we had a phenomenal basketball team so during Olympic games, basketball world cup, they were incredibly popular too.
Historically, box has been huge, way bigger than rugby or tennis, but that has been going down for quite a while.
Female hockey was fashionable for a while, but i would guess nowhere near the ones mentioned above in terms of viewership.
Volleyball was popular in the 1990s/2000s but not so much anymore. The best volleyball player could be walking through downtown Buenos Aires and probably no one would notice.

I might be missing a few details here and there, but broad strokes, that should be about it. I have never seen horse racing figures for Arg, and although it is arguably not small, it is probably (way) smaller than the ones mentioned above).

They have been investing money on female footie but results suggest it ain't going that well. I can probably fit more people in my kitchen than those games have on the stands.
The largest female footie channel on social media is one that is solely dedicated to bloopers from the players and making fun of how ignorant the commentators sent to follow those games are.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

how about participation? all those (volley ball, tennis etc) have people playing them or more a viewership?

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Short answer, i don't know. If you put a gun to my head and force me to guess based on anecdotal evidence i'd say:

i don't know many argentine people who follow tennis that never played it.
Volley and basket a bit more.

Rugby: Most of those who follow it that i know wore a jersey and played a somewhat competitive game with a ref at one point or another in their lives (school vs school, club vs club, etc). I'm talking about men here.
I'd be interested to know how many of the people who go to watch a Jags game at the stadium dont / havent play(ed) rugby (women and very young kids excluded).

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Maybe the discussion from the current matchday thread could be moved here?

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Ledesma stands down. I think they may rue this by judging his ability in awful circumstances in 2021. Lobbe would be my pick for replacement. For some reason I have acquired a negative perspective of Contepomi's coaching ability.

Mario Ledesma Resigns as Argentina Head Coach - Americas Rugby News

Mario Ledesma has stepped down as Argentina's Head Coach. The 48-year-old was in charge of Los Pumas

www.americasrugbynews.com

 

[Jaguares]

Good news for Argie Rugby. The candidates at the moment are:

1- Gonzalo Quesada, actually working in Stade Francais, he was the Jaguares head coach when they were runners up in 2019 Super Rugby season

2- Felipe Contempomi, actually working as attacking coach of Leinster in Ireland

3- Michael Cheika, he was an assistand coach of Mario Ledesma in some games, one of them, when the Pumas beat ABs for the first time in history

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I keep forgetting it was Quesada, not Ledesma that got to the SR final. It makes me less sympathetic to Ledesma if they do go for Quesada as that is the only option I'd consider a clear upgrade. I think I've seen Pumas XV headed by both Lobbe and Contepomi and much preferred Lobbe's edition.

I like Cheika, but not as head coach for a non-English speaking nation. Let him enjoy his early retirement in Japan.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Reported it will be Cheika plus Contepomi for the Pumas. Not a fan of that but its presumably only for a year and it's not Contempomi being thrown in at the deep end. I guess the Pumas are again such nomads that language won't be such an issue. I'd have much preferred Quesada.

Big Change for Argentina as Michael Cheika is to Coach Los Pumas - Americas Rugby News

A big change is on his way to Argentina; Michael Cheika is to coach Los Pumas. Alejo Miranda reports

www.americasrugbynews.com

 

[FNS]

Well is Cheika! Hopefully he will able to put motivation in the team. I know players wanted Quesada but for some reason the UAR hate him.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Federico Martin Aramburu: Former Argentina international 'shot dead' in Paris aged 42

Former Argentina international Federico Martin Aramburu is reportedly shot dead in France.

www.bbc.co.uk

RIP.

 

[FNS]

Yeah, i saw it today. Sad news,wonder who he crossed that they are willing to do a drive by in Paris. I mean you can get killed everywhere but it does not seem like a common thing there.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Very unfortunate. I wonder if it is an example of an ex-player struggling to find a legitimate career after retirement and mixing with the wrong crowd. A tragic end regardless.