ARGENTINA’S TRAINING SESSION is winding down as the media are led pitchside at Wanderers rugby club in Dublin for ‘vision access,’ the 15 minutes during which they’re allowed to film what’s going on.
There are many familiar faces scattered around the pitch and not just the star players like captain Julián Montoya, brilliant back row Juan Martín González, and the teak-tough flanker Pablo Matera, back in the mix for Friday’s game against Ireland after suspension.
Connacht’s Santiago Cordero catches a few high balls before making his way over to say hello to the Irish journalists.
But the main man is hard to miss. Felipe Contepomi had some great days in this city back when he was playing with Leinster, helping them build towards their first-ever Heineken Cup title under Michael Cheika in 2009.
‘Dr Phil’ returned to Leinster as an assistant coach in 2018, spending four years leading their backs play and set-piece strikes. By that stage, legendary Pumas out-half Contepomi was realistically already on the pathway to becoming the national team head coach.
The qualified doctor had launched his coaching career at home with the Jaguares in Super Rugby and the Argentina XV, their second-string national team. He was lured back from Leinster in 2022 to work as Cheika’s assistant for the Pumas and then step up as his successor after the 2023 World Cup.
Contepomi has enjoyed an excellent start as Argentina boss, leading them to wins over New Zealand, South Africa, and Wallabies in the same calendar year for the first time. They’ve remained inconsistent – a longstanding problem – but Contepomi’s men have been playing thrilling attacking rugby.
Felipe Contepomi at training in Dublin today. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
As training winds down, Contepomi chats with players about the details for Friday night’s big clash with Ireland, while his assistants are working on ‘extras’ with some of the squad.
Among them is Portlaoise man Alan Kingsley, who started in his role as the Pumas’ kicking coach in early 2023 when Cheika was in charge. Kingsley is focusing on restarts with the Argentinian kickers, providing cues and encouragement as they look to get maximum height on their drop-kicks.
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Restarts have always been crucial but they’re even more valuable now given the new directive on kick chasers getting clear access to the aerial contest. Coaches like Kingsley’s value has risen even further due to that game-changing tweak from World Rugby.
Kingsley was an excellent player for Portlaoise, Garryowen, and Young Munster before moving into coaching and impressing with Navan, who he guided to back-to-back promotions from Division 2C of the AIL up to 2A.
He visited fellow Young Munster man Mike Prendergast at French club Grenoble at one stage, meeting Bernard Jackman there. Kingsley and Jackman stayed in touch and when the latter was hired by the Dragons, he brought the former in as skills and kicking coach.
After that stint in Wales, Kinsley moved into consultancy work focused on kicking, teaming up with French club Biarritz as they won promotion into the Top 14. A couple of Pumas players worked with Kingsley and recommended him to Cheika.
He was with Argentina for the World Cup last year and has continued his role under Contepomi, joining them for all training camps as well as working one-on-one with Argentinian players based in Europe.
Alan Kingsley playing for Young Munster in 2011. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Kingsley has a few other consultancy gigs going, but he’s in Dublin with the Pumas again this week.
While Kingsley gives feedback about hangtime and ball strikes on Wanderers’ main pitch, attack specialist Kendrick Lynn is gathering equipment. New Zealand native Lynn joined earlier this year and has accentuated the good work already being done by Contepomi with the Pumas’ attack.
Lynn was previously in charge of French side Lyon’s attack and gained a good reputation as an innovator before moving home to join the Highlanders. The brilliant strike plays from Argentina this year show that he and Contepomi are working well together.
As they showed again last weekend in Italy, the Pumas are lethal on the counter-attack, their pace and instincts meaning they can score in the blink of an eye. With Kingsley’s kicking tactics providing them with unstructured situations from which to attack, there’s a nice variety to their approach.
Some Argentinian fans haven’t enjoyed their team’s scrum looking less potent than in the past but there is still ferocious pride among a Pumas pack that has changed quite a bit.
Ex-international hooker Andrés Bordoy and the great Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, a brilliant back row for Argentina and Toulon, are in charge of the forwards so there is a constant reminder that everything is built on the efforts up front.
