Torneo de la URBA

The URBA Top 12 (formerly "Torneo de la URBA", named "Top 12 – Copa DirecTV" for sponsorship reasons)[1] is an Argentine rugby union club competition organised by the Buenos Aires Rugby Union (URBA). It is the top division of the Argentine rugby league system. Created on 10 April 1899 by the "River Plate Rugby Union" (current Argentine Rugby Union – UAR),[2] the Top 12 is the oldest rugby competition in South America and one of the oldest club competitions in the world.

Top 12
Organising bodyURBA
Founded1899 (1899)
RegionBuenos Aires Province
Number of teams12
Qualifier forNacional de Clubes
Related competitionsTorneo del Interior
Current championsSan Isidro Club (2019)
Most successful club(s)C.A. San Isidro
(33 titles)
Television broadcastersESPN
WebsiteTop 12

Top 12 is one of the country's two main club competitions, along with Torneo del Interior, where clubs from the rest of the Provinces of Argentina take part. The championship runs from March to October.[3]

Despite of being from the city of Rosario in Santa Fe Province, Atlético del Rosario has taken part of Top 12 as founding member of the UAR. The other clubs from Rosario compete in tournaments organised by the Rosario governing body.

History

The first trophy awarded to the winning team. It debuted in 1899

The River Plate Rugby Union was established in Buenos Aires on 10 April 1899, being its founding members Buenos Aires, Belgrano, Lomas and Flores[4] from Buenos Aires, and Rosario A.C. from Rosario. The first president of the body was Leslie Corry Smith.[2]

That same year, the RPRU organised the first edition of the Buenos Aires' inter-club competition, which inaugural winner team was Lomas. In 1931 the union name was translated into Spanish "Unión de Rugby del Río de la Plata", that remained until 1951 when the union took the definitive "Unión Argentina de Rugby" (UAR).[2]

The first trophy awarded to champions was acquired to British goldsmith Elkington & Son through their representatives in Argentina, C.R. Simons & Co., for a price of guinea 100. Built with Greek style, the trophy displayed a scene of a rugby match, with the legends "River Plate Rugby Union Championship" and "1899". The cup was mounted on an ebony base with little silver badges, where the name of the champion would be engraved year-by-year. Most of the money for its acquisition came from the Rosario A.C. members.[4]

As a result of a reorganization of the UAR in 1995, the Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires was created to take over the tournament, being named "Torneo de la URBA".[5] From then on, the UAR focused only on national teams while the URBA took over club competitions.

Until 1997 a league system was used, if two or more clubs finished with the same number of points they would share the title. This happened several times, including in 1939 when a record 3 clubs had to share the title. To remedy this, a play-off system leading to a grand final was instaured in 1998. This new system has been in use since then, except in 2001.[6][7]

In 1998, the URBA introduced the playoff system, with a final match in a neutral venue to determine a unique champion of the season.[8] New changes to the rules were added in 2008, when the fourteen best placed teams at the end of the regular season were eligible to play a second stage, named "Top 14".[9] Every club played each other only once in a single-robin championship (either home or away). At the end of this phase, the first 4 clubs qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament, with the first ranked team meeting the fourth and the second meeting the third. Both semi-finals took place on the same weekend on neutral ground (usually the Club Atlético San Isidro stadium). The winner was crowned URBA champion. This system has remained (with minor changes) since then. The rest of the clubs played in a promotion and relegation competition named "Torneo Reubicación".

Both the URBA winner and runner-up qualified for the Nacional de Clubes semi-finals, where they met the winner and runner-up of Torneo del Interior.[10] The winner of that competition was declared Argentine champion.

In 2016, the URBA introduced changes in the tournament's format for the 2017 season, with the "Top 14" being reduced to 12 teams (therefore renamed "Top 12") and becoming an independent championship, with all of the teams playing each other in a double round-robin tournament (home and away games).[11]

As a result of those changes, the Buenos Aires league system was divided into six tiers.[12] The new format also stated that the four best placed teams at the end of the season, would play the semifinals while the two worst placed would be relegated to the second division.[8]

Clubs

Current (2020)

Teams competing at Top 12 in the 2020 season are:[13]

Club Venue Estab. Titles
AlumniTortuguitas
1951
6
Buenos AiresSan Fernando
1864
10 [note 1]
BelgranoBelgrano
1896
11
C.A. San IsidroSan Isidro
1902
33
HindúDon Torcuato
1919
10
NewmanBenavídez
1979
0
PucaráBurzaco
1943
2
RegatasBella Vista
1895
0
San Isidro ClubBoulogne
1935
25
San LuisLa Plata
1961
0
Los TilosLa Plata
1944
0
CUBAVilla de Mayo
1918
14

Former clubs

Disaffiliated or defunct clubs:

Club Location Found. Tenure Titles
Flores A.C.Caballito189318990
Buenos Aires F.C.Palermo18861899–1951 [note 2]8

Champions

The complete list of champions is detailed below:[5][14] Starting in 1998, a final match in a neutral venue is played to determine a unique champion of the season.

