The 1952 Ireland rugby union tour of South America, was a series of rugby matches played in Chile and Argentina. This tour by the
Ireland national rugby union team coincided with the death of
Eva Peron, the wife of
Juan Peron, the
President of Argentina. As a result, it was almost cancelled. Eva Peron died on 26 July, six days after the Irish squad had departed
Dublin. However, after playing their first game in
Santiago, Chile, the team travelled onto
Buenos Aires and completed the tour as planned.[1]
They finished with a record of played 9, won 6, drew 2 and 1 defeat. The tour also featured the first full rugby internationals between Ireland and
Argentina.[2][3]