After a rather long thank you to the media from the Unión Argentina de Rugby President Luis Castillo, having received the cue for the live coverage — a first in Argentine rugby — of the historic press conference, spoke of the “pride we are all feeling. This announcement means a new commitment from officials, players, referees and media; a commitment to being better. And I also want to add the sponsors. As they say, we are walking into the Formula One of rugby and they are also important.”

“Pumas” performance in Buenos Aires

The UAR are actively seeking contract renewals with their sponsors and it is understood they are making very positive progress.

Today, SANZAR’s Executive Committee meet in Buenos Aires, and at the top table was Mike Eagle, their President. “We are delighted to support your launch of The Rugby Championship. We know it has been a long and difficult process but now it is a dream come true.”

“South Africa, New Zealand and Australia look forward with a much enthusiasm to having and welcoming you to a true international competition. Congratulations to all of those who worked hard for the inclusion. It is our belief that the UAR will benefit hugely on and off the field. We also look forward to some of your younger players playing in the Southern Hemisphere and having them available for international rugby.”

One of the key issues is the availability of Argentina’s top players. “We have been in discussion with European clubs about this for quite some time,” said Agustín Pichot, the “foreign affairs” representative. The former captain, who travelled the world endlessly to secure this invitation, explained that he was only “part of a team that achieved entry to SANZAR. We are not members as SANZAR also has Super Rugby, but they have showed a lot of goodwill and we are very thankful for that.”

Los Pumas, who will play their first Rugby Championship game under the shadow of Table Mountain in Cape Town next August 18, have not yet confirmed who will coach them. “We have spoken with Santiago Phelan recently,” explained High Performance Manager Manuel Galindo. Today, Ámbito Financiero — published by the same company that publishes the Buenos Aires Herald — runs a two-page interview with Phelan in which he says that whilst he is interested he has not met with the UAR since Rugby World Cup.

Another issue to come out of the launch was where will Los Pumas play their home matches. President Castillo said, ideally, he would like to spread the games throughout the country.

SANZAR CEO Greg Peters intervened. “We strongly recommended that the UAR plays two games in Buenos Aires and the third in the provinces. We have set criteria about stadia; that together with logistics and player welfare are key issues in this recommendation.” As anticipated in yesterday’s Herald, he met on Monday with Daniel Scioli whose province is offering big money to host Los Pumas in La Plata.

In the words of SANZAR, The Rugby Championship is the crown jewel. Argentina is now part of this crown.
__________________________________
SOURCE:
“Argentina is now part of Rugby Championship”
By Frankie Deges
For the Herald
http://www.buenosairesherald.com
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/85398/argentina-is-now-part-of-rugby-championship

And the IRB has urged the three nations who organise the Tri-Nations and Super 14 competitions through their SANZAR joint venture to show some patience if there are teething problems.

“They are in transition,” Mark Egan, the IRB’s head of development, admitted of Argentina.

“For any union to join a tournament where the top three teams in the world are playing is very daunting.

“We have been working with them. We have invested a lot of money in their domestic high performance programme.”

That programme has seen Argentinian rugby officials develop regional high-performance centres for the first time.

And the Pumas ‘A’ team, the Jaguars, took part in the Vodacom Cup in South Africa.

“They had 12 fixtures last year and the players are beginning to come through,” said Egan.

“They had two playing against Ireland last weekend.

“It is going to be a medium-term process in getting these players through to professional rugby and it is going to be a big challenge but the Tri-Nations countries have opened their arms to it.

“I think there is a huge commitment there. The current arrangement is a four-year deal because it is based around the television contract.

“Yes (four years may not be enough). The IRB wants Argentina to stay in there. We don’t own that tournament and the SANZAR partners have to look at that themselves.

“I firmly believe they are fully committed to making this work. We need to make this work. Everybody needs to make this work.”

The IRB eased rules on player availability, with clubs now having to release players for the competition to be played from late August to early October each year.

The three nations that make up SANZAR have all said that Argentina would add a dynamic new element to what will become the Four Nations series.

