Hugo Mackern (November 17, 1909-April 27, 1998) is the ultimate reference when it comes to rugby journalism; the pen of this sport. The texts that he wrote for 50 years in the magazine “El Grafico” under the pseudonym Free Lance They not only portrayed the beginnings and growth of rugby in the country, but also contributed to its dissemination. Emblem of a journalism that is no longer what it once was, Mackern was also a rugby man: as a player, manager and, especially, as a referee, in addition to being a life member of two traditional clubs such as the Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club and the University Club of Buenos Aires (CUBA).
Mackern was the only journalist present at the origin of the Pumas, since he covered the 1965 tour for “El Gráfico” and was in Johannesburg in the match in which the team defeated the Junior Springbks, the first international milestone in Argentine rugby. His chronicle of that meeting, titled “This is history…”, began like this: “Ellis Park, witness to so many peak moments of world rugby, has witnessed today, with a mixture of astonishment and credulity, a key moment in the history of Argentine rugby. ”. This note was followed by another even more moving one a week later, in the same magazine. Its title was “The afternoon that was scary to look at the stands.”
The son of Irish parents and also a lawyer by profession, Mackern forged a great relationship with the ’65 Pumas group, who welcomed him like a father. Excitedly, before returning to Argentina from South Africa on that trip, Mackern had told them: “I didn’t have children, but if I had, I would have liked them to be like you.” She remained single until her death. His adoptive family was the Contepomi. The boys, including the current Pumas coach, called him “grandfather.”.
Mackern possessed the main virtue that a journalist should have: honesty. Also sobriety, a sidereal distance from the ego. He was a hired and volunteer secretary of the UAR, and for 27 seasons he refereed children’s divisions and collegiate championships. He never did it in the Primera, because he considered that he should not do it due to his status as a journalist. At the age of 17 he began writing for the rugby, cricket and football newspaper “The Standard”, and in addition to “El Gráfico”, he was a columnist until the end of the 80s at the Buenos Aires Herald. He wrote a fundamental book (”History of Argentine rugby, 1917-1930. The San Isidro era-British Tour of 1927″), and also the history of CUBA as it turns 70 years old. He was a great researcher and historian of rugby and an unavoidable reference for all the journalists who began to write about rugby in those years. His presence next to the touch with his notebook was another landscape of the games.
Remembering the figure of Mackern is the best way to conclude this weekly journalistic space that we have been finding for 15 years. In some way, I tried to follow the legacy of Free Lance throughout this time, in which rugby not only had Pumas and World Cups, but also important transformations and strong social connections. The German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk maintains that “current life does not invite thought.” What I tried to do here, among other things, was to invite you to think. To be in the facts, but also to take a step back to observe them, with no other commitment than to always keep the reader in mind. Give value to the word and life to the texts.
This last paragraph is absolutely personal. This is my last note in LA NACION and also in journalism as I understand it: I reached retirement age, and I accepted it. There were 45 years – much of it dedicated to rugby – in this job. It’s time to rest and open spaces. I am grateful for everything and, as for the diary, for the freedom and respect I had throughout this time. With that legacy of Mackern and other teachers, it was a wonderful trip. Others will come.