UNDER A spotless blue sky, Felipe Contepomi opens the door of his house on the outskirts of Buenos Aires to welcome Rugby World. It is a temporary abode – he hopes to move to his permanent home by the end of the year – and as we sit down in the garden, overlooking a man-made lagoon, we agree that you don’t get such skies in Dublin. “Our Argentine winter this year was better than any Irish summer,” he smiles, making sure that it is noted that he loved his time in the Emerald Isle.
Contepomi has been back in Argentina since the end of the last European season, when Leinster released him to join los Pumas. Under new coach Michael Cheika, the team are finding their shape ahead of next year’s World Cup. Since replacing Mario Ledesma, who resigned at the start of this year, Cheika has seen Argentina beat Scotland 2-1 in the July Test series, inflict their heaviest defeat on the Wallabies and, for the