And it added that it will try to provide more opportunities for Argentinian players to play in the Super rugby competition in the lead up to the series.
_____________________________
SOURCE:
“Four Nations ‘daunting’ for Pumas”
AFP
December 02, 2010
http://www.heraldsun.com.au
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad-application/four-nations-daunting-for-pumas/story-fn6bn647-1225964221500

After the Pumas’ consecutive home losses to Scotland and France’s humiliation in South Africa, a loss for either side would spell disaster.

With the French coaching staff saying the tour is already ‘ruined’ after their horror show in Cape Town and bemoaning the attitude of certain individuals in that match, Saturday’s match will be certainly be a test of character.

Marc Lièvremont has worn a grumpy face this week as he juggles with widespread illness in the camp and general player fatigue at the end of a long season.

Yet despite that disappointing defeat to the Springboks, a lethargic finish to their tour game last Friday and a tummy bug doing the rounds, France head into this game in better shape than their hosts.

It might sound harsh, but Argentina have found themselves on a slippery slope over the past year or two and have progressively gotten worse. Another try-less loss to Scotland last week marked a new low after the giddy heights of the 2007 World Cup.

The Pumas have won just four of their fourteen Tests since then. Closer inspection of their form over the last three years reveals they have scored just three tries in their last five games and only six in their last twelve!

As mentioned in last week’s preview, the Pumas have to start playing positive rugby or the will become the whipping boys for the southern hemisphere counterparts in the expanded Tri-Nations.

Of course Santiago Phelan’s team won’t be thinking past Saturday’s showdown as they aim to save face – and history might be on their side.

France don’t have a great record against the Pumas, the Tricolors have only won two of their eight matches since the turn of the century and their last win in Argentina dates back to 1998.

After matching the side that lost in Cape Town against the side that beat an Argentine XV in training, Lièvremont has opted for a mix of the two.

It’s perhaps more interesting to note who has been dropped from the side that was so harshly criticised in South Africa since Lièvremont promised to axe those with an attitude problem. Top of that list is the Perpignan centre pairing that was responsible for giving away two tries.

As a result Bayonne’s Lionel Mazars will be allowed to show his enthusiasm outside the power of Florian Fritz and Jérôme Porical gets a Test debut after another points-rich season for Perpignan.

Clément Poitrenaud was initially dropped, but finds his way onto the bench because Aurélien Rougerie has jetted home to be at his wife’s side as she gives birth. The same goes for Maxime Mermoz, who is given a place on the bench because David Skrela has not been able to recover from the gastroenteritis that has affected most of the squad at some stage or another.

In a desperate effort to shake up his team, Santiago Phelan has dropped loose forward Juan Manuel Leguizamón to the bench. One of the most talented back rows of his generation, the Stade Français flank was mediocre against Scotland and his commitment to the cause has been called into question.

There shouldn’t be to many strangers on the field for either team as most of the Pumas ply their trade in the Top 14. They say familiarity breeds contempt and with pressure reaching critical levels, don’t expect a well-tempered encounter – especially considering the forecast wet conditions.

It’s an overused cliche but the French really are an unpredictable bunch. Will their wounded pride provoke a reaction or will they suffer from one-foot-on-the-plane-home syndrome?

On paper at least, and judging by Argentina’s double dismal display against Scotland, the XV de France must start as overwhelming favourites.

Players to watch:

For Argentina: With under-performing Juan Leguizamón dropped to the bench, Montauban flank Alejandro Campos gets a rare chance to start. Campos made an impact when he came off the bench last week and with Montauban dumped out of the professional ranks in France, Campos will be looking to catch the eye with another big performance.

For France: France have no lack of talent in midfield so Lionel Mazars will have to come up with something very special if he is to become a regular feature in blue. Mazars has been on the scene for while and won his first cap back in 2007 in New Zealand. With Mathieu Bastareaud missing through injury and David Marty having misfired a fortnight ago, the Bayonne centre has a chance to put his hand up for a place in next year’s World Cup.

Head-to-head: Back in Bleu after a long absence due to injury, Biarritz loosehead prop Fabien Barcella has worked his way back into the starting XV. Considered one of the most powerful scruammagers in the game, his tussle with another powerhouse, Clermont tighthead Martín Scelzo should be an epic battle. Seven years Barcella’s senior, Scelzo is a hard as they come.

