The Pumas' all-time leading points scorer took time out from coaching children in Buenos Aires to catch up with Sky Sports and discuss victory over Australia, Super Rugby expansion and his role at WADA...
Friday 10 October 2014 15:21, UK
As Nigel Owens blew the full-time whistle in Mendoza last weekend, the Estadio Malvinas crowd drew a great sigh of relief. At last, at the 18th time of asking, Argentina had won a match in the Rugby Championship, though, if you ask Felipe Contepomi this is all testament to a long journey of growth.
They may have been the benefactors of two Australian yellow cards, but for the Pumas such matters are irrelevant. Beating the Wallabies in any manner is no mean feat, nor is knocking them out of the world’s top three.
Indeed, Argentina’s 21-17 triumph saw the southern hemisphere hegemony at the IRB world ranking summit dismantled as Australia slipped behind England into fourth, while the Pumas were elevated back into the top 10.
"It's important in two ways,” Contepomi explains with a joyous tone as he embarks on the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour in association with Land-Rover. “In terms of the worldwide aspect it is a renowned victory because it is the first one of the Championship that we started three years ago.
"The other is that this is an important victory is for the team itself. To get this confidence boost in the way they are playing and to see it bring results; that is the most valuable thing for me.
"The team has been growing and trying to play a style of rugby more coherent to the southern hemisphere so we are very happy after this victory and we hope to see many more in coming years."
For so long Argentina have been viewed as the conservative side of the southern hemisphere, yet the advances made in this latest Rugby Championship campaign have come courtesy of a new brand of rugby.
The introduction of wingers Manuel Montero and Juan Imhoff has been a revelation - both of them crossing the whitewash as they announced their arrival on the international stage - while fly-half Nicolas Sanchez ended the tournament as highest points scorer.
It is a rebranding which delights Contepomi, who reflects: "More than watching the progress in the rankings, I think we need to see the development of the team and they have been playing some good rugby.
"It's a really good style of rugby and if they can get some results with this type of rugby that will develop the team.
"In the past our rugby was mostly forwards-orientated and that was it, now it is more dynamic and I think this can bring a lot of happiness for Argentina; not only in watching the game but also in bringing the results."
Next on the agenda for Daniel Hourcade’s Pumas is a trip across the equator to face Scotland, Italy and France in a November series which Contepomi fully expects to yield further successes.
"For me, this is the big challenge,” he insists. “Apart from winning this game against Australia, the biggest challenge is to go and prove what you have done through the Championship in northern hemisphere in November.
If they go through as second they cross over with a northern hemisphere team – France, Ireland or Italy – and I am confident they can reach the semi-finals and then you never know what can happen.
“It’s great to be quite even against South Africa and lose by one or two points, but it would be worthless if you go and lose against Italy.
“I think they need to go now and impose their rugby style in the northern hemisphere, for me they have a great chance of having a great tour. They have grown throughout the Championship and I’m sure that win will give them a lot of confidence.”
With the Webb Ellis Cup by his side, Contepomi needs little reminder of the fact the 2015 Rugby World Cup is less than a year away and the 87-cap Argentinian great believes the current crop can emulate the efforts of France 2007 and reach the final four.
“If they keep progressing the way they have with this new coach in the last year, I am quite confident Argentina will do well in England,” Contepomi predicts after coaching children in Buenos Aires through the HITZ programme, which is being supported by Land-Rover in the region.
“They’ve got the respect of all the teams and they’re in a pool where their main rivals will be Tonga, Georgia and Namibia; the All Blacks are in there of course but they definitely have the chance to go through.
“If they go through as second they cross over with a northern hemisphere team – France, Ireland or Italy – and I am confident they can reach the semi-finals and then you never know what can happen.”
He adds of the trophy: "For us it is a great honour, something for a rugby player we only see on TV, to have it with us in Argentina is a great thing for Argentinian rugby.
"It's really great to have this opportunity. For kids who have maybe never even touched a rugby ball, to start this fine sport and understand all the wonderful values of it is great.
"What could be better than starting your first day of rugby with the World Cup right there with you?"
Key to Argentina’s success in Contepomi’s view is coach Hourcade, who has been involved in the national set up since 2001 with the Under 21 squad before graduating to the senior post in 2013.
“The key thing with Daniel is many of the guys in the squad now he has coached them for three or four years in the second-string team,” he says.
“First of all, he knows them really well. Second, they have been developing this attacking platform and style of rugby for a long time now.
“I think his relationship with the players makes it much easier to translate his message to the players and this is much more a southern hemisphere style of rugby – playing a lot of phases and trying to have a mixture of forwards and backs attacking.”
Speaking to Contepomi you sense a great air of excitement about this new era of Argentinian rugby and the 37-year-old believes the projected expansion of Super Rugby will enable the nation to advance even further.
In the past our rugby was mostly forwards-orientated and that was it, now it is more dynamic and I think this can bring a lot of happiness for Argentina; not only in watching the game but also in bringing the results.
"I think the Premiership, Top 14 and Celtic League [PRO12], those three leagues have been very helpful and great for the development of our players,” he claims.
"But to go a step forward we hope in 2016 to have a franchise and will be part of the Super Rugby competition. For the players to be in the same rugby calendar is important.
"Now, many of the guys who play Premiership rugby go into a championship and their second game of the season is against South Africa and that is tough.
"Whereas the South African, New Zealand and Australian guys are at the peaking part of the season so it would be great for us to be on the same calendar as the other teams in the Championship."
As his playing career draws to a close – he is currently preparing for a quarter-final clash with Club Newman in the Buenos Aires Championship – the fully qualified orthopaedic surgeon and World Anti-Doping Agency committee member Contepomi turns attention to how he can invest back into the sport.
“I have been working with WADA for the last three years in the Athletes Committee and also with the IRB for anti-doping,” he explains.
“Here in Argentina, I am trying to set up a national anti-doping agency and this is a transition for me to work in the profession I have studied, which is medicine.
“The way the IRB and WADA are trying to get the anti-doping message across is a great thing and there is a lot of work to do, especially in Argentina, but once the programmes and agencies are set up it should be able to run itself.
“I think this will be great for Argentinian rugby and that is why I am putting a lot of energy into that right now, but my long term goal would be to work in sports medicine and maybe do some coaching at my club next year.”
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