2024-10-26 03:01:00
After 126 years of history, the traditional URBA tournament will be defined for the first time between Belgrano Athletic and Alumni, two clubs that were originally formed only two blocks apart.
From Belgrano “R”, with very close ties that date back to the first years of the 20th century, this Saturday, in The Rugby Cathedral, They will play from 5:10 p.m. and with tickets sold out for the first time, a match that is worth a title, that of the champion of the Top 12 2024.
On Saturday, when Belgrano or Alumni are crowned on the CASI field, one of the two will celebrate the title and the other will chew up the anger. However, for many it will be a different achievement. They will do it against the usual rival, the classic team that everyone, every year, wants to face and beat.
When you review the rich history, both clubs intimately know that there are ties so intimate that no one can separate them. Even though today we play for a sporting rivalry, rugby and friendship will always be close to you, like in those years where just two blocks away, some offered their time and space so that their friends could develop.
A rivalry that began beyond rugby
Belgrano Athletic was one of the founding clubs of the Río de la Plata Rugby Union, later called the Argentine Rugby Union. In 1899, the first official championship won by Lomas Athletic was played. another of the founding clubs with great English ancestry, like Atlético del Rosario and Buenos Aires FC, later called Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club.
The tournament with the greatest tradition in our rugby was not only played three times throughout its more than one hundred years of history: That happened in 1916 and 1919. The impact of the First World War, between 1914 and 1918, affected the situation of the clubs made up of English players, since many of them left for Europe and never returned.
The other time the tournament was suspended was closer, in 2020, due to the global pandemic caused by Covid 19.
The classic of the 20th century
Alejandro Watson Hutton He was an important name for education and sports in our country. He arrived in Argentina in 1882, from Edinburgh, to work as a teacher of the San Andrés Scottish School. Two years later he founded the Buenos Aires English High School, where he imposed the practice of sports for the training of students.
In 1893 the Argentine Football League was established, of which he was later the first president. At that time Lomas Athletic and Belgrano Athletic They dominated the local soccer tournaments: Lomas was champion between 1893 and 1898, Belgrano in 1899. In 1900, the Buenos Aires English High School appeared for the first time and ended up winning the tournament undefeated.
That team, by decision of its players, From 1901 it was called Alumni, achieving absolute hegemony in amateur football in our country, and won the titles of 1901, 1902, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910 and 1911. Only Belgrano was able to break that dominance in 1904 and 1908. From there arose the first classics between the two, although with football as a booming sport.
However, as that sport began to have behaviors that deviated from the purpose for which Alumni was created, At the end of their last championship, in 1911, they decided to retire from the competition.
forty years later
With the name of Alumni saved in the collective memory for four decades, in 1951 the time came to bring together those football alumni to organize again.
It was the people of Belgrano who made that meeting possible. According to the Englishman Daniel Ginhson, one of the founders of Alumni, Juan José Salgado, Alberto Camardón, Guillermo Cubelli and Fernando “el grandfather” Camardón were the ones who made it possible.
This is how a new bond was rebuilt, the same one that linked them at the beginning of the 20th century, with the arrival of Watson Hutton, creator of Alumni and also signatory of the founding document of Belgrano Athletic. That link that remained in force after the disappearance of Alumni – all the High School alumni who wanted to play rugby went to Belgrano – was established again, this time with the two clubs playing rugby.
This is how in 1952, Alumni returned to the fields: now with rugby, but with the same spirit of those who created it. at the end of the 19th century.
The first official match
With Belgrano already installed as one of the traditional clubs of Buenos Aires and having achieved six titles to date (1907, 1910, 1914, 1921, 1936 and 1940), Alumni signed up to debut with a Seventh Division, and thus begin to compete officially.
Who would you debut against? Obviously against Belgrano, in a game they tied at zero. Yes, they ended up with a blank score. Only in 1970 did they meet in the First Division, after the promotion of Alumni by winning the Second tournament, in 1969, and they had their first confrontation.
From there until this unprecedented match that will be played on Saturday at the CASI, there are already 76 official matches between the two: Alumni achieved 44 wins, 28 were for Belgrano Athletic and in addition, there were four draws. The Tortuguitas club accumulates 1,574 points against 1,325 for the brown team.
After those first six titles, the Virrey del Pino club won five more championships, in 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968 and the last one, in 2016.
Alumni won a historic four-time championship, in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992. The last two were separated by 17 years, They were in 2001 and 2018. The brown team won the first six games in history, between 1970 and 1973. Alumni had its best streak between 1980 and 1987, with eleven straight victories.
The greatest hits
On April 22, 973, BAC’s biggest victory was recorded, when beat their classic rival 61 to 15 with 18 points and nine conversions by Carlos Martínez. On May 10, 1986, the rojiblancos obtained their greatest success, 49 to 15.
In recent times, there have also been two games with a wide difference. On May 30, 2015, Belgrano defeated the Tortuguitas team in Virrey del Pino by 43 to 19, with tries by Benjamín Espinal, Francisco Gorrissen, Matías Masera, Tomas Rosati and Santiago Uriburu. For his part, Agustín López Isnardi added four penalties and three goals. For Alumni it was a single conquest, by Carlos Di Masi, plus four penalties and a goal by Máximo Provenzano.
On July 16, 2011, In Tortuguitas, the local team beat the brown team 47 to 17. The red and white tries were scored by Federico Abente, Franco Battezzati, Rafael Bence Pieres (2), Martín Bottini, Miguel de Achaval, Tobías Moyano (2) and Santiago González Iglesias, who also contributed a goal. While for Belgrano Tomás Gorrissen, Joaquín Lucchetti and Mateo Olivari supported. López Isnardi made only one conversion.
Belgrano and Alumni define this Saturday a title that will be marked in our Buenos Aires rugby. Two clubs that carry names with more than a century behind them, On this occasion, as if it were a duel of gentlemen, they will face each other in their first head-to-head to obtain a champion title.
For the glory of those who came before them, the friendship and principles of its founders, Beyond what happens on the field and the result that occurs, there will surely be some from beyond who will wink at them, and will be satisfied and proud of their commitment to sport between both clubs at that time.