Previous results:

2008: France won 12-6 in Marseille
2007: Argentina won 34-10 in Paris
2007: Argentina won 17-10 in Paris
2006: France won 27-26 in Paris
2004: Argentina won 24-14 in Marseilles
2003: Argentina won 33-32 in Buenos Aires
2003: Argentina won 10-6 in Buenos Aires
2002: Argentina won 28-27 in Buenos Aires

Prediction: Despite the hiccup in South Africa, we can’t see the Six Nations champions losing this one. France by ten points

The teams:

Argentina:15 Martín Rodríguez, 14 Lucas González Amorosino, 13 Gonzalo Tiesi, 12 Santiago Fernández, 11 Rafael Carballo, 10 Felipe Contepomi, 9 Nicolás Vergallo, 8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 7 Alejandro Campos, 6 Genaro Fessia, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Martín Scelzo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements:16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Marcos Ayerza, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Mariano Galarza, 20 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 21 Agustín Figuerola, 22 Horacio Agulla.

France: 15 Jerome Porical, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Lionel Mazars, 12 Florian Fritz, 11 Julien Malzieu, 10 Francois Trinh-Duc, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Julien Bonnaire , 6 Thierry Dusautoir (capt), 5 Lionel Nallet, 4 Pascal Papé, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Fabien Barcella.
Replacements: 16 Guillem Guirado, 17 Jean-Baptise Poux, 18 Julien Pierre, 19 Gregory Lamboley, 20 Dimitri Yachvili, 21 Maxime Mermoz, 22 Clément Poitrenaud.

Date: Saturday, June 26
Venue: Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires
Kick-off: 15.45 (19.45 GMT)
Weather: 11° C, heavy rain showersReferee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia
Assistant referees: Dave Pearson (England), Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
____________________________
SOURCE:
“Preview: France v Argentina”
25th June 2010
By Ross Hastie
Planet Rugby
http://www.planet-rugby.co.za
http://www.planet-rugby.co.za/story/0,25883,16024_6227727,00.html

They will face Argentina on Saturday 12 June in Tucuman, with the second Test being played in Mar Del Plata the following Saturday.

Argentina are in the same pool as Scotland for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

And the Pumas beat the Scots 9-6 at Murrayfield in November.

However, the Scots won their last match in Argentina in 2008, winning 26-14 in Buenos Aires, to square the series after a 21-15 defeat in the opening Test in Rosario.

Argentina, currently ranked seventh, two places above the Scots, also won their meeting in the 2007 World Cup 19-13 to reach the semi-finals in France.

The trip to South America will be Andy Robinson’s first tour since taking over as national coach from Frank Hadden in the summer.

Argentina able to name full-strength squad for visit of Scotland party

When Scotland head to Argentina next month looking for only their third international victory over their hosts, they now know they are going to have to do it the hard way against a full-strength Puma side.

With the matches not scheduled until the middle of June, the South Americans have been able to call back all their stars from France, meaning they should be able to field a stronger side than the one that won at Murrayfield last November.

From the touring party’s viewpoint, the encouraging aspect of the home squad announced by Santiago Phelan, the Argentina coach, in Buenos Aires yesterday, is that the Scots came away from that Murrayfield game feeling they had won the forward battle and lost only because of the number of chances they squandered. This squad includes every one of the pack that started the November match and the Scotland players will feel confident they can repeat their dominant performance.

That said, the Pumas are expecting to field a stronger unit this time with Mario Ledesma, the veteran hooker, who had been released to be at the birth of his third child, and Juan Manuel Leguizamon, the back row, who missed that tour, both available this time. Both are key members of Phelan’s squad.

The mini-revolution, however, is in the backs where there are seven players who were not involved in the November game, including Felipe Contepomi, who is likely to captain the side.

He missed the first half of the season at Toulon with a knee injury but now that he is playing again he duly slots back into the squad, where he is almost certain to return to his favourite role of fly half.

