Pichot: Argentina can help North America
By Meghan Mutrie
Former Argentina captain Agustin Pichot was in Canada recently to watch his countrymen the Jaguars win the Americas Rugby Championship, and took time out to speak with Meghan Mutrie.
After playing a full part in rugby's readmission into the Olympic Games as a member of the IRB's seven-strong bid team at the IOC Session in Copenhagen, Agustin Pichot deserved a holiday.
But instead of booking a trip somewhere warm, the former Puma captain packed his parka and flew north to Canada to watch his countrymen the Jaguars win the inaugural Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) title.
He was also in Canada to issue a challenge.
"Argentina wants to work with Canada and the US. We need to help - and be helped - by a new strategy in the Americas. Argentines are passionate people, but if we could achieve it I don't know how the Americas cannot," he said.
As part of the UAR's High Performance Committee, Pichot has been central in securing Argentina's conditional invitation to the Tri-Nations, and in engineering any entry by the Jaguars into South Africa's Vodacom Cup.
When he could have slowed down and basked in his accomplishments, the former European champion with 73 caps for Argentina immediately turned his attention north to what he believes is a potentially viable rugby market.
"I'm back to give a little of what I received; I'm here to create a difference," he said. "As a player I always had one eye on the pitch, and one eye on what was going on off of it. I was always thinking, 'what's my next revolution?' I wanted the next challenge.
Finding a structure that works
"The 2003 World Cup was a failure for us, but we used it to prepare better and differently for 2007. We had no structure, no professional rugby, and we changed the system.
"So we restructured the union and made a high performance plan, and then with the help of (IRB-contracted consultant) Morgan Buckley we did a strategic plan. The only thing left was to find competition in the Southern Hemisphere because the North was closed, but now we have 80% of one with the conditional invite, and 100% of the other."
Prior to Argentina shocking the world of rugby at the 2007 Rugby World Cup with two solid victories over France and a third place finish, the South Americans faced the same problems their North American counterparts are currently struggling with: limited finances, the balancing of amateurism and professionalism without a domestic professional league and a lack of international competition outside the June and November test windows.
As usual, Pichot's move is perfectly timed. With the IRB's financial and strategic assistance already in place through individual Union grants and help with Regional tournaments, including the Churchill Cup, the two North American powers are now well placed to also capitalise on Sevens' Olympic inclusion, which has further bolstered the sport's credibility and popularity.
ARC: Offering solutions
The Americas Rugby Championship, an evolved version of the North America 4 tournament which featured only teams from USA and Canada, is a direct result of the IRB's Strategic Investment Programme, which identified the Americas as a region of huge rugby potential. The ARC offers solutions to North America's lack of international competition and the tricky balance of amateurism and professionalism.
"The US and Canada now need to use the help of Argentina to have a lead into the system they want to be a part of. The Six Nations was a no for us, so I don't expect the Americas to get into the European market, but they need to be ready for that moment and use Argentina to be ready for it. They cannot depend on clubs to contract their players. Forget about waiting."
"I had to convince the Argentine people and players that professional rugby was good, and that it would take discipline and time and that yes, it was structured, but at the same time it wouldn't make me lose my passion or romanticism. Playing in the Northern Hemisphere taught me how to be pragmatic.
"It is the moment to start building. [The Americas] need a plan and to decide how and when to do it. I think they are trying very hard to construct something, it's the same as Argentina two years ago."
Pichot's first love is Argentina, but beyond that it is Rugby he wishes to grow, and his willingness to help North America's two superpowers is a good sign for the future.
