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Entre les Pumas et la France, un quart de siècle de passion

Des magiciens comme Juan Martin Hernandez (ballon en main) ou des joueurs de devoir comme Patricio Albacete (à droite) : l'Argentine sait produire tous les profils de joueurs, et le Top 14 en profite depuis de longues années. (Photo NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Alors que la France va affronter l’Argentine vendredi soir au Stade de France, RugbyPass vous propose de remonter le temps au gré des arrivées des Pumas dans notre championnat.

Les Argentins et le rugby français, c’est une belle histoire qui dure depuis 25 ans, et qui ne semble pas près de s’arrêter.Le groupe argentin retenu pour affronter la France, vendredi soir, comporte dix joueurs évoluant dans le Top 14.

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Internationals
France
37 - 23
Temps complet
Argentina
Toutes les stats et les données

Une habitude pour les Pumas initiée par quelques pionniers dans les années 1990, avant que les années 2000 ne marquent une impressionnante migration des meilleurs joueurs venus de la Pampa vers notre championnat.

La création de la franchise des Jaguares en 2016 avait permis à l’Argentine de rapatrier la plupart de ses meilleurs joueurs au pays.

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Felipe Contepomi on the passion of Argentina | RPTV

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Felipe Contepomi on the passion of Argentina | RPTV

Leinster and Argentina legend Felipe Contepomi chats to former teammate Brian O’Driscoll about coaching Argentina. Watch the full clip on RugbyPass TV

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Mais l’effondrement en 2020 de l’équipe finaliste du Super Rugby 2019, notamment à cause de la crise sanitaire liée au Covid-19, a relancé de plus belle l’exode.

Même si les Argentins s’exportent désormais aussi en Angleterre (Montoya, S. Carreras, Boffelli) voire dans les championnats professionnels de l’hémisphère Sud (Matera, Cubelli), la France reste leur destination privilégiée. Tour d’horizon.

Reggiardo, Hasan et Arbizu les pionniers

Le début de l’attraction argentine dans le rugby français remonte à la fin des années 1990. À cette époque, le rugby à XV est devenu professionnel depuis peu, mais pas en Argentine.

Mauricio Reggiardo est sans doute le premier à venir tenter sa chance dans l’Hexagone, à Castres. L’actuel manager de Provence Rugby (Pro D2) est suivi peu de temps après par Omar Hasan à Auch et Lisandro Arbizu à Brive.

La Coupe du Monde 1999 organisée en partie en France donne un coup de projecteur aux Pumas, qui évoluent pour la plupart au pays, dans un championnat 100% amateur.

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Deux clubs historiques mais pas parmi les plus riches sont les premiers à chercher fortune au pays des gauchos : le FC Grenoble et le RC Narbonne.

Les Isérois font venir Sebastián Rondinelli de La Plata en 1999, puis Diego Albanese, Ezequiel Jurado, Federico Werner et Federico Todeschini l’année suivante.

Dans l’Aude, on accueille Gonzalo Quesada et Nani Corletto en 2000, puis Martin Scelzo, Gonzalo Longo, Mario Ledesma et Federico Pucciariello (international italien mais né à Rosario) en 2001.

Corletto Narbonne
Nani Corletto sous le maillot du RC Narbonne durant la finale du Bouclier européen 2001 perdue contre les Harlequins, sous le regard de Mario Ledesma en arrière-plan. (Photo Jamie McDonald/Allsport)
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La mode est lancée. « Notre côté latin, notre facilité d’adaptation, et nos valeurs du rugby, similaires à celles des Français, font que c’est facile pour nous de venir en France », expliquait Reggiardo à France Info en 2021.

« La sociabilité et la capacité à s’adapter à n’importe quel environnement sont des qualités qui nous différencient du reste des joueurs », confirme l’ancien Montpelliérain (2010-2013) et Bayonnais (2013-2019) Martin Bustos Moyano dans les colonnes de La Voz.

