View source for Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires

{{redirect|URBA}}
{{Infobox sport governing body
|name         = Buenos Aires Rugby Union
|native name        = Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires
|abbrev       = URBA
|logo         = Urba logo.png
|logosize     = 120
|sport        = [[Rugby union]]
|category     = 
|image        = 
|caption      = 
|jurisdiction = [[Buenos Aires Province]]
|membership   =
|founded      = {{Start date and age|1995}}
|aff          = [[Argentine Rugby Union|UAR]]
|affdate      = 1995
|region       = 
|regionyear   = 
|headquarters = [[Buenos Aires]]
|location     = 
|president    = Santiago Marotta
|Chief Operating Officer =
|chairman     =
|chairperson  =
|chiefexec    =
|vicepresident = Gustavo Cohen
|director     = 
|secretary    = Patricio Campbell
|coach        =
|womenscoach  =
|key staff    =
|operating income =
|sponsor      =
|year closed  =
|replaced     =
|prevfounded  =
|url          = https://urba.org.ar/
|countryflag  = ARG
|countryflag2 =
|countryflag3 =
|more         =
}}
The '''Buenos Aires Rugby Union''' ({{langx|es|"Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires"}}), usually referred as '''URBA''', is the [[Argentina|Argentine]] governing body that organises and controls [[rugby union]] in the [[Buenos Aires Province]] (including the main district, [[Buenos Aires]] autonomous city and one team from [[Rosario, Santa Fe|Rosario, Santa Fé]]). The remaining clubs from the province are distributed amongst four other unions: Unión de Rugby del Oeste de Buenos Aires in the west, Unión de Rugby del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires in the centre, Unión de Rugby de Mar del Plata in the east, and Unión de Rugby del Sur in the south.

URBA is the largest union of Argentina, with 76 clubs directly affiliated and 15 competing as guests.<ref>[https://urba.org.ar/informacion-de-clubes Información de clubes] on URBA website, 26 July 2019</ref> Those teams compete in 7 competitions organised by the body, including the [[Torneo de la URBA|Top 13]], the oldest competition in Argentina with the first championship being held in [[1899 River Plate Rugby Union Championship|1899]].<ref name=car>[http://atleticodelrosario.club/fundacion-del-river-plate-rugby-union-championship-1899/ Fundación del River Plate Rugby Championship] on Club Atlético del Rosario, 10 Apr 2019</ref><ref>[https://www.ole.com.ar/rugby/suple-120-uar 120 Aniversario UAR], p.6, ''Olé'', 10 Apr 2019</ref>

The Union also controls its representative team, which was the most 
successful team of the defunct [[Campeonato Argentino]] with 37 titles.

== History ==
{{Main|Rugby union in Argentina}}
The "River Plate Rugby Union" (RPRU) was established in 1899 in Buenos Aires by four clubs, [[Buenos Aires Football Club (1886)|Buenos Aires F.C.]], [[Belgrano Athletic Club|Belgrano A.C.]], [[Lomas Athletic Club|Lomas A.C.]] and [[Club Atlético del Rosario|Rosario A.C.]]<ref name=hechos>{{Cite web |url=http://www.uar.org.ar/union/hechos_historicos.asp |title="Hechos históricos de la Unión" at UAR website |access-date=2013-02-19 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130219172506/http://www.uar.org.ar/union/hechos_historicos.asp |archive-date=2013-02-19 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The body organized the first edition of the Buenos Aires' inter-club competition that same year, with Lomas being the first Argentine champion.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130219095925/http://www.lomasac.com.ar/noticias/include/noticia.asp?idnoticia=151 "Leslie Corry Smith, el primer referee oficial de Argentina", by Rubén Ayala at Lomas AC website]</ref> In 1951, the change of name to Spanish "Unión Argentina de Rugby", was after a request by the Argentine Olympic committee and it continued at the same time to work as local federation of Buenos Aires clubs, and national federation, recognized by [[International Rugby Board]].

As a result of a restructuring of the Argentine rugby in 1995, the "Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires" was created with the purpose of organising competitions in the city district and nearest towns like [[San Isidro, Buenos Aires|San Isidro]] and [[La Plata]], while the remaining part of the Buenos Aires Province (including populous cities like [[Mar del Plata]] or [[Tandil]]) remained under other provincial unions. Therefore, the RPRU championship was renamed "[[Torneo de la URBA]]" and continued with the same format, while the Argentine Union (UAR) took over national teams only.

