Contepomi joy at Pumas captaincy

Felipe Contepomi is delighted at being named the new Argentina captain following Agustin Pichot’s international retirement.

The Leinster fly-half will lead the side on Saturday, when the Pumas take on Scotland at Rosario’s Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, in what will also be Santiago Phelan’s first game as head coach.

And Contepomi is full of respect for his predecessor, saying: “No question about it, what Agustin did all these years was unbelievable.

“I hope I can do something similar to what he did. He is a good friend of mine and I think I should call him to ask for some advice.

“However, the important thing is the support by the whole team. I feel that and it makes me feel comfortable.”

Contepomi was part of the team that clinched third place at last year’s World Cup under boss Marcelo Loffreda and now Contepomi wants to build on that success under Phelan.

“We are very happy to be back after eight months. We have a new era and I hope both the team and Phelan do things well,” he said.

Looking to Saturday’s Test, Contepomi asked fans to be patient with the new set-up.

“Neither Tati (Phelan) nor we are magicians. Harry Potter is just a movie, but I have no doubts we’ll try to progress and improve our play.”