Rugby Rituals and Symbols: Pumas

“Rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentleman” 

~Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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By Cristián Saracco, Founding Partner at Allegro 234. Senior Strategy Advisor at FutureBrand

Rugby was born of a legend which tells that William Webb Ellis, a pupil at Rugby School -hence the name of the game- finely disobeying the rules of mob football as it was played in the mid-19th century, picked up the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus giving rise to the game's distinctive characteristic.

The truth is that today we are left with Rugby, but two centuries ago, scrumming games were played in different forms and with different names in various parts of the world, for example: 

• Australia, Marn Grook

• Italy, Calcio Fiorentino

• Japan, Kemari

• New Zealand, Ki-o-rahi

• Scotland, Jeddart Ba' 

• South England, Cornish Hurling 

Reality reveals that Rugby is lived, experienced, and communicated -in and for its community- through the orchestration of ceremonies plenty of rituals and symbols. They follow an organised, structured, and repetitive sequence of moments, including of course the troisième mi-temps -third time-, creating passages through experiences that allow for deep social and emotional bonding. 

Rituals are the representation of a series of legacies that go beyond the sport itself and in which the intangible becomes tangible before, during and after the match, through symbols, chants, physical artefacts, and places where the "clash of the titans" is staged.

Let's consider, just for a moment, an internationally known ritual, the All Blacks' Haka, a variety of ceremonial dance from Māori culture adopted by the Kiwi team. 

The Haka is a deeply rooted ritual adopted in New Zealand sports, especially by the national Rugby union team that has made it internationally famous. 

The Haka can be understood as a kind of symphony in which the various parts of the body represent many instruments. It may also be understood as a way of frightening rivals -which they sometimes succeed in doing-.

Weight of History, Legacy, and Aspirations in Rugby

In national Rugby union teams, the rituals and symbols have a quite different basis. While for the UK teams their basis, which was later "internalised" by other European teams, lies in the healthy competition among different colleges and then nations of the same empire -suffice it to recall that the first international Rugby tournament was between England and Scotland- in the southern hemisphere the situation is markedly different.

For the colonies of the British Empire, their rituals reflect their Anglo-Saxon heritage, but they add their own history and aspirations, even in opposition to traditional football -some schools played football and others Rugby.

In the case of the countries of the Americas' Southern Cone, the situation is rather different, although their heritage is associated with the Old Empire.

Particularly in Argentina, two facts and stories about the beginnings of their Rugby:  

• Some argue that Argentina's first Rugby team was born in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe province. Neither in the south of the country, with a strong English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish presence, nor in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires. It was the Rosario Athletic Club - Rosario AC.

• Politics was no stranger to the sport. A match played in 1890 in Buenos Aires ended with the two teams and the 2,500 spectators arrested. The then President of the country, Juárez Celman, was particularly concerned after what became known as the Park Revolution, which took place in the city earlier that year. The police suspected that the match was in fact a political meeting. God preserve Us!

New Symbolic Metaphor for Pumas

We could just talk about a new shirt design for Argentina's national rugby union team, Pumas. However, if we delve deeper, we will be able to discover three elements that serve to give them a new, more epic spirit connected to the country's history, values, and legacy.

History of Mounted Grenadiers Regiment

The regiment was founded by José de San Martín in 1812. Its military actions for independence from Spain took place in what is now Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. In 1827 and with only 120 soldiers, the troop was disbanded.

In 1903, reinstituted by then President Julio Argentino Roca, the Grenadiers were recreated as a ceremonial unit reclaiming the original 1812 regiment.

Those are different moments that make up a narrative of heroism, oblivion, restitution and honour, situations that at one time or another have also been part of Pumas' history.

Founding Values of Grenadiers

Since its birth in 1812, its ethos has been based on the concept of ‘leading by example’ in both private and military life. The Regimental Code of Honour includes discipline, courage, and commitment to learning.

Conceptually, it preserves and highlights the honourability of the team, its way of being beyond the playing field, its battleground. Pumas transcends the sporting idea to convey a lifestyle idea in all its dimensions.

Significance Behind Grenadier's Uniform

Besides their history, we would like to highlight parts of their uniform, which has been taken as an inspiration for the new Pumas shirt:

• Hard red collar: Hard leather padding was prepared to defend the neck area. 

• Strap and belt: The strap goes over the left shoulder, giving better support to the weaponry hanging from the belt.

• Chest: A hard leather shield was placed and closed inside the chest, at that time an innovative element of defence - the function of a bullet-proof waistcoat today.

Its connection with parts of the military uniform emphasises and try to express defensive aspects, offensive spaces, and subjacent innovation. A sum of technique, intelligence, and creativity.

More than a Pumas' New Shirt

The feeling of belonging is expressed through symbols that provide meanings. In this case, both the country -Argentina- and its national rugby union team -Pumas- have a history full of meanings. Meanings, new and old, consistent and coherent, existing and desired, generate over time a new kind of cultural event.