LEINSTER ASSISTANT COACH Felipe Contepomi says he has heard nothing concrete from the Argentinian rugby union about becoming part of the Pumas’ coaching team under new head coach Michael Cheika.
Contepomi is widely expected to become an assistant to his former Leinster boss Cheika with Argentina ahead of the 2023 World Cup, but there has been no official announcement yet.
Contepomi is understandably focusing on Leinster’s clash with Connacht this Friday at the Aviva Stadium in the second leg of their Champions Cup Round of 16 tie and said there is nothing to confirm at this stage.
“There is nothing concrete, to be honest,” he said. “With weeks like this I have too much on the plate to be distracted by other things but there is nothing concrete.
“I haven’t heard from them lately. From what I know, Cheiks will be making his team. He’s been announced and is the head coach. Cheiks has a lot on his plate as well in Japan [where he is working with the Green Rockets Tokatsu]. I don’t know where he is at the moment.”
Backs coach Contepomi is keen for Leinster to deliver an improved performance this Friday after certain aspects of last weekend’s 26-21 win in Galway left them frustrated.
“There’s a lot more for us to improve, especially in the launch side of the game [ie. Leinster's attack plays from set-pieces],” said Contepomi.
“Backs-wise, it’s very hard to take out the backs from all the forwards as well but I think we can see the pictures earlier and we can work harder off the ball. There’s a lot of improvement to be done. That’s a good thing.
“When you face teams that defend really hard with a lot of encouragement who work hard in defence, the attack needs to work harder and smarter. That’s where we have a fair bit to improve.”
When it comes to the aforementioned launch plays, Contepomi said it’s not all just about Leinster scoring on first phase every time.
That might be the ultimate goal from every scrum and lineout, but there are other ways of viewing plays as successful.
“When we assess the launches, it’s basically that we have a purpose for why we do what we do,” said Contepomi. “If that purpose is fulfilled, definitely it would be a good launch.
“If not or if we run a bad line… for a play to work, it’s 15 guys doing their job and it only takes one person not to do their job at exactly the right moment for the play not to work.
“When you create a starter play, the purpose is to score. If you don’t score but you launch properly, for us it’s easier to get in our flow. That’s the importance of the launch for us. It’s not just to look nice, it’s a way for us to get into our game, into our flow, if we don’t score from first phase or whatever phases the launch or starter play is.
“There’s a lot of variables and it’s very tiny details that make them work. Players know that and that’s why we sit down in the den and review the launches saying what we should do better, where it failed, or where it worked.”
Leinster are due to name their team on Thursday and it will be interesting to see if head coach Leo Cullen opts for many changes.
The eastern province have welcomed Ireland internationals Rónan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, and Jordan Larmour back to training this week, while loosehead prop Michael Milne has also recovered from injury.
“It’s a big boost, especially in a European week,” said Contepomi. “You want to have as many players available as you can. It’s great for selection and great for the team.
“Recovering players bring such an energy, they’ve been working so hard to get onto the training field. Once they get there, their energy lifts the other guys as well. It’s great and hopefully we’re looking forward to a good game at the weekend.”
In the final episode of the series, The Front Row – The42’s new rugby podcast in partnership with Guinness – welcomes comedian Killian Sundermann in to studio. The online funnyman fills us in on his schools rugby days, gaining recognition during the pandemic, making his stand-up debut and travelling around Europe in a van. Click here to subscribe or listen below:
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