Au débuts des années 2000, les Argentins fuient la crise dans leur pays et débarquent en masse

Le caractère jovial des Argentins, l’habitude de se retrouver le dimanche autour de l’asado (la grillade à la mode argentine), l’effort qu’ils fournissent pour apprendre la langue, tout ça en fait des compagnons de jeu idéaux.

Au début des années 2000, les Pumas arrivent en masse en France. Tous les clubs d’élite en raffolent et presque tous en comptent au moins un, à la manière des Fidjiens aujourd’hui.

Aux noms précédemment nommés s’ajoutent les Rimas Alvarez Kairelis, Jose Orengo (Perpignan), Sebastian Bozzi, Diego Giannantonio (La Rochelle), Ignacio Fernández Lobbe (Bègles-Bordeaux), Agustin Pichot, Juan Martín Hernández, Rodrigo Roncero, Patricio Noriega, Juan Manuel Leguizamón (Stade Français), Patricio Albacete (Colomiers), Manuel Carizza, Agustin Creevy, Federico Aramburú, Martín Gaitán (Biarritz), Nicolás Fernández Miranda (Bayonne), Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (Toulon), Eduardo Simone (Brive), Hernán Senillosa (Clermont), Miguel Avramovic (Montauban)…

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La liste est vaste et pourtant loin d’être exhaustive, car l’attraction est mutuelle. Les Argentins, frappés de plein fouet par la crise économique, politique et sociale qui touche leur pays viennent chercher fortune et sécurité sur le Vieux continent, mais les clubs français y trouvent aussi leur compte.

« Nous avons aussi une très bonne école de rugby », poursuit Bustos Moyano. « Physiquement, nous ne sommes pas des monstres, mais il y a du courage, de l’adresse et nous arrivons à bien faire les choses ». Sans oublier le grain de folie qu’ils sont capables de mettre sur le terrain, qui n’est pas sans rappeler le French flair.

Les années 2010 marquent un certain ralentissement des échanges, notamment durant les quatre années d’existence des Jaguares (2016-2020). Mais de grands noms des Pumas viennent tout de même illuminer le Top 14 comme Felipe Contepomi (Toulon puis Stade Français), Juan Imhoff (Racing), Facundo Isa (Lyon puis Toulon), Nicolás Sánchez (Bordeaux-Bègles puis Stade Français) ou encore Pablo Matera (Stade Français).

Jaguares Brumbies
La franchise argentine des Jaguares a atteint la finale du Super Rugby 2019, en battant les Brumbies en demi-finales. (Photo ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images)

La source ne se tarit pas lors de la décennie actuelle. Si Tomás Cubelli (ex BO), Jeronimo de la Fuente (USAP) et Martín Landajo (USAP et désormais Carcassonne), Domingo Miotti (Montpellier) ne jouent plus avec les Pumas, dix des joueurs préparant la confrontation face aux Bleus sont pensionnaires du Top 14.

L’Europe admire la capacité de l’Argentine à battre les plus grandes nations malgré des moyens réduits

Marcos Kremer et Bautista Delguy portent les couleurs de Clermont, Ignacio Ruiz et Joaquín Oviedo celles de Perpignan, Joel Sclavi évolue à La Rochelle, Juan Cruz Mallía à Toulouse, Guido Petti porte le maillot de l’UBB depuis quatre saisons, Mateo Carreras celui de Bayonne, Francisco Gómez Kodela défend vaillamment le Stade Français à 39 ans et enfin Ignacio Calles est un joueur de la Section Paloise.

Sans oublier qu’en 2025, Julian Montoya devrait jouer à Pau lui aussi, tandis que Tomás Albornoz et Gonzalo García sont respectivement dans le viseur de Clermont et Bordeaux-Bègles.

« En Europe, on admire la capacité du rugby argentin à évoluer, à se frotter aux plus grandes nations et à les battre. Beaucoup soulignent l’évolution physique des joueurs, même s’ils soulignent que cette évolution leur a fait perdre certaines compétences », analyse l’ancien arrière à la technique soyeuse, reconverti agent immobilier au Pays basque. « Mais malgré cela, le rugby argentin est très bien considéré par les Européens ».

Et visiblement, ce n’est pas près de changer.

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