Despite their strong 2024 so far, the Pumas are 10-point underdogs for Friday’s clash with Ireland and that margin was even wider only a day ago.
Those wins over the All Blacks, Springboks, and Wallabies have shown the Argentinians’ class but there have been tough beatings at the hands of the Kiwis and South Africans too.
Out-half Tomás Albornoz at training in Wanderers rugby club. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
They’re currently missing big-name players like Tomás Lavanini, Marcos Kremer, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras, and Facundo Isa, although Matera is back in the squad this week after missing the game against Italy due to suspension.
And yet, the Pumas haven’t been short of firepower with thrilling wing pair Bautista Delguy and Rodrigo Isgró – the World Rugby 7s player of the year in 2023 and now with Harlequins – offering pace and verve out wide, Cinti providing class in midfield, and newer forwards like Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, and Joaquín Oviedo showing power.
Toulouse fullback Juan Cruz Mallía has gone to a new level with his game. Hooker and skipper Montoya is integral to everything, while Saracens back row González is a world-class player.
Tying it all together has been a new starting out-half in Benetton’s Tomás Albornoz. Previously, the classy Santiago Carreras was at number 10 but while he can break games open, he lacks a little control as the key playmaker. It doesn’t help that Carreras – who also rejoined the squad this week – mainly plays fullback for his club side, Gloucester.
27-year-old Albornoz only made his Pumas debut in 2022 but he has improved out of sight in recent seasons with his Italian club and Contepomi has backed him to steer the ship this year. There has been good balance between Albornoz’s left-footed kicking and his ability to spark their attack.
So there are several reasons to be wary of this Argentina team. The Pumas have never won a Test in Ireland so there is a huge motivation ahead of Friday. Given Contepomi’s history here, there’s no doubt that they have targeted this one.
They were good last weekend against Italy and yet the 50-18 scoreline probably wasn’t a completely accurate reflection of the game. You get the sense that they’ve saved an immense effort for this one against Ireland.
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Dr Phil, a Portlaoise man, and a hungry pack of Pumas
ARGENTINA’S TRAINING SESSION is winding down as the media are led pitchside at Wanderers rugby club in Dublin for ‘vision access,’ the 15 minutes during which they’re allowed to film what’s going on.
There are many familiar faces scattered around the pitch and not just the star players like captain Julián Montoya, brilliant back row Juan Martín González, and the teak-tough flanker Pablo Matera, back in the mix for Friday’s game against Ireland after suspension.
Connacht’s Santiago Cordero catches a few high balls before making his way over to say hello to the Irish journalists.
But the main man is hard to miss. Felipe Contepomi had some great days in this city back when he was playing with Leinster, helping them build towards their first-ever Heineken Cup title under Michael Cheika in 2009.
‘Dr Phil’ returned to Leinster as an assistant coach in 2018, spending four years leading their backs play and set-piece strikes. By that stage, legendary Pumas out-half Contepomi was realistically already on the pathway to becoming the national team head coach.
The qualified doctor had launched his coaching career at home with the Jaguares in Super Rugby and the Argentina XV, their second-string national team. He was lured back from Leinster in 2022 to work as Cheika’s assistant for the Pumas and then step up as his successor after the 2023 World Cup.
Contepomi has enjoyed an excellent start as Argentina boss, leading them to wins over New Zealand, South Africa, and Wallabies in the same calendar year for the first time. They’ve remained inconsistent – a longstanding problem – but Contepomi’s men have been playing thrilling attacking rugby.
As training winds down, Contepomi chats with players about the details for Friday night’s big clash with Ireland, while his assistants are working on ‘extras’ with some of the squad.
Among them is Portlaoise man Alan Kingsley, who started in his role as the Pumas’ kicking coach in early 2023 when Cheika was in charge. Kingsley is focusing on restarts with the Argentinian kickers, providing cues and encouragement as they look to get maximum height on their drop-kicks.