The only major absentee is now Juan Martin Hernandez, the other potential fly half, who is still recovering from surgery on a back problem, so though Contepomi will face some competition from Ignacio Mieres, the Stade Français playmaker, experience should make the selection close to automatic.

Contepomi had been named as captain for the autumn tour but failed to recover in time from the injury he picked up playing for Leinster in their Heineken Cup semi-final victory over Munster last year. He is now back playing and in the Toulon squad for the Amlin Cup final on Sunday, after which he will head home to join the rest of the squad.

In all, Phelan has named 23 players who ply their trade in France alongside five from English clubs, two who play in Italy and Eusebia Guinazu, who is in the Stormers squad in South Africa.

He also has the option of calling up Argentina-based players having at the same time announced another group of 15 home-based players, including Martin Rodriguez, who kicked all the points to beat Scotland last year. They are expected to be the core of the side that is to play a France XV on the eve of Scotland’s second international.

Argentina squad (to play Scotland): Backs: H Agulla (Brive), L Borges (Albi), R Carballo (Begles), F Contepomi (Toulon), J I Gauthier (Roma), L G Amorosino (Leicester), A Lalanne (London Irish), F M Aramburu (Dax), I Mieres (Stade Français), G Tiesi (Harlequins), N Vergallo (Dax), M Viazzo (Bourgoin). Forwards: A Abadie (Rovigo), P Albacete (Toulouse), M Ayerza (Leicester), A Campos (Montauban), M Carizza (Biarritz), J M Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon), J Figallo (Montpellier), A Galindo (Racing), J Gomez (Leeds), E Guinazu (Boland), P Henn (Brive), M Ledesma (Clermont), J M Leguizamon (Stade Français), E Lozada (Toulon), J P Orlandi (Racing), R Roncero (Stade Francais), M Sambucetti (Bristol), M Scelzo (Clermont), A Vernet Basualdo (Toulouse).

Scotland name squad to face Argentina

Scotland coach Andy Robinson has named a 27-man squad for next month’s tour of Argentina.

Leinster lock Nathan Hines was a notable omission from the squad that will tackle the Pumas in Tucuman on June 12 and again in Mar Del Plata a week later with the 33-year-old granted compassionate leave to spend time in his native Australia helping care for his sick mother-in-law. The door has been left open for Hines to join the tour if he should decide to do so.

“He’s going back to see his wife, who has been over in Australia nursing her sick mother,” head coach Andy Robinson told PA Sport. “It’s time for him to be there and if Nathan feels he can come across to Argentina at a later stage then we will leave that open for him to be able to do.”

Injured trio Chris Paterson, Thom Evans and Rory Lamont will also miss out while another notable absentee was centre Ben Cairns, with Edinburgh team-mate Jim Thompson preferred. Thompson was the one uncapped player in the squad as Robinson stuck with the 22 who won March’s final Six Nations match in Ireland, with five added to that number.

“We are really looking forward to playing against Argentina,” commented Robinson. “We have a lot of respect for the way the game is played there and we want to improve upon our success in our most recent game in the Six Nations.

“As well as our two Test matches in Argentina, we will prepare for those contests with our game at Murrayfield against a Japan Select. In addition, there are matches against Georgia, Namibia and Argentina Jaguars for Scotland A in the IRB Nations Cup. So, from my perspective, we are playing six Test matches this summer and that will be reflected when we announce the Scotland A squad next week.”

Robinson, who revealed he would consider adding a further player to his squad, has selected three scrum-halves for Argentina, Mike Blair and Rory Lawson joining captain Chris Cusiter. “We want to involve all three. Rory has been playing well and both Mike and Chris have been bothered by niggling injuries over the last few weeks,” he explained.

In related news, Glasgow Warriors’ head coach Sean Lineen will lead Scotland A in their defence of the Nations Cup, which was won when Robinson was at the helm in Bucharest last June. From the squad that defeated Uruguay, Russia and their French counterparts last year, Alex Grove, Richie Vernon and Kyle Traynor went on to win Scotland caps in the past year, underlining Robinson’s stance on the importance of the Scotland A team.