== Competitions ==
As of 2023, several competitions are organized by the URBA. The first division is the [[Torneo de la URBA|Top 12]], contested by 12 clubs of the Buenos Aires area and also the oldest rugby competition in Argentina, with its first edition held in [[1899 River Plate Rugby Union Championship|1899]].

The URBA league system completes with Primera A (unlike its name indicates, it is the second division), Primera B (third), Primera C (fourth), Segunda (fifth), Tercera (sixth) and Desarrollo (seven, the lowest level).

Primera A to Segunda have 14 teams competing in each division, while there are 12 teams in Tercera and 11 in Desarrollo.<ref>[https://urba.org.ar/desarrollo-superior-fixture-y-resultados Desarrollo – Superior] on URBA</ref>

Other competitions organized by the URBA are "Universitario" (with 22 University teams playing in two divisions), "Femenino" (16 female teams in two divisions), and "Empresarial" (27 teams in two divisions). The URBA has also competitions for U19, U17, U16 and U15 teams.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center" width="400px"
| colspan=6  style="background:#888888; color:white" | '''URBA league system'''
|-
! width=px|Level
! width=px|Competition
! width=px|# Teams
|-
| 1 || [[Torneo de la URBA|Top 12]] || 12
|-
| 2 || Primera A || 14
|-
| 3 || Primera B || 14
|-
| 4 || Primera C || 14
|-
| 5 || Segunda || 14
|-
| 6 || Tercera || 12
|-
| 7 || Desarrollo || 11
|}

== Union team ==
{{Football kit box|align=right|pattern_la=|pattern_b=_urba team|pattern_ra=|pattern_sh=|leftarm=274887|body=274887|rightarm=274887|shorts=274887|socks=274887|title=URBA kit}}

The Buenos Aires team –nicknamed ''Las Águilas (The Eagles)''– is the most successful within the provincial teams in Argentina, having won a record 37 [[Campeonato Argentino]] titles.

=== Titles ===
==== Domestic ====
*'''[[Campeonato Argentino]] (37)''': [[1962 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1962]], [[1963 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1963]], [[1964 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1964]], [[1966 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1966]], [[1967 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1967]], [[1968 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1968]], [[1969 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1969]], [[1970 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1970]], [[1971 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1971]], [[1972 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1972]], [[1973 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1973]], [[1974 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1974]], [[1975 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1975]],<br /> [[1976 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1976]], [[1977 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1977]], [[1978 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1978]], [[1979 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1979]], [[1980 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1980]], [[1981 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1981]], [[1982 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1982]], [[1983 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1983]], [[1984 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1984]], [[1986 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1986]], [[1991 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1991]], [[1994 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1994]], [[1996 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1996]], [[1998 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1998]], [[1999 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|1999]], [[2000 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|2000]], [[2002 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|2002]], [[2003 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|2003]], [[2006 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|2006]], [[2007 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|2007]], [[2008 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby|2008]], 2015, 2016, 2017

==== International ====
*'''World Club Sevens (1)''': [[2014 World Club 7s|2014]]

=== International friendly competition ===
The URBA team has also played several international friendly matches against national teams that were touring Argentina, with several wins against some of them. Below is the list of matches won:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left" width="400px"
! width=50px|Year
! width=100px|Date
! width=200px|Rival
! width=50px|Result
|-
| [[1990 England rugby union tour of Argentina|1990]] || 21 Jul || {{ru|ENG}} || 26–23
|-
| [[1993 South Africa rugby union tour of Argentina|1993]] || 30 Oct || {{ru|SAF}} || 28–27
|-
| [[1996 France rugby union tour of Argentina|1996]] || 15 Jun || {{ru|FRA}} || 29–26
|-
| [[1997 England rugby union tour of Argentina and Australia|1997]] || 24 May || {{ru|ENG}} || 23–21
|-
| [[1998 France rugby union tour of Argentina|1998]] || 16 Jun || {{ru|FRA}} || 36–22
|-
| [[1999 Wales rugby union tour of Argentina|1999]] || 29 May || {{ru|WAL}} || 31–29
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{official website}}

{{Buenos Aires Rugby Union}}
{{Navboxes
|titlestyle=background:#ccccff
|list1=
{{URBA Top 12}}
{{URBA Tournament}}
{{URBA Tournament 2}}
{{URBA Tournament 3}}
{{URBA Tournament 4}}
{{URBA Tournament 5}}
{{URBA Tournament 6}}
{{Rugby union in Argentina}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Union de Rugby de Buenos Aires}}
[[Category:Rugby union governing bodies in Argentina|B]]
[[Category:Rugby union in Buenos Aires Province|B]]
[[Category:Sports organizations established in 1995]]
[[Category:1995 establishments in Argentina]]