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Los Pumas are to play their home Rugby Championship matches this year in Buenos Aires, and Salta. They will do so against New Zealand, and South Africa respectively in what is to be a reduced tournament due to RWC 2019.
The reduced Rugby Championship sees six rather than twelve matches. This means one test match against each rival and either one of two home matches. For Argentina it is to be two home matches and one away, the opposite of the 2015 Rugby Championship.
It is to begin on Saturday July 20 with Argentina, and South Africa playing at home. Los Pumas will face New Zealand at Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires, while the Springboks are to face Australia at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park.
In week two Los Pumas will face Australia at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The July 27 fixture will follow that of New Zealand vs South Africa in Wellington. It is to be the only round of the 2019 Rugby Championship in which both matches take place in Oceania.
The tournament will then have a bye weekend before returning for the third, and final, round on Saturday August 10. On that date Argentina, and Australia will have home advantage. Los Pumas will face South Africa at the Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena while Australia will host New Zealand in Perth in a rare move away from Sydney.
On August 17 there is to be an additional test match which falls outside of the Rugby Championship. It matches that of 2015 albeit in reverse. While Argentina played host to South Africa in Buenos Aires outside of that year’s Rugby Championship this year is to see South Africa doing so against Los Pumas.
The fixture will take place on Saturday, August 17 in Pretoria. It is the final scheduled match for Argentina prior to RWC 2019 though this is likely to change. The UAR are seeking a match on September 07 in Japan. Presently it is unknown as to whom this potential match would be against or in which city it would be played.
Argentina’s RWC 2019 campaign is to begin in Tokyo on September 21, one day after Japan face Russia in the tournament’s opening fixture. Los Pumas are in the Pool of Death against England, France, Tonga, and the USA.
