RUGBY/Ireland tour of Argentina:Manuel Contepomi was called up to the Argentinian squad just in time to see his brother Felipe on Monday and take him, along with their father and two sisters, to the airport for their flight to Dublin. All bar Manuel will be proudly in attendance for the graduation of "Dr Phil".
"We'll miss Felipe obviously. Ireland is happy? I think so," observes big brother with a broad smile. "Obviously there are some new players, some others who are older like me and (Federico) Todeschini, and others that came in this week, but it's a similar squad. It's like Ireland, they change a lot of players, but I think a squad is a squad, so it's going be a similar match to the one in Santa Fe: very tough up front, really like a Test match, playing very intelligent, trying not to make errors, just to get the win."
It's clear from listening to the elder Contepomi that Los Pumas anticipate even more of a grinding, forward-oriented battle than last Saturday, and in keeping with the recent history of eight meetings in eight years.
This is a big game for Contepomi - a little out of sight at Rovigo, from where he was released this week - and he looks set to start at inside centre, as he did in Lansdowne Road three years ago. Surprisingly that 2004 meeting was his first against Ireland since the 1999 World Cup warm-up game - he had been an unused sub in the World Cup disaster (for Ireland) in Lens.
The Montpellier-based Todeschini will bring less gamebreaking, more prosaic abilities at outhalf than the younger Contepomi, but a deadly kicking game, as he showed in the draw with the Lions two years ago.
While Ireland were determined to keep Felipe Contepomi out of three-point range last Saturday in Santa Fe, he and the Pumas were equally determined to deny Ireland the lifeblood of their game: lineout ball. The net result was the home side had almost twice as many throws, albeit losing seven to Ireland's one on their own ball.
"Everyone knows in the rugby world that Ireland has one of the best lineouts in the world and that they base all their attacks from the lineout," commented the elder Contepomi yesterday.
"We analysed Ireland last week and they got only 13 line-outs, and Argentina had 25, so the idea is not to give them the possibility of having lots of lineouts. Last week, we lost the last four lineouts, so we must be very, very concentrated in the lineouts; I think it's their best platform.
"And the way the Irish forwards played last week, they were very, very tough. They go forward all the time, so we know we have to win the battle of the forwards, just to get the ball and play on the front foot, and not go backwards.
"Also we know that they have good backs. Geordan Murphy is playing at fullback and he is one of the top players in the world. Rob Kearney is a young player but I know him because he plays with Felipe at Leinster and we know that they have good skills in the backs so we have to be very aware of this."
Contepomi departs from the party line of both camps that these encounters have little relevance come another potentially momentous and nail-biting World Cup pool clash on September 30th, 101 days hence.
"It's a different game but I think it's important . . . obviously Ireland wants to win this match because going back to Ireland with two defeats is not good for the whole of Irish rugby or for the whole team. Many of these players probably, for sure, will be at the World Cup fighting for a place in the team, so having been defeated two times three months before September and thinking about the two defeats would be bad for them."
In the last three collisions the sum total of the winning margins has been five points and, like most, Contepomi appears to believe this trend is cast in stone.
"Both teams are very strong, both teams have great players and both teams analyse each other very well. (Coach Eddie) O'Sullivan is probably watching lots of Puma videos and (coach Marcelo) Loffreda, he does the same. So we know each other very much."
To that end, Loffreda endorses Contepomi's emphasis on the lineouts: "Our backs did not have a lot of ball but some details allowed us to see things that will be helpful for the World Cup. We did have some control issues, with our ball retention, and we didn't generate 100 per cent of our own ball."
Martin Durand will lead the side for the first time.
"He's one of the senior players in the team and he's always been a sounding board for us together with the other five players who are in our group of leaders," explained Loffreda in reference to Agustin Pichot, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Felipe Contepomi, Gonzalo Longo and Mario Ledesma.
"The score is anecdotal, whatever happens," says Loffreda. "I'm more worried about losing possession in midfield and that is down to lack of preparation time and in certain cases a lack of attitude.
"This is a derby. We know each other very well and we're similar in the way we feel the game."
The team announcement was delayed after a couple of players came down with a virus, including winger Francesco Leonelli, and fullback Federico Serra had an abscess removed from the back of a thigh.
But we can expect about seven changes from the team that won 22-20 in Santa Fe, and while the match-winner from that encounter is missing, overall it looks stronger, especially with the recall of the Perpignan lock Rimas Alvarez Kareilis and the more experienced Nicolas Fernandez Miranda of Bayonne at scrumhalf.
ARGENTINA (probable): Federico Serra (San Isidro); Tomas Vedia (Saracens), Hernan Senillosa (Hindu), Manuel Contepomi (Rovigo), Francisco Leonelli (Glasgow); Federico Todeschini (Montpellier), Nicolas Fernandez Miranda (Bayonne); Marcos Ayerza (Leicester), Pablo Gambarini (CASI), Pablo Henn (Montauban); Pablo Bouza (Leeds), Rimas Alvarez Kareilis (Perpignan); Martin Durand (Montpellier, capt), Juan Fernandez Lobbe (Sale), Juan Manuel Leguizamon (London Irish). Replacements: Horacio Agulla, Juan Fernandez (both Hindu), Martin Schusterman (Leeds Tykes), Esteban Lozada (CASI), Santiago Gonzalez (Capitolina), Eusebio Guinazu (Agen), Nicolas Vergallo (Jockey Club Rosario).
