Felipe Contepomi gives thoughts on the future of Irish 'wonderkid'

Felipe Contepomi revealed that he was proud of his side’s performance against an intense Ireland side on Friday evening, stating that his players had recovered well from a short turnaround after playing in Italy the previous Saturday.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the former Leinster man said: “I’m disappointed because I hate losing more than I love winning, so it’s disappointing, but the way the guys stayed in the game and actually put ourselves in with an opportunity to win that game, I’m very proud of them.

“I think the effort they’ve shown on [such a] short turnaround and playing one of the most intense teams in the world, we needed to recover well and prep properly, and I think we did that.

“We ended up in good form, and we didn’t look like we were shattered. We were defending well, and the boys stayed there in the game.

“It was a good learning game for us. It’s frustrating and we’re disappointed now. But tomorrow when we start reviewing the game we have a lot of positives to work on.”

It’s worth noting that Contepomi spent six years at Leinster during his playing days becoming a cult hero amongst Irish fans. Having known Prendergast since he was a young boy, the Argentinian boss was full of praise for the 21-year-old: “I think he played well, he’ll be a top-quality player. It’s tough to get into a game because it wasn’t a resolved game. He managed it well, he attacked well – he nearly scored, and I think he did well.”

Debutant Thomas Clarkson added his own thoughts on his teammate: “Obviously as a No.10 if you’re not scoring any points, he probably had a bit of frustration. But, sure, if you are not happy getting your first cap there is something wrong with you!

“Typical Prendo, he wants everything to be 100% perfect – and when it’s not he has got a big stroppy head on him. Similar to Sexto, I would have said!”

Head coach Andy Farrell enthused about the young fly half: “I thought he was excellent. I thought he was really composed. Playing your first cap in that type of position in that type of situation, I thought he was really composed. Played at a nice tempo at the line and started to make things happen. That just shows what type of character he has got.”

Jim Hamilton, however, felt that the young fly-half simply isn’t built for international rugby yet, saying on the Rugby Pod: “I’m not trying to be harsh, I’m not trying to be negative as much as it sounds that way. Didn’t look like he wanted to tackle either. He’s got to put a bit of weight on. I say a bit of weight, it looks like he has got to put about five or six kgs. Great for Ireland to have another young 10 coming through.”

Whatever your thoughts on the young man, the battle for the number 10 shirt will be a fascinating one.