Preparations for both the tour and the IRB Nations Cup will include a Scotland XV against a Japan Select at Murrayfield on June 1.

Backs: Mike Blair (Edinburgh), Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors, captain), Simon Danielli (Ulster), Nick De Luca (Edinburgh), Max Evans (Glasgow Warriors), Phil Godman (Edinburgh), Alex Grove (Worcester Warriors), Sean Lamont (Scarlets), Rory Lawson (Gloucester), Graeme Morrison, Dan Parks (both Glasgow Warriors), Hugo Southwell (Stade Francais) and Jim Thompson (Edinburgh)

Forwards: John Barclay, Johnnie Beattie, Kelly Brown (all Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Dickinson (Gloucester), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Jim Hamilton, Allan Jacobsen (both Edinburgh), Alastair Kellock (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Lawson (Gloucester), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Alan MacDonald (Edinburgh), Euan Murray (Northampton Saints) and Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester).

____________________________________________
SOURCES:

“Scotland confirm Argentina tour”
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
BBC Sport
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/scottish/8428707.stm

“Argentina able to name full-strength squad for visit of Scotland party”
From The Times
May 21, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article7132309.ece

“Scotland name squad to face Argentina”
Scrum.com
May 12, 2010
http://www.scrum.com
http://www.scrum.com/scotland/rugby/story/115462.html

SANZAR officials were adamant that they would approve Argentina’s inclusion in the southern hemisphere tournament only if the Pumas were able to field their best team. The major stumbling block has been that most of the Pumas are contracted to European clubs, who would have to release them so that they could play in the Four Nations, which will be held from August to October. SANZAR and its broadcasters were concerned that the clubs would not release the players, and that the Argentine team appearing in the tournament would be second rate.

The IRB’s regulation No.9, dealing with the availability of players for international duty, has various windows, including those covering the Six Nations and June tours to the southern hemisphere. But there is not one for the August to October period, when Argentinian players would need releases from their northern hemisphere clubs.

Major progress was made this week in Dublin, where meetings of the IRB rugby and the regulations committees recommended that regulation No.9 be amended so that clubs must release their Argentinian players for the Four Nations. This recommendation will go to the IRB council meeting on May 13, and is expected to be passed.

The IRB executive committee has also approved that SANZAR be compensated $US2.5 million ($2.7m) a year for four years, with no conditions attached, for agreeing to Argentina’s inclusion in a home-and-away series that will result in the Wallabies playing regularly in Buenos Aires.

The bulk of the IRB funding will go to Australia, which stands to lose the most financially. Australia, New Zealand and South Africa play each other three times in a season, but some of these Tests will have to be dropped to accommodate internationals against Argentina.

ARU officials do not have to be reminded that a Pumas Test does not have the same pull in Australia as a Bledisloe Cup or Mandela Cup fixture, and that numerous areas of revenue, including gate receipts, could be hit dramatically. The compensation will partly cover the anticipated drop in revenue.

The meetings also agreed that the international match schedule involving the northern hemisphere teams travelling to Australia, South Africa and New Zealand be altered from 2011 to 2016 to allow ”mini tours”.

It has been agreed that teams such as England, France and Wales play three Tests in June, with the tourists also playing midweek matches, most probably against Super 14 provinces. This will provide greater interest than the present schedule, in which several national teams travel south and play either one or two Tests before heading home.

The quality of these tours have also been affected by the northern countries sending sub-standard line-ups, but it is envisaged that the mini tours will encourage them to send their best players. They will begin in 2012, with Wales to play three Tests in Australia, as well as midweek games.
___________________________________________
SOURCE:
“Hola Pumas: IRB says yes to Argentina in Four Nations”
GREG GROWDEN
March 27, 2010
The Sydney Mornig Herald
http://www.smh.com.au
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/hola-pumas-irb-says-yes-to-argentina-in-four-nations-20100326-r358.html

With some sadness, the invitation was duly turned down, but this turned to relief when details of the trip emerged. In celebrating a win, some of the players got a bit out of hand and there was an incident involving an Argentinean flag. In the 1970s, the Malvinas, or Falklands, issue hadn’t exploded but was simmering.
Continues Below ?

