'For us, it starts from zero': Contepomi not reading into Pumas' win over Lions on Irish soil

Head coach Felipe Contepomi during an Argentina men's rugby squad media conference. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Felipe Contepomi has insisted Argentina’s Aviva Stadium victory over Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions last year will count for nothing but memories when Los Pumas return to Lansdowne Road to face Ireland on Friday night.

The former Leinster fly-half and attack coach bested his Test rival at the Dublin stadium as Argentina defeated Farrell’s Lions 28-24 in a sell-out clash ahead of their tour to Australia in June 2025.

Fly-half Tomás Albornoz was the architect of that win 17 months ago, scoring a try, two conversions and three penalties and the Toulon playmaker is one of several Pumas returning to the scene of their victory after Contepomi on Wednesday named a strong side for their bid to beat Ireland for the first time on Irish soil and end a four-Test, 11-year losing streak against the men in green.

Yet the head coach admitted the famous win would count for little this Friday night as both nations begin their Nations Championship Northern series in Dublin.

“Memories only, because I don't think you can bring much, unfortunately,” Contepomi said of the value of Los Pumas’ Lions victory.

“I think it was a great experience. Some of the guys that played that game, they are here again and obviously that brings them good memories. But every game starts from zero. It doesn't matter how good you were last weekend, how good you are next weekend, it's how good you are on the day. And for us, it starts from zero.

“We know the quality of the Irish team. We know the team we are playing against. We know how hard it is to beat them here, we've never beaten them here in Ireland. So we know the challenge we are up for. 
 

“So, it's been good, the Lions, but it's just one day. It will stay in our memories for the guys that were here, we enjoyed it, but we've turned the page, and we just keep moving.” 

Argentina will start this month’s series of games lying in fourth place in the Southern Hemisphere table, though a first win over Ireland since their 2015 World Cup quarter-final success in Cardiff could lift them above Australia, who face England at Twickenham on Sunday.

Yet Contepomi is also building for next year’s World Cup and asked about his objectives for the upcoming games over the Irish, Italy and then France ahead of the finals weekend in London, he said: “Get better. We need to get better as a team, we need to start making less unforced errors, try to get better at the set-piece. Making sure we are competitive.

“We are playing two of the top four teams and another very much improving team in the last few years, Italy, so I think it’s a massive, massive challenge for us, especially one year to the World Cup.

“So, yeah, I think we need to get better consistency, do what we say we are going to do and try to impose the way we want to play rugby.” 

Contepomi has welcomed back key players including Toulouse full-back Juan Cruz Mallía and Saracens flanker Juan Martín González for the first time since the 2025 November Tests to a side captained by hooker Julián Montoya.

González packs down at blindside flanker in a powerhouse back row also featuring openside Marco Kremer and No.8 Pablo Matera, and Contepomi has contemplated beating Ireland for the first time on these shores.

“Well, it's the only team we haven't beaten away from home, you know, yet, so it would mean a lot.

“But I think more so it's for us to try to get better, be competitive against the third team in the world, and one of the best four teams in the last 15 years or so.

“They've been around there, so for us it's just going and playing against one of those top, top teams in the world and being competitive and trying to impose our game or our game plan.

“And then the result, it comes with a lot of variables and the only one we control is the one that we evaluate ourselves from, and that's imposing our game plan and doing what we said we were going to do.

“If that takes us to a good result, much better, yeah.” 

ARGENTINA (v Ireland): Juan Cruz Mallía; Bautista Delguy, Justo Piccardo, Santiago Chocobares, Mateo Carreras; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo Garcia; Boris Wenger, Julián Montoya - captain, Francisco Moreno; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Juan Martín González, Marcos Kremer, Pablo Matera.

Replacements: Leonel Oviedo, Mayco Vivas, Joel Sclavi, Efrain Elias, Juan Martin Scelzo, Simón Benítez Cruz, Gerónimo Prisciantelli, Lucio Cinti.