Under the guidance of coach Felipe Contepomi, Argentina’s rugby team has achieved its best ever season in the Rugby Championship, regardless of the outcome of this Saturday’s title match against South Africa in Nelspruit. Contepomi is still pushing his team for further achievements.
Their narrow 29-28 win against the world champion, the Springboks of South Africa, in Santiago del Estero has granted Argentina an opportunity to secure their first ever southern hemisphere title. However, this necessitates winning five points in the upcoming weekend game and preventing their hosts from earning any, to hoist the trophy.
Contepomi, formerly associated with Leinster both as a player and a coach, relished their recent victory. Moreover, it adds to previous wins against New Zealand (38-30) and Australia (67-27), marking the first time Argentina has bested all three rivals within a single year. Contepomi admits his team enjoyed a portion of luck in this achievement.
The Springboks lost their chance to snatch the win when their substitute outhalf, Manie Libbok, missed a potential game-winning kick in the closing moments of the match from a favourable position.
Reflecting on the match, Contepomi acknowledged, while it concluded in their favour, that their victory was not a certainty until the last minute. Even with the victory, his focus remains on their game strategy and fewer unforced errors. He recognized that South Africa is a formidable opponent, adding that while their strategies may be predictable, executing a counter-strategy is a significant challenge.
South Africa initially led the match 17-0, but Argentina capitalized on a brief advantage when the Springboks’ wing Kurt-Lee Arendse was penalized with a yellow card in the first half. Argentina subsequently led 26-22 at half-time, setting the tone for a fiercely competitive second half.
The notable factor in their success, according to Contepomi, was their defence mechanism. He attributed it to their commitment to tackling as a unit, asserting every centimetre mattered.
Commenting on their style of play, Contepomi emphasized thinking about defence, notwithstanding its relative invisibility. He is convinced the Nelspruit showdown will require fewer mistakes from their side to secure the trophy for Argentina for the first time.
He stated, “There are numerous issues for us to rectify. Minor errors gave them a foothold in the match. Our aim is to decrease the errors we can govern, the non-induced mistakes. We plan to concentrate on this so we can enhance our play.”
Argentina won’t be playing with flanker Marcos Kremer, who was injured and came off the pitch during the second half of the game. Following the injury, he did not fly out with the team to South Africa.
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