Also, Sir Alf Ramsey’s outburst after the very physical soccer World Cup quarterfinal between England and Argentina in 1966 still rankled. Disgusted at the Argentine approach, Sir Alf labeled them “animals” and to say Anglo-Argenine relations were at a low ebb was an understatement.

When apprehended by police for stealing the flag as a souvenir, one of the drunken players pretended to blow his nose in it. It was not a brilliant idea and three Penguin players were arrested and thrown in the clink.

Jail in the 1970s in Argentina was not fun . Regularly, prisoners were taken out and beaten up and some were never seen again. After a month, two of the players were released and sent home, but the guilty one, a lock from Ulster, stayed on alone with no sign of any official urgency to resolve the issue.

His father had to sell off family land to pay legal fees and for a while, the player was a forgotten man in Argentina. He cried regularly. In the end, someone remembered that Northern Ireland’s Fifa representative had voted to let Argentina host the World Cup in 1978, and his intervention saved the day, and the Penguin was released. I have still never been to Argentina.

Having come third in the last Rugby World Cup, it is wrong that the Pumas have had no regular competitive competition in which to develop and demonstrate their skills. In a rare display of progressive thinking, Sanzar have announced that from 2012, the Pumas will join an expanded the Tri-Nations.

Think of it. Two games each weekend instead of the current one will actually shorten the competition and allow a more equitable travelling scheme to be set up. Instead of three games against two sides, each nation will now play two against the other three.

In a way, it is sad that many of the records and statistics of the Tri-Nations will fall away, but the addition of the light blue and white colours and the unique Argentinean style of play will provide freshness and glamour and inject a new energy into the event. I bet we will also see more players emulating Hernandez the Shark by plying their trade here in the Super 14 and Currie Cup competitions.

Rugby is becoming a truly global game and, along with Italy being in the Six Nations, this move will expand the number of top competitive sides in the game.

By all accounts, rugby has undergone something of a revolution in Argentina and the result is a more professional approach domestically. This will lead to the development of even more top players. Who knows how many budding Hugo Portas are just waiting to be discovered.

Congratulations to the Springboks and to coach Peter De Villiers. He has endured a lot of stick and has answered his critics in the best way possible. The Boks thoroughly deserve their Tri-Nations success. After the next World Cup, I can’t wait to see the scramble to win the first Four-Nations. Let’s hope the opening Bok game is in Buenos Aires. If it is, I’ll see you there.

John Robbie hosts the breakfast show weekdays on Talk Radio 702
_______________________________
SOURCE:
“What a prospect: Boks v Pumas in Buenos Aires”
By John Robbie
September 19, 2009
http://www.iol.co.za
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=3066&art_id=vn20090919070552168C411228

Following the most successful IRB Junior World Championship to date in Japan this year, which was screened live by 16 broadcasters to 135 countries and saw crowds exceed 100,000, the annual showpiece development competition will be played in the Litoral region from Friday, June 5 to Monday, June 21.

“The IRB Junior World Championship is essential for the development of elite international players and officials and I have no doubt the UAR will host a colourful, exciting and passionate event,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

The new format sees 12 teams in three Pools:
- Pool A: New Zealand (holders), Wales, Samoa and Fiji
- Pool B: England, France, Ireland and Argentina
- Pool C: South Africa, Australia, Scotland and Tonga

“We are looking forward to an intense festival feel to the Junior World Championships in Argentina with 30 matches concentrated in one region. The reduction to 12 teams will create a more competitive tournament from round one,” said IRB Tournaments Manager Philippe Bourdarias, in Buenos Aires for the announcement.

View the full match schedule here >>

“We are proud to be hosting the IRB JWC 2010 in a region of Argentina rich in Rugby heritage. We look forward to welcoming the teams here next year and using the tournament to galvanise interest in the sport amongst our young people,” said UAR President Porfirio Carreras.

Opening matches include hosts Argentina taking on 2009 runners-up England in Rosario, whilst holders New Zealand start their title defence against Fiji in Paraná.

