Wikipedia - Torneo de la URBA

The URBA Top 12 (formerly "Torneo de la URBA") is an Argentine rugby union club competition organised by the Buenos Aires Rugby Union (URBA). It is the top division of the Argentine rugby league system. Created on 10 April 1899 by the "River Plate Rugby Union" (current Argentine Rugby Union – UAR), the Top 13 is the oldest rugby competition in South America and one of the oldest club competitions in the world.

Top 12 is one of the country's two main club competitions, along with Torneo del Interior, where clubs from the rest of the Provinces of Argentina take part. The championship runs from March to October.

Despite being from the city of Rosario in Santa Fe Province, Atlético del Rosario take part in Top 12 as founding member of the UAR. The other clubs from Rosario compete in tournaments organised by the Rosario governing body.

History

The first trophy awarded to the winning team. It debuted in 1899

The River Plate Rugby Union was established in Buenos Aires on 10 April 1899, being its founding members Buenos Aires, Belgrano, Lomas and Flores from Buenos Aires, and Rosario A.C. from Rosario. The first president of the body was Leslie Corry Smith.

That same year, the RPRU organised the first edition of the Buenos Aires' inter-club competition, which inaugural winner team was Lomas. In 1931 the union name was translated into Spanish "Unión de Rugby del Río de la Plata", that remained until 1951 when the union took the definitive "Unión Argentina de Rugby" (UAR).

The first trophy awarded to champions was acquired to British goldsmith Elkington & Son through their representatives in Argentina, C.R. Simons & Co., for a price of guinea 100. Built with Greek style, the trophy displayed a scene of a rugby match, with the legends "River Plate Rugby Union Championship" and "1899". The cup was mounted on an ebony base with little silver badges, where the name of the champion would be engraved year-by-year. Most of the money for its acquisition came from the Rosario A.C. members.

As a result of a reorganization of the UAR in 1995, the Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires was created to take over the tournament, being named "Torneo de la URBA". From then on, the UAR focused only on national teams while the URBA took over club competitions.

Until 1997 a league system was used, if two or more clubs finished with the same number of points they would share the title. This happened several times, including in 1939 when a record 3 clubs had to share the title. To remedy this, a play-off system leading to a grand final was instaured in 1998. This new system has been in use since then, except in 2001.

In 1998, the URBA introduced the playoff system, with a final match in a neutral venue to determine a unique champion of the season. New changes to the rules were added in 2008, when the fourteen best placed teams at the end of the regular season were eligible to play a second stage, named "Top 14". Every club played each other only once in a single-robin championship (either home or away). At the end of this phase, the first 4 clubs qualified for the semi-finals of the tournament, with the first ranked team meeting the fourth and the second meeting the third. Both semi-finals took place on the same weekend on neutral ground (usually the Club Atlético San Isidro stadium). The winner was crowned URBA champion. This system has remained (with minor changes) since then. The rest of the clubs played in a promotion and relegation competition named "Torneo Reubicación".

Both the URBA winner and runner-up qualified for the Nacional de Clubes semi-finals, where they met the winner and runner-up of Torneo del Interior. The winner of that competition was declared Argentine champion.

In 2016, the URBA introduced changes in the tournament's format for the 2017 season, with the "Top 14" being reduced to 12 teams (therefore renamed "Top 12") and becoming an independent championship, with all of the teams playing each other in a double round-robin tournament (home and away games).

As a result of those changes, the Buenos Aires league system was divided into six tiers. The new format also stated that the four best placed teams at the end of the season, would play the semifinals while the two worst placed would be relegated to the second division.

阿根廷URBA Top 12聯賽是阿根廷橄欖球聯盟(URBA)舉辦的一項重要橄欖球聯賽。該聯賽是阿根廷最高級別的橄欖球聯賽之一,每年吸引著來自阿根廷各地的頂尖球隊參賽。

阿根廷URBA Top 12聯賽的比賽形式是以循環賽的方式進行,共有12支球隊參與。這些球隊來自布宜諾斯艾利斯地區,包括了一些具有悠久歷史和傳統的俱樂部,如布宜諾斯艾利斯體育會、聖安德烈斯體育會和拉普拉塔體育會等。

這項聯賽的比賽水平非常高,球隊們在場上展現出技術精湛和身體素質出色的表現。比賽期間,觀眾可以欣賞到激烈的對抗、精彩的進攻和強大的防守。每場比賽都充滿了激情和競爭,球迷們為自己支持的球隊加油助威,營造出一個熱烈的比賽氛圍。

阿根廷URBA Top 12聯賽不僅是一個展示橄欖球運動魅力的平台,也是培養和發展年輕球員的重要機會。這項聯賽為年輕球員提供了一個與頂尖球隊競爭的機會,幫助他們提升技術水平並獲得更多的比賽經驗。

阿根廷URBA Top 12聯賽不僅在阿根廷國內享有盛譽,也受到國際橄欖球界的關注。這項聯賽的舉辦不僅提升了阿根廷橄欖球的知名度,也為國家隊的發展提供了優秀的球員和競爭環境。

總之,阿根廷URBA Top 12聯賽是一項引人入勝的橄欖球賽事,結合了激烈的比賽、熱情的球迷和優秀的球員,為觀眾帶來了一場場精彩紛呈的橄欖球盛宴。