name and so they became the "Unión Argentina de Rugby" on 29 November 1951. This body, one of the oldest rugby unions in the world, became a member of the International Rugby Board (IRB) after being invited to the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. When the rest of the rugby union world went professional in 1995, the UAR decided to keep the game amateur. Also, the Buenos Aires clubs split off the UAR and formed the Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires (URBA), which has the same status as other provincial unions. Argentine players who opt to go overseas to play professionally (historically in Italy and France, with an increasing number today playing in England) remain eligible for national team selection (although this was not originally the case). As a result, the national team was heavily, though not exclusively, made up of European-based players. In 2016, the UAR formed the Jaguares team to compete in the Super Rugby competition. Also, it established a policy of selecting Pumas players from Super Rugby teams only, thereby excluding players from European clubs. National team The first national team (under the name "The River Plate Rugby Football Union") made its debut against the British Lions (named "Combined British") when they toured Argentina in 1910 as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Revolución de Mayo. The match was played on 12 June and the Argentina side lost 28-3. The Rugby Championship Argentina officially joined The Rugby Championship following a meeting in Buenos Aires on November 23, 2011. They became a full member of SANZAAR, the body which operates Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union, from the start of 2016. Names The Union had different names over the years. Them are detailed below: River Plate Rugby Union (1899–31) Unión de Rugby del Río de la Plata (1931–51) Unión Argentina de Rugby (1951–present) Structure Regional Unions affiliated to Unión Argentina: Ranking See also Argentina national rugby union team Jaguares (Argentina XV) Jaguares (Super Rugby) Pampas XV Cultural significance of the jaguar in South America References External links A U World Rugby members Sports organizations established in 1899 1899 establishments in Argentina