'20 years later, it's incredible' - Contepomi revels in iconic Argentina victory over Lions
THE IMMEDIATE WAVE of emotion that pervaded Felipe Contepomi's Argentina players as the ball was hoofed into the East Stand of the Aviva Stadium told its own story.
All 23 Pumas knew they had become legends in their nation's proud rugby lore, pulling off a win over the Lions that was 115 years in the making.
The sides who had hosted primitive iterations of the Lions in 1910, 1927 and 1936 had been trounced on their own soil. The seventh meeting between the teams in 2005 had ended contentiously in a 25-25 draw, with Jonny Wilkinson slotting a last-gasp penalty after eight and a half minutes of stoppage time to break Argentinian hearts.
But 20 years later, a 17-point underdog Puma outfit coached so superbly by Felipe Contepomi — who himself featured in that Cardiff warm-up, the only previous home Lions fixture — had sealed a generational victory.
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And Contepomi's pride was palpable as he entered the media room of the Aviva Stadium.
'Well, you know, it's kind of a one-off,' said the former Leinster out-half.
'It's an invitational game and the last time was 20 years ago and we just couldn't beat them. We drew. Coming here 20 years later, I think it's incredible.
'We don't know if we'll ever again be invited or not to play a game like that, but definitely for everyone who has been involved in this week, it will be memorable.'
Contepomi stressed that Los Pumas had enjoyed just two training sessions together in Dublin, adding that the warm weather on game-week had helped the visitors' efforts as it allowed them to drink mate — a caffeine-rich, South American herbal drink — on the terrace of the Radisson Blu St Helen's Hotel in Booterstown, including before they headed for Lansdowne Road on Friday.
But the Argentina head coach didn't overstate his team's achievement, either, acknowledging that 'we took a bit of an opportunity, also, because I know they (the Lions) will be much better in one month's time when they'll play Australia.
'They'll be an awesome team because they have so much quality in there but they had [only] a few training sessions. There was a bit of a lack of cohesion and we took our chances.'
Still, the victory is a springboard for the silky-looking Pumas ahead of their Rugby Championship campaign, which kicks off after the Lions tour in August.
Contepomi, who spent so much of his adult life in Dublin and, as a consequence, understands exactly the significance of Lions rugby to players in Ireland and Britain, said that to recognise that very significance was key to Argentina's victory.
'It's special because sometimes you need to understand what motivates the other team, to understand how special it is,' he said.
'For me, that's being humble: understanding what motivates the other team and I know how special it is for an Irish, Scottish, Welsh or English player to be a Lion. And for us to play against the best of the best in these islands, it's nearly a dream.
'And I wouldn't say even having a win because we could have lost that game. We won it, putting in that performance after two days. For me, I take my hat off to the boys.
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'Yeah, we know there is a lot to improve but I'm so proud for the 23 but more so for the 32 that work here this week because how they behaved the whole week was unbelievable.'
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