Felipe Contepomi cut a relaxed figure, perched alongside Los Pumas captain Julián Montoya, a sense of fun never far away as Argentina’s head coach answered questions on a variety of topics related directly to Friday night’s Test match against Ireland and others that included a whistle-stop tour of people and places near and dear to his heart.
Leo Cullen, Johnny Sexton, Ross Byrne, Ciarán Frawley, Sam Prendergast, Leinster and Dublin – a city he regards as a second home – all received a mention during a wide-ranging conversation. By his calculation, Contepomi (47) spent 10 years at Leinster first as a player and then backs coach, pointing out that a son and daughter were born here.
Asked what it was like to be back in Dublin, he glanced out the window. “It’s great. I love Dublin and Ireland. I’ve had time to catch up with a few old friends with the excitement of being here with my national team. I still have a few to go.
“Luckily, I have a long list [of friends] to catch up with. I spent 10 years here. It’s a lot of my adulthood. I’m grateful, I’ve got really good memories, fond memories.”
Ireland’s match day 23 contains 16 players Contepomi coached at Leinster, and one former team-mate in replacement loose head prop Cian Healy.
The Argentinian smiled when asked whether having that level of insight into his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses as individuals was an advantage.
“Maybe it could have been an advantage if I could have played. You can know the players, and I’ve coached them, but it’s our players who need to go and do their homework and know who they are playing against.
“And they know that, because you can see them week in, week out with Leinster, in Europe and at international level. So, I don’t know if it’s an advantage. Those [Leinster] players know how I think as well, so it works both ways.
“I wouldn’t put it as an advantage, it’s just something that I try to transmit what I know from Irish culture and Irish rugby and from some of the players. But at the end of the day it’s the individual and collective preparation that can make the difference.”
In discussing the cohesion that comes from so many players drawn from the one province, Contepomi touched on Johnny Sexton’s retirement last year: “The era after Johnny, obviously a player of that size leaves a gap. But I think they have it totally covered in the good sense, right?”
He referred to Jack Crowley, who starts for Ireland on Friday night, Ross Byrne and Ciarán Frawley, and said, “[Sam] Prendergast also has it, a young man that I know from Leinster”, a few hours before Ireland head coach Andy Farrell confirmed that the young outhalf could make his debut off the bench against Argentina.
Contepomi has remained in contact with Sexton, so he wasn’t surprised that his former team-mate and understudy quickly transitioned from player to having occasional input in a mentoring/coaching capacity with Ireland. “I think it is great for rugby, for him and for Ireland to have him around.
“He is a brilliant rugby brain and if he can transmit to the players what he could do on the pitch, only 10 per cent of what he could do, it would be great for any player. I am glad for him. I am still in contact. I know that he can give a lot from the outside but even now half inside but not on the pitch. He can give a lot to Irish rugby.”
Contepomi has made three changes to the Argentina side that beat Italy 50-18. Matías Moroni, who started on the bench in Rome, is promoted to the run-on team at centre, alongside Lucio Cinti. The experienced Guido Petti is recalled to the secondrow in place of Franco Molina, while another familiar face, Pablo Matera, has served a suspension incurred in the Rugby Championship and returns to the backrow.
Santiago Grondona moves to the replacements, as does Molina, while further changes to the bench see Santiago Carreras and Justo Picardo promoted as backline cover. Connacht’s Santiago Cordero, a replacement the last day, is not included in the match day 23.
Contepomi rubbishes the notion that Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand might leave them vulnerable confidence-wise.
“Every game starts from zero. What happened in the last game has nothing to do with what’s going to happen on Friday.
“Ireland are not a bad team from one game to another and we are not a great team because we played one great game. We are only building our team; we have done some good things [but] we have a lot of things to improve. It’s going to be a massive challenge.
“I think it [Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand] was a tough game, two of the best teams in the world against each other, a very intense, hard [game] and at the breakdown it was carnage. It was a good encounter to watch. I think New Zealand were a bit more pragmatic and solid in certain areas. It all goes to those fine moments that New Zealand got right.”
ARGENTINA: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.
Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Picardo.
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