Pumas lose their inspirational captain

IN losing captain Lisandro Arbizu to injury Argentina will be without their most symbolic player for the Rugby World Cup.

Halfback Agustin Pichot may be the Pumas' talisman, but centre Arbizu, a veteran of three World Cups, symbolises their progress in the 1990s that culminated in their quarter-final place in the last World Cup.

Arbizu suffered a knee injury in a practice game in Tucuman at the weekend and ruled himself out of the tournament even before undergoing tests to determine the extent of the damage. He was sure he had snapped cruciate ligaments in his right knee, having done the same in 1994.

"To accept what happened to me and that I'm out of the World Cup is very disappointing," Arbizu said. "I was living a very special moment. I felt better than ever physically and mentally," said Arbizu, 32 later this month.

Arbizu's experience as his country's most capped player having also overtaken the great Hugo Porta as the player who has captained the Pumas in most Tests matches and his brilliance in defence will be sorely missed. Yet Arbizu would be the first to admit his absence might only slightly dent Argentina's chances of equalling or even improving on their 1999 World Cup performance.

In a message to his team-mates, he said: "I ask you to play out of your skins in the World Cup. This is a squad I have enormous faith in. I think the Pumas are going to make several big statements at the World Cup."

Coach Marcelo Loffreda has yet to name his new captain, although it will almost certainly be vice-captain Pichot, and a replacement centre, most probably Martin Gaitan, who played for Biarritz last season. Two other players in the Argentina squad, front row forward Federico Mendez and lock Pedro Sporleder made their Pumas debuts with Arbizu on a tour of Britain in 1990 in which they were blooded under Porta, who had come out of retirement at 39, and played in the 1991 World Cup.

A whole generation of Argentine players had gone abroad to play professionally and been lost to the Pumas because of their union's (UAR) refusal to pick them.

Hammered 51-0 at Twickenham in November 1990 when Mendez, then a raw 18-year-old, infamously punched England's Paul Ackford, Argentina's young team went from defeat to defeat with only the occasional upset win, as against France in Nantes in 1992, but persevered and built on their experience. Arbizu's Pumas ended a World Cup drought dating back to a solitary victory in New Zealand in 1987 by upsetting Ireland in a play-off in 1999 to reach the last eight.

Regarded as dark horses this year, the Pumas open against the hosts in Sydney on October 10 and meet Ireland again, Romania and Namibia.