The IRB Junior World Championship provides the future stars of the Game with a platform to improve their skills in a format which replicates a Rugby World Cup.

In 2008, players to graduate from the Junior World Championship to their full international sides included Leigh Halfpenny (Wales), David Pocock (Australia), Andrea Bacchetti (Italy) Morgan Parra (France) and Matias Fonseca (Uruguay). while with Aaron Cruden (New Zealand) and Robert Ebersohn (South Africa) stared for their countries in the 2009 tournament.

The IRB Junior World Championship will provide a further boost to the ongoing development of Rugby in South America, in particular the UAR’s High Performance strategy which is funded through the IRB’s Strategic Investment Programme resulting in an annual investment of US$2 million.
__________________________________
SOURCE
“JWC 2010 pools and match schedule announced”
(IRB.COM) Tuesday 8 September 2009
http://www.irb.com
http://www.irb.com/jwc/news/newsid=2033634.html#jwc+2010+pools+match+schedule+announced

“The IRB is delighted that the IRB Junior World Championship 2010 will be played in South America and awarding it to Argentina is a very exciting development in the evolution of the competition,” said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

 “The Championship is hugely important to the IRB in terms of providing a platform for the next generation of international Rugby stars to showcase their skills on the international stage and develop into elite athletes. It also plays a significant role in increasing global playing standards. Argentina has the facilities and infrastructure to ensure that the Tournament will be organised to a very high standard which is vital for its success.”

“Rugby in Argentina is at an all-time high, boosted by the success of the Pumas at Rugby World Cup 2007. The Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR) has successfully implemented a new High Performance strategy which is aimed at raising the standard of Rugby within the country through a series of IRB funded elite coaching and player development initiatives.
 
“The Union has achieved significant growth in player numbers since 2007 and continues to produce outstanding results on the international stage. A key strategic objective of the Union is to bring elite international Rugby to Argentina on a regular basis and hosting the IRB Junior World Championship next year provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the best Under 20 players in the world to its passionate Rugby community.”

The tournament will be played in Argentina’s Littoral region. Rosario, Santa Fe and Paraná will all host matches, bringing a festival atmosphere to a tournament which provides the future stars of the Game with a high-intensity platform to showcase their talent.

“We are extremely impressed with what the Littoral region can offer. Aside from the world class training and playing facilities, the Littoral region is ideally situated to reach out to new Rugby fans in an area where there has been significant growth in participation in recent years. I am looking forward to what will be an exciting chapter in the history of the tournament,” said IRB Tournaments Manager Philippe Bourdarias.

UAR President Porfirio Carreras added: “The UAR is proud to again be hosting an IRB Age Grade tournament. The 2005 Under 21 World Championship gave us an indication of what is possible to achieve and I am sure that this tournament, with the passionate support of the Argentinean public, will be a great success, delivering Rugby to a wide audience and attracting new fans to the Game.”

The IRB TOSHIBA Junior World Championship 2009 in Japan kicks off on June 5 with 40 competition matches played over four host venues before the final in Tokyo on June 21. The reigning world champions are New Zealand.
___________________________________
SOURCE:
“Argentina to host JWC 2010″
(IRB.COM) Monday 1 June 2009
http://www.irb.com
http://www.irb.com/jwc/news/newsid=2031668.html#argentina+host+jwc+2010

ARGENTINA v ENGLAND
Date: Saturday 13 June Venue: Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta Kick-off: 2000 BST
Coverage: Score updates on BBC Sport website

Harlequins flanker Chris Robshaw will make his England Test debut as one of two changes for Saturday’s game against Argentina in Salta.

Robshaw, the Guinness Premiership player of the year, replaces James Haskell, who drops to the replacements.

The other change sees Leicester veteran Julian White comes in for David Wilson.

The Newcastle prop must settle for a place on the bench, where George Chuter replaces Steve Thompson, with Jordan Crane dropping out of the 22.

Robshaw, 23, made his first senior appearance for England in the 33-26 defeat by the Barbarians on 30 May but was dropped for last Saturday’s 37-15 Test win over the Pumas at Old Trafford.