Restarts have always been crucial but they’re even more valuable now given the new directive on kick chasers getting clear access to the aerial contest. Coaches like Kingsley’s value has risen even further due to that game-changing tweak from World Rugby.
Kingsley was an excellent player for Portlaoise, Garryowen, and Young Munster before moving into coaching and impressing with Navan, who he guided to back-to-back promotions from Division 2C of the AIL up to 2A.
He visited fellow Young Munster man Mike Prendergast at French club Grenoble at one stage, meeting Bernard Jackman there. Kingsley and Jackman stayed in touch and when the latter was hired by the Dragons, he brought the former in as skills and kicking coach.
After that stint in Wales, Kinsley moved into consultancy work focused on kicking, teaming up with French club Biarritz as they won promotion into the Top 14. A couple of Pumas players worked with Kingsley and recommended him to Cheika.
He was with Argentina for the World Cup last year and has continued his role under Contepomi, joining them for all training camps as well as working one-on-one with Argentinian players based in Europe.
Kingsley has a few other consultancy gigs going, but he’s in Dublin with the Pumas again this week.
While Kingsley gives feedback about hangtime and ball strikes on Wanderers’ main pitch, attack specialist Kendrick Lynn is gathering equipment. New Zealand native Lynn joined earlier this year and has accentuated the good work already being done by Contepomi with the Pumas’ attack.
Lynn was previously in charge of French side Lyon’s attack and gained a good reputation as an innovator before moving home to join the Highlanders. The brilliant strike plays from Argentina this year show that he and Contepomi are working well together.
As they showed again last weekend in Italy, the Pumas are lethal on the counter-attack, their pace and instincts meaning they can score in the blink of an eye. With Kingsley’s kicking tactics providing them with unstructured situations from which to attack, there’s a nice variety to their approach.
Some Argentinian fans haven’t enjoyed their team’s scrum looking less potent than in the past but there is still ferocious pride among a Pumas pack that has changed quite a bit.
Ex-international hooker Andrés Bordoy and the great Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, a brilliant back row for Argentina and Toulon, are in charge of the forwards so there is a constant reminder that everything is built on the efforts up front.
Despite their strong 2024 so far, the Pumas are 10-point underdogs for Friday’s clash with Ireland and that margin was even wider only a day ago.
Those wins over the All Blacks, Springboks, and Wallabies have shown the Argentinians’ class but there have been tough beatings at the hands of the Kiwis and South Africans too.
They’re currently missing big-name players like Tomás Lavanini, Marcos Kremer, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras, and Facundo Isa, although Matera is back in the squad this week after missing the game against Italy due to suspension.
And yet, the Pumas haven’t been short of firepower with thrilling wing pair Bautista Delguy and Rodrigo Isgró – the World Rugby 7s player of the year in 2023 and now with Harlequins – offering pace and verve out wide, Cinti providing class in midfield, and newer forwards like Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, and Joaquín Oviedo showing power.
Toulouse fullback Juan Cruz Mallía has gone to a new level with his game. Hooker and skipper Montoya is integral to everything, while Saracens back row González is a world-class player.
Tying it all together has been a new starting out-half in Benetton’s Tomás Albornoz. Previously, the classy Santiago Carreras was at number 10 but while he can break games open, he lacks a little control as the key playmaker. It doesn’t help that Carreras – who also rejoined the squad this week – mainly plays fullback for his club side, Gloucester.
27-year-old Albornoz only made his Pumas debut in 2022 but he has improved out of sight in recent seasons with his Italian club and Contepomi has backed him to steer the ship this year. There has been good balance between Albornoz’s left-footed kicking and his ability to spark their attack.
So there are several reasons to be wary of this Argentina team. The Pumas have never won a Test in Ireland so there is a huge motivation ahead of Friday. Given Contepomi’s history here, there’s no doubt that they have targeted this one.
They were good last weekend against Italy and yet the 50-18 scoreline probably wasn’t a completely accurate reflection of the game. You get the sense that they’ve saved an immense effort for this one against Ireland.
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Argentina Felipe Contepomi Ireland Pumas Vamos!