| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host nation |  Uruguay |
| Date | 8–14 October 1961 |
| Countries |  Argentina  Brazil  Chile Uruguay |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Argentina |
| Runner-up | Chile |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 6 |
← 1958 1964 → | |
The 1961 South American Rugby Championship was the third edition of the competition of the leading national Rugby Union teams in South America.
The tournament was played in Uruguay and won by Argentina.
The Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These are the four highest ranked national teams in the Southern Hemisphere; the Six Nations is a similar tournament in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Argentina national rugby union team represents Argentina in men's international rugby union; it is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union. Nicknamed the Pumas, they play in sky blue and white jerseys. They are ranked 9th in the world by World Rugby, making them the highest-ranked nation in the Americas.
The Argentine Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Argentina. It is a member of World Rugby, with a seat on that body's Executive Counci, and a founding member of Sudamérica Rugby.
Sport in Uruguay has been an important part of Uruguayan culture, since the early start of the nation. Winners of such important awards such as the FIFA World Cup, the French Open, and Olympic medals, Uruguay has been a constantly successful sports nation in continental and world aspects.
The Peru national rugby team, nicknamed los Tumis, is an emerging team in the Americas and a member of the Confederación Sudamericana de Rugby (Consur).
The Uruguay national rugby union team represents Uruguay in men's international rugby union nicknamed Los Teros, is governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. One of the older test sides in the world, Uruguay has qualified four times for the Rugby World Cup, in 1999, 2003, 2015 and most recently 2019. As of 10 June 2019 they are ranked 17th in the world, and are ranked 3rd in the Americas region, behind rivals Argentina and the United States.
The Brazil national rugby union team, nicknamed Tupis, is controlled by the Brazilian Rugby Confederation. Brazil is one of the founding unions of CONSUR and played in the inaugural South American tournament. Brazil has not qualified for a Rugby World Cup, but participated in the first edition of rugby 7s in the Olympics. Brazil currently ranks 3rd in South America and 5th in the Americas region.
Rugby union in Brazil is a minor but growing sport, with rugby union increasing in popularity at universities across Brazil.
The Chilean national rugby union team represents Chile in men's international rugby union; it is organised by the Chilean Rugby Federation. Nicknamed Los Cóndores, they play in red and white jerseys. They are currently ranked 23rd in the world by World Rugby, making them the third highest-ranked nation in South America.
Argentina XV, formerly known as the Jaguares, are the second national rugby union team in Argentina, after the full national side, the Pumas.
South American Rugby Championship refers to the continental rugby championships for South America, organized by Sudamérica Rugby. The current name of the championships is South American Six Nations, implemented in 2018. Throughout history, South American Championships have also existed for lower divisions of the rugby union championships, as well as youth and women tournaments, and editions for rugby sevens.
Association football is the most popular sport in almost all South American countries. There are a wide range of sports played in the continent of South America. Popular sports include baseball, basketball, rugby union, tennis, golf, volleyball, hockey, beach volleyball, motorsports and cricket. South America held its first Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. Two years prior to this, major cities in Brazil hosted the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Belgrano Athletic Club is an Argentine amateur sports club from Belgrano, Buenos Aires. One of Argentina's oldest institutions still in existence, Belgrano was one of the four clubs that founded the Argentine Rugby Union in 1899. The senior team currently competes at Top 12, the first division of the Unión de Rugby de Buenos Aires league system.
Rugby union in Paraguay is a secondary sport. With 4,355 registered players and twenty clubs, the country currently ranks 37th worldwide and 4th in South America.
Sudamérica Rugby, is the governing body for rugby union within South America and most of Central America. It was created on 14 October 1988 in Asunción on the initiative of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, counting with a total of 16 unions.
The 1951 South American Rugby Championship was the first edition of the two tiered competition of the leading national Rugby Union teams in South America.
The Chilean Rugby Federation is the governing body for rugby union in Chile. The Federation is responsible for the various national teams representing Chile in international competitions. The Federation is a member of several international organizations, such as World Rugby, and Sudamérica Rugby. The Federation is led by President Francisco Davanzo Pumarino. The Federation includes over 18,000 players.
The Jaguares is an Argentine professional rugby union team based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They were founded in 2015 and are the first Argentine team to play in SANZAAR's Super Rugby competition, participating from the 2016 Super Rugby season onwards. They were the runners up during the 2019 Super Rugby season, losing to the Crusaders 19–3 in the Super Rugby Final, played on July 6, 2019. They participated in Super Rugby until the end of the 2020 Super Rugby season, before they departed the competition having not been named in any of the regionalised formats for the 2021 Super Rugby season.
Diego María Cash is a former Argentine rugby union player, coach and currently director of the rugby session of San Isidro Club. He played as a prop.
Pedro Lanza is a former Argentine rugby union footballer and manager. He played as a winger.