State of the Nation: Felipe Contepomi’s Los Pumas ‘a giant in the making’, as ‘absolute baller’ Tomas Albornoz takes Test rugby by storm
Split with Argentina duo Felipe Contepomi and Tomas Albornoz.
Following the conclusion of their 2024 Autumn Nations Series, we update you on the state of the participating nations. Next up, it’s Felipe Contepomi’s Los Pumas.
What a year it was for the blue and white hoops after a memorable Rugby Championship campaign where they had a shot at the title and beat the Springboks, All Blacks and Wallabies for the first time in a single season.
It has been such a pleasure seeing the Argentine grow and develop so much under the tutelage of one of their own, one of their legendary figures from days gone by.
The great Rugby Championship season was followed by a bit of a mixed bag from Los Pumas in the north but still, fans will be feeling bullish about the future of the South American side.
Autumn Nations Series summary
The beginning of the Autumn campaign started with a trip to the Stadio Olimpico in Italy where they met the Azzurri with full force scoring eight tries en route to a very dominant 18-50 triumph. On the surface, one would expect Argentina to beat Italy but remember this Azzurri side enjoyed an epic year of their own and to emphatically put them away as the Los Pumas did was some statement.
The side has lacked consistency between performances which was partially evident against Ireland as Argentina were caught cold by the Six Nations champions but grew into the game and very, very nearly nicked one from under their noses at the Aviva Stadium. It will certainly be a result they will regret but we discuss this in more detail further down.
Next up was a trip to the cauldron that is the Stade de France where once again Argentina’s opposition started much better than them racing to an early lead. Like in the Ireland Test the Los Pumas did grow into the game but never enough to really come close to influencing the result.
The scorecard for the Autumn reads two losses and a win in what was a mini-campaign that underlined how far the side has come but also highlighted how far they need to go to sit at the top table with the likes of the Springboks, Ireland, All Blacks and France.
Standout players
Toulouse man Juan Cruz Mallia has really come into his own this season at Test level both in the Rugby Championship and in the Autumn as scored two tries and assisted another. That try against Ireland typifies where he is right now as he scythed through the defensive line and left Mack Hansen for dead with a glorious step. The entire year Mallia has been an animal with the ball in hand as gained 224 metres across the three games this November. At 26, he is only going to get better, especially since he is plying his trade with European Royalty.
One of the more impressive finds of the year is Joaquin Oviedo who is an absolute monster with ball hand boasting a whopping 129 post-contact metres in the three Autumn Tests. Those numbers are made even more insane when considering his carry and tackle counts were double figures for each clash. His dynamism in contact coupled with the power and pace he has makes him a real threat. The best part about Oviedo is that he is just 23, so get used to his name.
The final standout is a dark horse and an unsung hero in the form of Pedro ‘I will tackle everyone’ Rubiolo who absolutely emptied the tank in every game in November. The Newcastle man made 21 tackles against Italy, 19 against Ireland and 16 against France which is a crazy haul for a second-row. That alone makes him stand out and he is only 21-years-old. He is a serious player and a competent lineout man. Expect much more of Rubiolo in the years to come.
Success story
It’s not often we reserve this entire section for a single player but we had no doubts that the most impressive success story is way and above Tomas Albornoz.
The fly-half has drawn comparisons to the great Juan Martin Hernandez as he grabbed Test rugby by the throat well and truly announced himself to the world. He scored 47 points in the Autumn with one try and a try assist to match.
His other stats are outstanding as well but it’s Albornoz’s fearless approach that makes him so good to watch. He can take the ball to the line and beat defenders, if he isn’t doing that he has an extremely educated kicking both out of hand and off the tee. He is just one of those players who consistently performs and we thought he was right up there in the conversion for the best fly-half in the world this year.
Simply put, Los Pumas have found an absolute baller of a fly-half who will only get better under Contepomi’s tutelage. It just feels so right with Albornoz at the helm and one would think if the blue and white hoops are to climb to the top table it will be with the 27-year-old steering the ship.
Ireland v Argentina: Five takeaways as ’19-point swing’ saves Andy Farrell’s blushes
Main regret
Ireland. It has to be Ireland because Los Pumas should have turned over Andy Farrell’s men in their own backyard. As was a trend this Autumn, Argentina were slow starters before growing into the game with their main surge coming after the break, however, it was discipline that cost them.
The stats will read that Argentina conceded less than half the penalties Ireland did but it was when they were conceded which was the issue. In the second period, the Francisco Gomez Kodela yellow late on did not help their cause as didn’t Matias Moroni’s in the first half which saw a 19-point swing as a try was ruled for Argentina and Ireland scored two in the sin-bine period. In the second half, consecutive penalties were a killer.
Argentina are so close now to the giants but it’s the extra element of game awareness whether it’s discipline at key moments or small things like a clean exit or kick receipt that they need to get right. They are 90% there but that last 10% is a massive challenge to achieve. Luckily for Argentina, Contepomi spent a combined 10 years as a player and coach at Leinster where detail is a watchword.
One gets the feeling that another Southern Hemisphere giant is in the making.
Results
Italy v Argentina (Argentina won 18-50)
Ireland v Argentina(Ireland won 22-19)
France v Argentina (France won 37-23)
