On Saturday, November 6, La Natividad left a huge mark in Argentine polo. After several years of hard work, effort, and dedication, the Cañuelas-based team formed by Lolo Castagnola and Camila Cambiaso, claimed their first title in the Argentine Triple Crown after defeating a powerful RS Murus Sanctus in the final of the Hurlingham Open. An extraordinary achievement!

“I think it’s not just today, it is everyday,” shares Nachi Du Plessis. “We try to do our best, give our best, and today we played chukka after chukka, and we were able to control the whole game.”

La Natividad have achieved their first goal, the one they set during that first conversation between Lolo and Nachi in 2019, after an extremely successful debut at Palermo. “If I tell you what Lolo and I spoke about three years ago, it was exactly this,” says Nachi. “We said that in three years time we could get into a Triple Crown final, and even win one.”

The South African player says that the biggest dream of every polo player in his country is winning the Argentine Open. “It is all we are used to seeing back there,” he continues. “I always dreamed about winning the Open. In order to try and achieve it, we work very hard at La Natividad, going step by step. La Natividad relies on a unique group of people. We have Lolo pushing us during the week in many different aspects, with all his experience, as well as Pepe Heguy, who has his own particular way of seeing the games and putting strategies together. They are both winners of the Open and have lived this for many years.”

Now that you have won the Hurlingham Open, how do you see the evolution of La Natividad?

“This is a young team, so obviously there are certain basic things that we all still have to learn. I think that the talent is there, so once you know the basics, the boys can really express themselves.”

Last but not least, Nachi spoke about the plans for the Argentine Open, the next big challenge for La Natividad. “Today we will celebrate. As I said before, we go step by step. We’ll probably go back to La Natividad on Monday or Tuesday and start working hard, see the horses, how they finished after today’s game, and go from there.”

WATCH THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW WITH NACHI DU PLESSIS (POLOLINE TV)