Argentina confirmed Felipe Contepomi as the new coach of the Pumas yesterday [Macau time] after assisting Michael Cheika for 18 months.
Contepomi was contracted to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
The hall of fame flyhalf paid tribute to Cheika, calling it an honor to work under him as the attack coach and being “grateful for the extraordinary opportunity.”
Cheika guided Argentina to the semifinals of the recent Rugby World Cup in France. He was an assistant and adviser to the team for two years before taking charge in March 2022.
Under Cheika, who made an effort to learn Spanish, the Pumas beat the All Blacks in New Zealand, the Wallabies in Australia, and England at Twickenham. They beat Wales in the World Cup quarterfinals and lost to the All Blacks in the semis.
“Having been the head coach of Los Pumas fills me with pride, and it is one of the experiences that I enjoyed the most in my career as a coach,” Cheika told the Argentina Rugby Union website. “Although I was born in Australia, a big part of me will be Argentina. I am convinced that Felipe and his staff are going to lead the team in the best way.”
Cheika also coached Australia to the final of the 2015 World Cup.
Yesterday, Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said he would not rule out Cheika returning for a second stint as Wallabies coach, replacing his former Sydney club Randwick teammate Eddie Jones.
Jones resigned as Wallabies coach after the team’s ill-fated Rugby World Cup campaign where the team failed to advance from the group stage for the first time. Jones has since signed with Japan as head coach.
“Everyone’s in the hunt, to be fair,” Waugh said. “We haven’t gone to market with it yet. We’re hoping to announce our high-performance director this week and then get in the process of going to market for a head coach.”
Contepomi was the flyhalf at Leinster — and Cheika the coach — when they won their first European Cup in 2009. Contepomi played 87 tests, and was key to Argentina reaching its first Rugby World Cup semifinals in 2007. He captained the Pumas at his fourth World Cup in 2011.
After he retired from playing in 2014, he learned the coaching ropes with the Argentina XV and Super Rugby Jaguares, and returned to Leinster. Cheika brought him back home in 2022.
UAR president Gabriel Travaglini thanked Cheika.
“His professionalism, passion and dedication to Argentine rugby is something we will remember forever,” Travaglini said. “Today, we are convinced that Felipe is the right person for this new path towards Australia 2027.” MDT/AP
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