First team: the 1980s

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.^[2][4]

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.^[5]

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.^[5]

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.^[5] 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.^[6]

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.^[4]

The only victory of Sudamérica XV 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.^[5]

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][7] That tour was the last, with the Jaguars being dissolved.^[8][9]

Rebirth

In 2011, the side played one match against Argentina, in San Juan as part of their 2011 Rugby World Cup warm-ups.^[10][11] Argentina won 78–15.^[12]

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^[13][14] before playing 2 tests against Argentina.^[15]

The team competed at the 2015 Urucup, with players from the Argentine Pladar Litoral plus three guests from Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela.^[16]

In November 2018, Sudamérica XV toured Chile and Paraguay to play the respective national teams. In August 2019, the team played Uruguay, which beat them 24–20.^[17]

After a long hiatus of over four years, Sudamérica XV was reassembled in 2023 to play vs Georgian professional team Black Lion, then Rugby Europe Super Cup champion, at Estadio Charrúa.^[18] Sudamérica XV defeated the Lions 28–24. The regional side was formed by players from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay.^[19]

Badge

The team's badge includes four animal figures, each of them representing a symbol of their respective countries,^[20] they are puma (Argentina),^[21][22] condor (Chile),^[23] tero (Uruguay),^[24] and yacare (Paraguay).^[25]

These animals have also been the symbols (and nicknames) of the four rugby national teams. In the case of Chile, the condor is also the national emblem of the country,^[26][23] appearing in the national coat of arms promulgated in 1832.^[27]

Kit history

1980–84, 2023–

2013–15

2018–19