Nov 14,2024
It's an autumn filled with reunions.
Last week it was our old pals New Zealand who came to town and let the air out of the balloon at the start of the party.
At the end of the series, Joe Schmidt will bring his Wallabies to Dublin as the IRFU celebrates its 150th anniversary and the former Ireland head coach is assured of a warm welcome.
This week though, it’s Felipe Contepomi who rocks up to Aviva Stadium with an Argentinian side that have Ireland firmly in their crosshairs.
The 47-year-old, however, is keen to stress that this is not about him.
"First of all, it’s not about me bringing the national team here," said Contepomi at the team’s hotel in Dublin on Wednesday morning.
"We have the chance, as Argentina, to play against one of the best teams in the last few years."
But the fact remains that Contepomi spent 10 formative years among us, six as an out-half with Leinster between 2003 and 2009, when he helped the club to their first Champions Cup, and then returning in 2018 to spend four years as backs coach with the province.
During his playing stint, he qualified from the Royal College of Surgeons as a doctor. He’s got a lot of catching up to do with old friends on this brief trip.
"It’s great, it’s always good to be back in Dublin," said the Buenos Aires native, who won 87 international caps.
"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've got one son and a daughter who were born in Ireland as well.
"Unluckily, they are not Irish because of the rules or whatever, but many milestones in my life happened here in Ireland, definitely.
"I spent 10 years here. It's a lot of my adulthood. I'm 47 so say from 17 to here, 10 years is a third of my life in Dublin, so that's a lot, and I'm grateful. I've got really good memories, fond memories."
One of Contepomi’s understudies as a player with Leinster was, of course, Jonathan Sexton.
Aged 23, the out-half had his major breakthrough coming on for the injured Contepomi during Leinster’s famous European Cup semi-final win over Munster at Croke Park in 2009, his first action being to kick a penalty.
Sexton, who retired following last year’s World Cup, is in the Irish set-up as a mentor / consultant and Contepomi, who took the Pumas head coach job after the World Cup, is well aware of what the 39-year-old brings to the table.
"I think it is great for rugby, for him and for Ireland to have him around," he said.
"He has a brilliant rugby brain and if he can transmit to the players what he could do on the pitch, only 10% 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 on the half inside but not on the pitch, he can give a lot to Irish rugby."
The catch-ups are well and good but Contepomi and his Pumas are on a mission.
They have never won in Dublin, instead preferring to do their damage when Ireland get World Cup notions.
The Pumas knocked Ireland out of the 1999, 2007 and 2015 tournaments.
They arrive off the back of a Rugby Championship where they recorded wins against New Zealand, South Africa and Australia, and last week scored seven tries in a 50-18 trouncing of Italy.
Andy Farrell’s side, meanwhile, suffered a dispiriting 23-13 defeat to New Zealand, a result that Contepomi doesn’t believe gives his side any advantage on Friday night.
"No, no, not at all," he said after naming a team that has three changes with Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Matías Moroni coming in.
"We know it’s a slim opportunity but it’s there. Every game starts from zero.
"What happened in the last game is 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.
"It was a tough game. Two of the best teams in the world were playing against each other and you were going to see 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 the right side, full stop.
"We are only building our team, we have done some good things, we have a lot of things to improve and Ireland probably have things that they would like to get right on Friday.
"So it's going to be a massive challenge and we know what we are coming up against."
