Lucio Cinti’s nickname in Spanish is “Pulpo” (Octopus), anecdotally because of his long arms. The 24-year-old, 6ft 3in, ball-playing speedster came through the Sevens pathway in Argentina, so it’s germane to start there with the words of his former coach Santiago Gómez Cora, who provided a little background from the days when he had the player under his tutelage.
“Initially, he was one of many players in the mix. The commitment and hunger of each player has to come from within, and Cinti showed that. [He lived] in La Plata, a city some 90km from the Sevens training centre, and had to go through Buenos Aires, and the horrific traffic of a city of 15 million, every day.
“I’ve been in awe of how he got better in every training session. He has a big frame, is a mature player, intuitive, aggressive, and he makes good decisions in contact. He has a great presence, but his future is entirely in his hands; he has no ceiling on his career in rugby.”
The Felipe Contepomi interview
Despite winning an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo, Cinti went from the Sevens back to the 15s game when, as a 20-year-old, he signed for London Irish in the autumn of 2021. After 27 appearances and six tries he was offered another contract by the then Exiles director of rugby, Declan Kidney.
Cinti had joined the club with another of his current Argentina team-mates Juan Martin Gonzalez, but when the Exiles went bust at the end of the 2022-23 season, both of the Pumas joined Saracens, for whom they still play.
Having made his debut against New Zealand four years ago, he played in all seven matches for Argentina, starting six, as the Pumas finished fourth at the World Cup in France last year. Part of his development as a player has seen his role change from winger to outside centre, and he has solved what had become a bit of a problem position because of injuries.
Cinti’s ability to create and exploit space, his pace, vision and good range of passing skills have seen him progress at a rapid level for club and country, while his defensive work has improved too. Ireland certainly won’t want to give him any latitude in attack. He forms a new midfield partnership with the experienced 33-year-old Matias Moroni (87 caps). Head coach Felipe Contepomi will be hoping that gels nicely at the Aviva Stadium.
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