page_title: Argentina national rugby union team
section_title: Colours, symbol and name
hierarchical_section_title: Argentina national rugby union team / Colours, symbol and name
caption_attribution_description: English: A portrait of a jaguar (Panthera onca) at the Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Español: Jaguar (Panthera onca) en el parque zoológico del condado de Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Estados Unidos. Polski: Portret jaguara amerykańskiego (Panthera onca) wykonany w&#160;Milwaukee County Zoo w&#160;Milwaukee, w&#160;stanie Wisconsin, w&#160;USA. Čeština: Hlava jaguára amerického (Panthera onca) v zoologické zahradě Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. Deutsch: Ein Portrait eines Jaguars (Panthera onca) im Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens in Milwaukee (Wisconsin). Magyar: Jaguár (Panthera onca) a Milwaukee County Zoo-ban (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Македонски: Јагуар (Panthera onca) во зоолошката градина во Милвоки, Висконсин. Nederlands: Jaguar (Panthera onca) Português: Onça-pintada (Panthera onca) no parque zoológico do Condado de Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Estados Unidos.
context_page_description: The Argentina national rugby union team represents Argentina in men's international rugby union and it's organised by the Argentine Rugby Union. Nicknamed the Pumas, they play in sky blue and white jerseys, Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team. As of 23 September 2019 they are ranked 11th in the world by the IRB, making them the highest-ranked nation in the Americas.
  They have competed at every Rugby World Cup staged since the first tournament of 1987, and the country are considered the strongest within the Americas, being undefeated against all but Canada, against whom they have suffered three losses.
  Although rugby union in Argentina is not as popular as association football, the Pumas' impressive results since the 1999 World Cup have seen the sport's popularity grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several upset victories, are tough contenders when playing in Buenos Aires, and are capable of regularly defeating Six Nations sides. A surprise victory over the hosts France in the first game of the 2007 World Cup took Argentina to fourth in the IRB World Rankings.
context_section_description: Argentina alternated blue and white jerseys during its first international matches in 1910. In 1927 Mr. Abelardo Gutiérrez of Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires proposed that Argentina should play against British Lions wearing a striped light blue and white jersey. That request was accepted and Argentina wore the striped uniform for the first time in its history.
  Los Pumas play in a shirt in the country's flag (and sporting) colours of light blue and white, white shorts, and socks in light blue and white. In 2011, the UAR signed a deal with Nike which became the exclusive kit provider for all its national senior and youth teams, including Pampas XV. The first uniform designed by the American company left the traditional horizontal-striped jersey behind, featuring a single light blue with white shoulders jersey, although it was announced that Los Pumas would wear its traditional uniform again when they play the 2012 Rugby Championship.
  On September 1941, Abelardo Gutiérrez (who had proposed the use of a white and blue jersey for the team 14 years prior) suggested a badge with the figure of a lion. The color of the crest was blue (due to Buenos Aires Cricket Club, where the first rugby match in Argentine had been played). The animal was later replaced by a native to Argentine species, so the jaguar was chosen due to his "agility and courage", according to their words.
  The Pumas nickname is the result of an error made by Carl Kohler, a journalist for the then Die Transvaler newspaper in South Africa, while following the team during their first overseas tour ever – to Southern Africa in 1965. He tried to devise a catchy nickname for the team similar to existing international team nicknames such as All Blacks, Springboks, and Wallabies. He asked Isak van Heerden, the then coach of the Natal Rugby team who was asked by the SARB to assist with the tour, for ideas. They saw a picture of a type of lion with spots on the UAR crest. Kohler was aware that the Americas had jaguars and pumas, and as he was under pressure to submit his article, made a guess and called them the Pumas, instead of the actual jaguar. The mistake stuck, and was eventually adopted by the Argentines themselves (although the UAR crest still depicts a jaguar).
caption: The Jaguar, native of the northeastern Argentina was chosen as the symbol of the team in 1941
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