Los Pumas, for so long the dominant rugby nation in South America, have played a part in every Rugby World Cup.
They beat Italy in 1987 (their only win in the inaugural event), failed to win a single game in 1991, and endured a horribly frustrating tournament in 1995, losing all three of their pool games by a margin of six points (against England, Italy and Samoa).
They fared much better in 1999, with two wins in the group stage, against Samoa and Japan, leading to a place in the quarter-final play-offs. In a thrilling match in Lens, the Pumas prevailed against Ireland to qualify for the last eight for the first time. But a 46-27 defeat by France ended their tournament.
Their best campaign came in 2007, when they shocked hosts France in the tournament's opening game. Inspired by the brilliance of Juan Martin Hernandez and bolstered by a strong scrum, a quarter-final win against Scotland followed before a semi-final defeat by eventual champions South Africa. In 2011 the Pumas will harbour ambitions of winning Pool B, and at the very least finishing second, most likely behind England.
Argentina squad:
Forwards: Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Genaro Fessia, Leonardo Senatore, Alejandro Campos, Alvaro Galindo, Patricio Albacete, Manuel Carizza, Julio Farias Cabello , Mariano Galarza, Santiago Guzman, Tomas Vallejos, Marcos Ayerza, Agustin Creevy, Juan Figallo, Eusebio Guinazu, Andres Bordoy, Maximiliano Bustos, Mario Ledesma, Rodrigo Roncero, Martin Scelzo.
Backs: Martin Rodriguez, Horacio Agulla, Juan Jose Imhoff, Gonzalo Camacho, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, Agustin Gosio, Lucas Borges, Martin Bustos Moyano, Gabriel Azcarate, Rafael Carballo, Gonzalo Tiesi, Santiago Fernandez, Marcelo Bosch, Felipe Contepomi (captain), Nicolas Sanchez, Agustin Figuerola, Alfredo Lalanne, Nicolas Vergallo.
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