Season Champion/s Runner-up Score
1899LomasRosario A.C.3–0
1900Buenos Aires FC [note 3]
1901Buenos Aires FC
1902Buenos Aires FC
1903Buenos Aires FC
1904Buenos Aires FC
1905Atlético del Rosario
1906Atlético del Rosario
1907Belgrano
1908Buenos Aires FC
1909Buenos Aires FC
1910Belgrano
1911Gimnasia y Esgrima (BA)
1912Gimnasia y Esgrima (BA)
1913Lomas
1914Belgrano
1915Buenos Aires FC
1916(No championship held)
1917CA San Isidro
1918CA San Isidro
1919(No championship held)
1920CA San Isidro
1921
CA San Isidro [note 4]
Belgrano [note 4]
1922CA San Isidro
1923CA San Isidro
1924CA San Isidro
1925CA San Isidro
1926CA San Isidro
1927CA San Isidro
1928CA San Isidro
1929CA San Isidro
1930CA San Isidro
1931CUBA
1932Gimnasia y Esgrima (BA)
1933CA San Isidro
1934CA San Isidro
1935Atlético del Rosario
1936Belgrano
1937Old Georgian
1938Old Georgian
1939
Old Georgian [note 4]
Gimnasia y Esgrima (BA) [note 4]
San Isidro Club [note 4]
1940
Belgrano
Olivos
1941San Isidro Club
1942CUBA
1943CA San Isidro
1944CUBA
1945CUBA
1946Pucará
1947CUBA
1948San Isidro Club
1949
CA San Isidro [note 4]
CUBA [note 4]
1950
CUBA [note 4]
Pucará [note 4]
1951CUBA
1952CUBA
1953Obras
1954CA San Isidro
1955CA San Isidro
1956CA San Isidro
1957CA San Isidro
1958Buenos Aires CRC [note 5]
1959Buenos Aires CRC [note 5]
1960CA San Isidro
1961CA San Isidro
1962CA San Isidro
1963Belgrano
1964CA San Isidro
1965CUBA
1966Belgrano
1967Belgrano
1968
Belgrano [note 4]
CUBA [note 4]
1969CUBA
1970
CUBA [note 4]
San Isidro Club [note 4]
1971San Isidro Club
1972San Isidro Club
1973San Isidro Club
1974CA San Isidro
1975CA San Isidro
1976CA San Isidro
1977San Isidro Club
1978San Isidro Club
1979San Isidro Club
1980San Isidro Club
1981CA San Isidro
1982CA San Isidro
1983San Isidro Club
1984San Isidro Club
1985CA San Isidro
1986
San Isidro Club [note 4]
Banco Nación [note 4]
1987San Isidro Club
1988San Isidro Club
1989
Alumni [note 4]
Banco Nación [note 4]
1990Alumni
1991Alumni
1992Alumni
1993San Isidro Club
1994San Isidro Club
1995La Plata
1996
Hindú [note 4]
Atlético del Rosario [note 4]
1997San Isidro Club
1998HindúSan Isidro Club38–12
1999San Isidro ClubAtlético del Rosario14–9
2000Atlético del RosarioCA San Isidro35–32
2001Alumni(No final held) [note 6]
2002San Isidro ClubRegatas16–10
2003San Isidro ClubCA San Isidro20–9
2004San Isidro ClubAlumni36–16
2005CA San IsidroSan Isidro Club18–17
2006HindúAlumni20–5
2007HindúAlumni9–6
2008HindúNewman22–10
2009HindúCA San Isidro31–22
2010San Isidro ClubLa Plata30–22
2011San Isidro ClubAlumni14–11
2012HindúLa Plata15–9
2013CUBAHindú11–9
2014HindúCUBA29–17
2015HindúCUBA24–0
2016BelgranoHindú25–10
2017HindúAlumni27–20
2018AlumniHindú26–17
2019San Isidro ClubBelgrano22–19

Titles by club

Team Titles Years won
CA San Isidro
33
1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1928, 1930, 1933, 1934, 1943, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1985, 2005
San Isidro Club
26
1939, 1941, 1948, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2019
CUBA
14
1931, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 2013
Belgrano A.C.
11
1907, 1910, 1914, 1921, 1936, 1940, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 2016
Hindú
10
1996, 1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017
Buenos Aires F.C. [note 3]
8
1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1908, 1909, 1915
Alumni
6
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2018
Atlético del Rosario
5
1905, 1906, 1935, 1996, 2000
Gimnasia y Esgrima (BA)
4
1911, 1912, 1932, 1939
Old Georgian
3
1937, 1938, 1939
Lomas
2
1899, 1913
Pucará
2
1946, 1950
Buenos Aires CRC [note 5]
2
1958, 1959
Banco Nación
2
1986, 1989
Olivos
1
1940
Obras Sanitarias
1
1953
La Plata
1
1995

Broadcasters Rights

The exclusive rights of Torneo de la URBA are broadcast live on ESPN Extra Saturday at 13:15 and are broadcast delayed on ESPN 2 at 17:30. In the Scrum are broadcast highlights of match Saturday at 23:00 (local time of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), 22:00 (local time of Chile) and 21:00 (local time of Peru).

Notes

  1. Eight of those titles were won by the Buenos Aires F.C., which merged to the BACC in 1951 becoming the rugby section of the club.
  2. Merged with Buenos Aires Cricket Club in 1951
  3. Rugby union club founded in 1886. It merged to Buenos Aires Cricket Club in 1951, also becoming the rugby section of that institution.
  4. Title shared.
  5. The rugby section of the Buenos Aires Cricket Club is the former Buenos Aires F.C. team that merged to the institution in 1951.
  6. Alumni crowned champion during the regular season, more precisely in the 11th. fixture when the team defeated CA San Isidro by 16-13.

References

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