Buenos Aires and the conviction of his players. Buenos Aires and the faith of its people. The overwhelming fervor of Buenos Aires, on the grass and in the stands, made possible the miracle that everyone now talks about with tears. The old lion, one of the founders of the Argentine Rugby Union, stood up. She shook her hair again, she easily beat Belgranoby 39-14y stays in the Top 12which in 2026 will be Top 14. Its direct rival at the bottom of the table, Saint Louisfell before Newman by 29-26 and must face the playoffs with the teams located between third and fifth places in the first A.
There was talk of a miracle and the miracle happened. The thing is Oftencomfortably surpassed by CUBA a week ago, had to play the best game of the season to beat Belgrano, one of the strongest candidates to win the title. And that was not enough: he also needed Bordó to give him a hand in his game. Without extra motivations, a 17-26 had to be turned around a quarter of an hour after Simón Larrubia’s whistle. The planets aligned and Victoria celebrated.
With the facts accomplished and the salvation achieved, the analysis of the game matters little. The successes and defects were taken away by the happiness of continuing to belong. The time will come to sit down and examine what was done right, what was done wrong and why Buenos Aires experienced this extreme situation. Today, there is no analysis possible. It doesn’t fit. There is excitement, relief. The anguish, the uneasiness, is over. The nightmare of a new descent went far, far away. It was lost behind the ball with which Mateo Capalbo closed the account of the match, with no more time left.
“We wanted to show ourselves that we deserved to stay in this category. We suffered a lot, but we showed our face again and reflected the team we want to be,” commented the fullback, with a Cordovan tune. Julian Quetglas. El Mono finished off Belgrano midway through the second half. Buenos Aires recovered the ball within its five yards, in the middle of Brown’s attack. The ball flew towards the point and Quetglas took it there to start a sensational run, from in-goal to in-goal. He started and went to Landó, he was too fast for Gasparotti and, stepping into the foreign 22-meter zone, he feinted at Blaksley, headed towards the flag and scored the try with a dive.
The rest were minutes of anxiety and uncertainty. In Victoria, next to the Panamericana, there was nothing else to do, just wait for time to pass. That it was consumed here, but that it stopped there, in Benavídez, where Newman lost by nine points and Biei needed him to win, even if it was by half a point. Thirty minutes of the second half, thirty-five…
The banks are moving. Half the world enters, the other half leaves. The ball is handled by Belgrano’s forwards, but no one cares. Everyone fixes their eyes on their phones and follows the last minutes of Newman-San Luis. Scrum for Belgrano. Newman’s try. Buenos Aires recovers the ball. Another score from Bordó and they go ahead: 29-26. “Oh, if the world would stop now and things would stay like this,” one fan begged. Another, next to him, was insulting the cell phone because the one carrying Newman’s ball fell instead of passing it.
The blues advance. It doesn’t matter. The public prays that Bordó’s men advance. It’s time. Few realize that Capalbo scored the last penalty and that Buenos Aires stretched the difference. “How did San Luis come out?” the players ask after Deluca’s whistle. And they go on their side. “Finish it, Larrubia, finish it… Two minutes have been added.” It seems that the gray-haired man has a delay in his device, because twenty meters to his right, a tribune of women is already celebrating. “Newman won.” “No, not yet.” “Now yes”. “Vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good.”
A father can’t take it anymore and starts crying. Another hugs his son, dressed in the team’s t-shirt and shorts. He squeezes it, they squeeze. Tomás Herrador expels anguish through his eyes, his face gets wet and he doesn’t care. He is happy. Ramiro Costa, Francisco Ibarra and Tomás Ruiz form a round. You don’t need to say anything. It’s all said. Emotion speaks for them. Others raise their arms and look at the sky, as if thanking them for the joy. Biei initially cornered Belgrano with his forwards. He came out determined to wear it and quickly took advantage. They matched him, but he immediately moved to the front and began to pull away. For most, the 23 who took the field are heroes. The Quetglas Monkey is San Martín because of the crossing from one end of the field to the other. And it is not convenient to name anyone, because they were all lions. Everyone was the lion. Who did his part in the miracle. Beat none other than Belgrano.
Compact of victory and salvation of Buenos Aires
Wounded, tired, battered by injuries and desertions, the lion seemed dedicated. But not. Motivated by his people, he attempted the last act of rebellion. He made the last effort. He stood up. He shook his mane and roared loudly: “Often It is first class, and it will not leave first class.”
