We know we’ll get thumped says Argentina captain Felipe Contepomi

Argentina’s record points scorer Felipe Contepomi drew parallels with Italy‘s entrance into the Six Nations ahead of the Pumas’ debut in the Rugby Championship against South Africa.
The 34-year-old fly-half made his final Test appearance against France this summer – with only a handful of players left from Argentina’s Golden Generation that finished third at the 2007 World Cup.
A 2011 quarter-final – in which they led the All Blacks for a stage – adds to the impressive run of results achieved by Argentina in recent years but Contepomi warned not to expect miracles in their inaugural tournament and admits results may be closer to Italy’s Six Nations debut, when they were regularly thumped by 60 points.
However, Contepomi argues that it was a tour to New Zealand in 1997 – in which they conceded a combined 155 points in two Tests – that sparked Argentina’s emergence as a world force.
Contepomi, a qualified surgeon, said: “I have always said that you learn more from the defeats than you do the victories and there was a big change inside the team before I was there in 1997, when we lost two games against New Zealand – including one by nearly 100 points.
“The players realised that we couldn’t compete against the best under the conditions they were travelling in, so they started asking for a number of things and the Union started working.
“Even though we weren’t professional at that time it began to change more towards professionalism and organisation.
“After the World Cup in 2007 the wheels started moving with the powerful people. Things started moving to help Argentina get  into this competition and to be recognised.
“It is very comparable to when Italy went into the Six Nations. We shouldn’t be expecting results in the first two or three years of the Four Nations, but I would be happy if we are competing squarely against the big nations.
“I do expect us to get beaten and to concede a lot of points like Italy did but that is inevitable in some ways.
“It goes further than the result, we can’t measure progress through the result, it is more about the performance.
“We will take some time and I hope people understand that. I hope the players understand that and don’t get frustrated and keep on fighting and trying.”
Nevertheless the formula that served Marcelo Loffreda so well in 2007 will be continued by present coach Santiago Phelan: plenty of grunt up front, a fly-half who can boot a ball into the stratosphere and a back row that chops down anything in its path.
Familiar faces Gonzalo Camacho and Horacio Agulla can provide the finishing touch out wide while World Cup star full-back Juan Imhoff showed at Racing Metro this season that his New Zealand exploits were no flash in the pan.
Certainly no one will relish their trip to South America; the 1990 England tour of Argentina is still talked of as the most intimidating in modern times and Contepomi is hoping for more of the same when South Africa travel to Mendoza on August 25.
He added: “The atmosphere will be immense in the first game because it is something people are waiting for, not only the Argentinean people, but there are people I know who are travelling from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. So the home games should be big events, it will be history for us.
“The atmosphere will be like a football atmosphere transferred to a rugby pitch. Rugby can’t compete with football in Argentina, but it has grown a lot. Not only because of the sport, because of the Pumas, but because in Argentina, through the Pumas, people have seen all the values that they bring together with the sport, rather than just the sport itself.”
Meanwhile Australia flanker Liam Gill maintains he would relish the opportunity to make his Test debut against Richie McCaw – even if that meant playing out of position.
Gill was one of three specialist opensides alongside captain David Pocock and Michael Hooper named by Robbie Deans in his squad for the Championship, and indications are that he will employ two in his matchday squad, with one at blindside.
Queensland Red Gill topped this year’s Super XV turnover count. Australia have an unenviable record against the All Blacks – their last Bledisloe Cup win was a decade ago – Gill maintains it is high time that record was changed.
“It has been a while since we won the Bledisloe Cup,” he said. “We spoke about it the other day and Nathan Sharpe is the only player from our team to have been a part of a Bledisloe Cup win and that’s not right.
“I did play against Richie McCaw and it was a great experience. To hear the roar when he was coming on was intimidating enough without having to face up one of the world’s greatest sevens. It was a great experience and I would love to do it again.”
Argentina squad: Horacio Agulla, Patricio Albacete, Marcos Ayerza, Marcelo Bosch, Martín Bustos Moyano, Maximiliano Bustos, Gonzalo Camacho, Rafael Carballo, Manuel Carizza, Agustín Creevy, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, Santiago Fernández, Juan Figallo, Agustín Figuerola, Álvaro Galindo, Lucas González Amorosino, Juan Martín Hernández, Juan José Imhoff, Juan Manuel Leguizamón, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Martín Rodríguez, Federico Nicolás Sánchez, Tomás Vallejos, Nicolás Vergallo.
Australia squad: Ben Alexander, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Berrick Barnes, Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper, Dave Dennis, Kane Douglas, Anthony Faingaa, Saia Faingaa, Will Genia, Liam Gill, Mike Harris, Scott Higginbotham, Michael Hooper, Rob Horne, Digby Ioane, Sekope Kepu, Drew Mitchell, Stephen Moore, Nick Phipps, David Pocock (capt), Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson, Radike Samo, Jake Schatz, Nathan Sharpe, Rob Simmons, James Slipper, Sitaleki Timani, Nic White.
New Zealand squad: Israel Dagg, Hosea Gear, Cory Jane, Ben Smith, Julian Savea, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Tamati Ellison, Aaron Cruden, Daniel Carter, Piri Weepu, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read, Victor Vito, Richie McCaw (capt), Liam Messam, Adam Thomson, Sam Cane, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Brodie Retallick, Owen Franks, Ben Franks, Charlie Faumuina, Wyatt Crockett, Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore, Keven Mealamu.
South Africa squad: Willem Alberts, Andries Bekker, Pat Cilliers, Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Daniel, Jean de Villiers (capt), Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, JJ Engelbrecht, Eben Etzebeth, Dean Greyling, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Elton Jantjies, Zane Kirchner, Siya Kolisi, Juandre Kruger, Patrick Lambie, Tendai Mtawarira, Lwazi Mvovo, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Jacques Potgieter, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Pierre Spies, Frans Steyn, Morne Steyn, Adriaan Strauss, Flip van der Merwe, Jano Vermaak
DANIEL SCHOFIELD