White played just seven minutes of the first Test after being sin-binned for foul play shortly after coming on to win his 50th cap as a second-half replacement.

Captain Steve Borthwick will win his 50th cap as England attempt to end their season with a fourth successive Test victory.

They replaced Argentina in fifth place in the IRB world rankings with last weekend’s victory.

Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has made several changes to his starting XV, with Mario Ledesma and Marcos Ayerza coming in for Juan Pablo Orlandi and Alberto Vernet Basualdo, who both drop to the bench, in the front row.

Rimas Alvarez takes over from Manuel Carizza in the second row and Genaro Fessia will wear the number six shirt in place of Alvaro Galindo, while Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe will again captain the side.

In the backs Francisco Leonelli and Santiago Fernandez come in at wing and centre, respectively, replacing Federico Martin Aramburu and Miguel Avramovic.

Alfredo Lalanne will start as scrum-half alongside Juan Martin Hernandez, who scored all of Argentina’s points last weekend.

England: D Armitage (London Irish); M Cueto (Sale Sharks), D Hipkiss (Leicester), T May (Newcastle), M Banahan (Bath); A Goode (Brive), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), D Hartley (Northampton), J White (Leicester), S Borthwick (Saracens, capt), L Deacon (Leicester), C Robshaw (Harlequins), S Armitage (London Irish), N Easter (Harlequins).
Replacements: G Chuter (Leicester), D Wilson (Newcastle), B Kay (Leicester), J Haskell (Wasps), P Hodgson (London Irish), S Vesty (Leicester), M Tait (Sale Sharks).

Argentina: H Agulla (Brive); F Leonelli (Saracens), G Tiesi (Harlequins), S Fernandez (Hindu), G Camacho (Buenos Aires CRC); JM Hernandez (Stade Francais), A Lalanne (London Irish); R Roncero (Stade Francais), M Ledesma (ASM Clermont Auvergne), M Ayerza (Leicester Tigers), R Alvarez (Perpignan), P Albacete (Stade Toulousain), G Fessia (Cordoba Athletic), JM Leguizamon (Stade Francais), JM Fernandez Lobbe(Sale Sharks – capt).
Replacements: A Vernet Basualdo (Stade Toulousain), JP Orlandi (Rovigo), M Carizza (Biarritz Olympique), E Lozada (Toulon), N Vergallo (Dax), M Avramovic (Montauban), L Gonzalez Amorosino (Pucara).

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Phelan rings the changes for Pumas

In the pack, Leicester prop Marcos Ayerza steps up from the bench in place of Juan-Pablo Orlandi and hooker Mario Ledesma also slots in after losing out in the French championship final in the colours of Clermont Auvergne last weekend. Lock Rimas Alvarez-Kairelis also returns after tasting glory with Perpignan in the same game.————————————————————–

Phelan will be hoping for a stronger showing with his French recruits at his disposal, with the game given a tiny bit of added spice by the fact that England have leapfrogged the Pumas in the world rankings thanks to their win last weekend.

Argentina: H Agulla (Brive); F Leonelli (Saracens), G Tiesi (Harlequins), S Fernandez (Hindu), G Camacho (Buenos Aires CRC); JM Hernandez (Stade Francais), A Lalanne (London Irish); R Roncero (Stade Francais), M Ledesma (ASM Clermont Auvergne), M Ayerza (Leicester Tigers), R Alvarez (Perpignan), P Albacete (Stade Toulousain), G Fessia (Cordoba Athletic), JM Leguizamon (Stade Francais), JM Fernandez Lobbe (Sale Sharks – captain).

Replacements: A Vernet Basualdo (Stade Toulousain), JP Orlandi (Rovigo), M Carizza (Biarritz Olympique), E Lozada (Toulon), N Vergallo (Dax), M Avramovic (Montauban), L Gonzalez Amorosino (Pucara)

SOURCES:

“Robshaw set for England Test bow”
SPORT
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8093870.stm

“Phelan rings the changes for Pumas”
Argentina / News
Scrum.com
June 10, 2009
http://www.scrum.com
http://www.scrum.com/argentina/rugby/story/98034.html