By Ricardo Sbrana – [email protected]
This month marks the 45th anniversary of a series of sporting events that are milestones in the history of rugby from Bahia.
1975 was a more than special season for the Argentine club because it marked the peak of performance of a litter that had only been at the club for 5 years and in the area of the Southern Rugby Union, after the annexation of Albatros in 1970.
That year the blue team won their fourth Official’s title and they did it in a resounding way. Those led by Edgardo Cacho Gómez -the physical preparation of Professor Carlos Burgos- lost only one game against Universitario (15-9) just on the date that the Alem and Florida fields reigned (August 24, 1975).
The maintenance of the emblematic playing field that the URS had achieved in 1955 under the presidency of Alcides López Jové (mentor of Los Indios RC, another of the local teams in those early years), passed to Albatros first and then to Argentino.
Rainy day on August 24, 1975, when Argentino presented a renewed Alem and Florida pitch in the match against Universitario.
The chronicle highlighted the efforts of the leaders Raúl Donnari, Lindor Burgos, Carlos Valera, Martín Martínez, Raúl Blanco and Edgardo Gómez throughout the year of work that demanded to put in conditions the field and the property, under the direction and supervision of works by Jorge Legorburu.
“There were four mouths, one at each head and the others at the sides, outside the limits of the court. The barrel was put on, which was a kind of nozzle like a fire hose, with two locks. It was rotating from mouth to mouth. And each one shot like 15 meters or more. We were turning it all around. If we have spent hours with Jorge … Raúl Blanco brought the pipes from the railing, ”recalled Carlos Valera.
The URS was 4th in the country
The work in Alem and Florida left the field in very good condition for other events in rugby from Bahia.
Fifteen days after the reopening, the URS directive commission, headed by President Martín Urbicain, presented at a press conference the definition of the sixth Argentine youth championship for Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 1975.
From lon the left, Martín Urbicain, Angel Labadie and Marcelo Vitón. URS authorities presenting the final instance of the Argentine youth in Bahia.
Buenos Aires, Rosario, Mar del Plata and the Unión de Rugby del Sur -included directly for being the host- animated an instance of this type in our city for the first time.
For the organizing union it was their fourth participation in the tournament. Sur had been part of the first edition, 1972, with a team made up of those who at that time were the referents of the formative rugby of their clubs: Pedro Petersen (El Nacional), Héctor Bertoncello (Sociedad Sportiva), Carlos Franchini (Argentino) and Oscar De Marco (Puerto Belgrano).
Years later and thanks to the political doll of a practically unknown character but to whom the Bahian rugby owes much of what “fell” in that decade to our city -Oscar Corvera- the city was able to host the best of youth rugby in the country.
Buenos Aires had the technical direction of Raúl Loyola, one of the ’65 Pumas, and was the champion after beating Rosario (22-19) and Mar del Plata in the final (10-6) in the semifinals.
The Sur team was directed by Marcelo Vitón, Martín Martínez and Alberto Martínez Gambino. He fell in the debut against Mar del Plata by 42 to 6 and for the 3rd place against Rosario by 46 to 3.
The local team, according to journalistic notes, included Bonforte, Lebed, Gómez Vega, Domenech, Morado Veres, Vila, Soulage, Rodríguez Novo, Palavecino, Cherni, Alves, Robles, Scheverin, De la Riva, Descarrega, Méndez Lynch , Estévez, Rivas Godio, Cenoz, Ficcadenti, Hitce and Alonso.
Three representatives of the 1975 Bahia youth team: from the left Pablo Morado Veres, Eduardo Gómez Vega and Hernán Rodríguez Novo.
The URS once again contained a home run of teams of this level on September 15 and 16, 1979, when Campo Sarmiento (facilities of the Puerto Belgrano club) and Alem and Florida were the scenarios for the semifinals and definition respectively for the Argentine seniors (Buenos Aires, Cuyo, Rosario and Sur).
The Regional is born
After the experience of the Argentine youth championship, rugby once again summoned the Bahia public in Germany and Florida for what we could consider the first regional for URS teams.
At the initiative of Argentino and Sociedad Sportiva, on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September 1975, the brand new Bahia stage contained a home run along with Los Cardos and Uncas, both from Tandil.
The visitors had recently joined the Union of Mar del Plata and appeared in Bahia after a good leading role in the tournament of said union, with Los Cardos 2nd and Uncas 4th.
In the first match of the opening day, Sociedad Sportiva fell to Los Cardos 22-13 (match refereed by Edgardo Gómez). Las Palomas entered with Goñi, Panero, Vercesi, Baylac, Faggi, Recchi, Gómez Vega, Conget, Martínez, Gardes, Seco, Doria, Fasano, Abrile and Achinelly. Technician, Bernardo Browne.
Another scene in Parque de Mayo: tackle from Buenos Aires to Rosario’s attack, in the final.
In the second turn Argentino defeated Uncas by 47 to 16 (led by Guillermo Fasano). The local XV formed with Jorge and Aldo Borromei, Valeriani, Quaglia, Subota, Di Megli, Ortiz, Claverie, Ritacco, Greig, De la Riva, Cano, Dietrich, Vila and Alonso. Coach, Edgardo Gómez.
Finally, Argentino won the home run title by beating Los Cardos by 30 to 16, a match refereed by Hugo Fioravanti. Sportiva was 3rd after a comfortable 46-4 victory against Uncas.
In the definition the champion enlisted A. Borromei, Valeriani, Quaglia; Subota and Di Meglio; Claverie, J. Borromei, Ortiz (Legorburu); Ritacco and Greig; De la Riva, Cano, A. Vila (Montero), M. Vila; Alonso (Dietrich).
Argentine, at that point a very powerful team with its forwards, took another leap in quality in its growth when in October it received a visit from the Liceo Naval de Buenos Aires, which it beat a friendly 18 to 8 also on the Parque de May.
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