Agustín Pichot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Agustín Pichot
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Pichot at the Casa Rosada in 2007
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| Vice-chairman of World Rugby | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 1 July 2016 – 12 May 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Oregan Hoskins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Bernard Laporte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Board of Directors of UAR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 1 July 2009 |
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Rugby career
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| Birth name | Agustín Pichot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 August 1974 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg (12 st 2 lb; 170 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Agustín Pichot (born August 22, 1974) is a famous Argentine retired rugby union player. He was once the captain of the Argentine national team, known as Los Pumas. He also captained the English club Bristol. Besides Bristol, he played for French teams Stade Français and Racing Métro. Before moving to Europe in 1997, he played for CASI in Argentina. In 2011, he was honored by being added to the IRB Hall of Fame. From 2016 to 2020, he served as the Vice-Chairman of World Rugby, a very important role in the sport.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Early Days and International Debut
Pichot first played for Los Pumas in April 1996 during a tour in Australia. He scored a try in his very first game in Brisbane. A "try" in rugby is like a touchdown in American football, where a player grounds the ball in the opponent's end zone. That year, he played three more games for Argentina. The next year, he played three more times, scoring another try against Uruguay. He then moved from his Argentine club CASI to Richmond in England, and later to Bristol.
World Cups and Captaincy
Pichot played many international games, scoring tries against teams like Wales and Romania. Before the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales, he played several warm-up matches. He played five games in the World Cup, helping Los Pumas reach the quarter-finals. Argentina played France in the quarter-final, where Pichot scored one of Argentina's tries.
In June 2000, Pichot became captain of Argentina for the first time. Argentina won that game against Ireland. He continued to captain the team many times over the next few years. In 2003, he moved to the French club Stade Français. He was named captain for Argentina's first match at the 2003 Rugby World Cup against Australia. He also scored tries in pool matches against Uruguay and Canada.
Leading Los Pumas to Success
Pichot was a key player and captain for Argentina in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He led the team to an amazing third-place finish, which was their best result ever! They even beat France twice in that tournament, including in the match for third place.
He was also the first non-French captain to win the French championship in 2007 with Stade Français. After playing for Racing Métro, Pichot briefly returned to Stade Français in 2009 before an injury ended his playing career.
A Special Farewell Match
On June 27, 2009, Pichot had a special farewell match at his old club, CASI, in Argentina. It was an informal game with nearly 60 players, including many of his former teammates and other famous Pumas. He was the only player who stayed on the field for the whole match. Everyone on the field wore the number 9 jersey, which is the number for a scrum-half, Pichot's position.
Pichot also narrated the Argentine version of the nature documentary Earth. In October 2011, he was officially added to the IRB Hall of Fame, recognizing his great contributions to rugby.
Rugby Administration Role
Joining the UAR Council
After retiring from playing, Pichot started a new career in rugby administration in 2009. He joined the board of the Argentine Rugby Union, known as UAR. At that time, Argentine rugby was changing from being mostly amateur to becoming more professional. Pichot was a major force behind this change. He helped Argentina's national team join major international competitions like The Rugby Championship and helped create professional teams for Super Rugby.
Making Waves at World Rugby
In 2016, less than a year after becoming Vice-Chairman of World Rugby, Pichot started pushing for big changes. He suggested that players should have to live in a country for five years, instead of three, to be able to play for that country's national team. This idea caused a lot of discussion. A few months later, Rugby World magazine named him the most influential person in world rugby!
In 2020, Pichot ran for the position of World Rugby chairman. He lost the election to Bill Beaumont, and after that, he left his position on the World Rugby council.
Achievements and Awards
Agustín Pichot received many awards and honors throughout his career:
- In 1995 and 2000, he won the Olimpia Award for rugby.
- He was named Best Rugby Player in 1998 and 2001.
- In 1999, he received the Sportsman Clarín Award of the year.
- He won the Platinum Konex Award for Rugby in 2000 and again in 2010.
- Fans at Bristol Shoguns voted him Supporter's Player of the Season in 2000/01 and 2002/03.
- He was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011.
His major rugby achievements include:
- Playing 75 international games for Los Pumas.
- Reaching the finals of the European Cup in 2005.
- Playing in the finals of the French Championship in 2005.
- Reaching the finals of the English Cup in 2001.
- Winning the French Championship in 2004 and 2007 (as captain).
- Helping Argentina finish 5th in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
- Leading Argentina to a fantastic 3rd place in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
- Captaining Argentina to 3rd place in the 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
- Winning the Argentine Provincial Champion title with Buenos Aires in 1996.
- Winning the Argentine National Club Champion title with CASI.
- Winning the Sevens National Champion title with Buenos Aires in 1994/1995.
- Being the most selected Argentine player for the famous Barbarians team.
Fun Fact
- The name Pichòt means "little" in the Occitan language.
See also
In Spanish: Agustín Pichot para niños
