Nov 13,2024
So far this season, Argentina have picked off wins against South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and France, and Felipe Contepomi's side now have Ireland in their sights.
It’s been a year of inconsistent, yet extreme highs for Los Pumas, who have kicked on since their Fourth-place finish at the World Cup last year.
Since then, Contepomi has come in as head coach, with Michael Cheika now in charge of Leicester Tigers, and the former Leinster out-half has made a big impression on his home country.
It started in the July Tests where they shared a series at home to France, before their Rugby Championship exploded to life with a win away to New Zealand in Wellington. Later in the summer, they trounced the Wallabies in Santa Fe and knocked off world champions South Africa, the first time they’ve won three games in the Rugby Championship.
In 18 Tests against Ireland, Argentina have won six times, with all of those coming either in Argentina or on neutral turf.
And scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou says the time has come for them to make history and win for the first time in Dublin.
"Against Ireland in Dublin is one of the biggest challenges that world rugby has right now," the 30-year-old (below) said, ahead of Friday’s meeting at Aviva Stadium.
"We must be better in every single part of the game, so if we want to be competitive against Ireland we must be better at everything.
"We know that we are going to face a different beast with Ireland because we never win against Ireland in Dublin. It’s the only team that we haven't beaten in [their] home.
"We know what’s coming, we know that Ireland is, if not the best team in the world, in Dublin they are very, very good. Our details must be spot-on on Friday night."
It’s three years since the sides have met, but there will be a huge degree of familiarity between the sides.
Having been led by former Leinster head coach Cheika, he was replaced by Contepomi, who also spent time both playing and coaching at the province.
On the pitch, Los Pumas can also turn to Connacht’s Santiago Cordero, who came off the bench to score a try in Saturday’s 50-18 win against Italy in Udine.
The 30-year-old is a veteran of more than 50 caps, and played against Ireland at the 2015 World Cup.
And Cordero believes the side have moved to a new level under Contepomi’s stewardship.
"You can see in the results, the data, I think we’re playing better, we’re more confident and he’s helping on every single point," the Connacht wing said.
"Mentally, physically, so I think everyone is very happy with him and you can see how we play and how we develop as a team. Everyone can see the change. We’re very confident and very happy."
Connacht supporters have got to see very little of their Argentinean signing since he joined in the summer of 2023.
Cordero suffered a torn ACL just days after arriving in Galway last year, which saw him miss almost all of his debut season.
But after returning to action in the summer, he has now played every game for the province this season, and the former Bordeaux-Begles man is already looking forward to getting back to Dexcom Stadium at the end of the month.
"It was tough. The knee needed some time and I think I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to try play well in those games. The club and the staff, players were very good with me.
"They were helping me a lot, and now I’m in a better moment than a couple of months before. I’m happy to be here, but I can't wait for after these couple of games to go back and play for them.
"I love Galway, so I can't complain, I’m very happy," he added.
