Ireland head coach Andy Farrell says Felipe Contepomi has done a “magnificent” job with Argentina ahead of Friday’s Test match in Dublin.
Former Leinster fly-half Contepomi left his coaching role with the Irish province to join Michael Cheika’s Pumas backroom team.
But having replaced the Australian following last year’s World Cup, the 47-year-old has overseen some impressive results, including Rugby Championship wins over New Zealand and double world champions South Africa.
“They’re more of a complete team, that’s for sure. They’re not backs and forwards anymore, they’re a team that plays an exciting brand of rugby,” said Farrell.
“It’s amazing to see how much more comfortable on the ball the forwards are and the interlink between the backs and the forwards is seamless.
“At the same time they still have the DNA, the fighting spirit and the dangerous, exciting outside backs as well.”
Farrell added: “Felipe’s done a magnificent job. You can see the cohesion they have in how they want to play.
“The hardest thing at top-level sport is consistency and rightly so, they’re earning the right to be, in our mind, in the same type of bracket as the game we were talking about last week.
“Their performances and results over the last year certainly warrant that.
