How 'student of coaching' Contepomi took unexpected path

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Felipe Contepomi took over from Michael Cheika as Argentina head coach in 2023

ByJonathan BradleyBBC Sport NI senior journalist

Published45 minutes ago

Back when Michael Cheika was Felipe Contepomi's head coach at Leinster two decades ago, did the former Argentina boss believe his immediate successor with the Pumas would go on to have such a successful post-playing career?

"No, I didn't," he says without missing a beat.

The pair overlapped for four seasons in Dublin, building towards the province's first Heineken Cup in 2009 before the fly-half departed for Toulon that summer having missed the final through injury.

At a time when he was keeping a young Johnny Sexton out of the 10 jersey, Contepomi was a talisman during what was a foundational spell in the club's history.

Conversely, it was such abundant talent that made Cheika doubt his then fly-half's future lay in coaching.

"He was obviously a highly-skilled player and you know what they say about some of the best players? They don't make the greatest coaches because they think everyone can do what they could do and they actually can't."

Thirteen years after their paths diverged, and after Contepomi had spent four seasons as Leinster's attack coach, Cheika was bringing his former player into the Pumas set-up as his assistant. What changed in the intervening years?

"Felipe is different, right?" says Cheika of the man who brings his Argentina team to face Ireland in Dublin on Friday night.

"He's come into coaching raw and has had to take a step back, go and self-reflect on how much he really wants to do that. He went to Leinster and learnt his craft properly there with some good coaches around him in a team and an environment that he felt absolutely comfortable in.

"He understood what he had to do to become a quality coach first up and then a head coach, which is different to just being a coach as well."

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Cheika's successor at Leinster, Joe Schmidt, spent three seasons at the province between Contempomi's stints as a player and an assistant, but considers the former playmaker a "pretty good friend" from their time spent in opposing coaching boxes.

The pair went head-to-head in the Rugby Championships of 2024 and 2025 while Schmidt was in charge of Australia. Each won two of those four contests, although the most comprehensive victory was Argentina's 67–27 triumph in 2024.

The pair would often meet for a drink or coffee before those Tests with Schmidt echoing Cheika's assertion that Contempomi possesses an ability to use his past playing ability as a complement in his coaching.

"I'd have a really high opinion of Felipe as a master of playing the game, but as a student of coaching the game," said the former Ireland head coach.

"I think he blends the two to be a really good coach."

It should perhaps come as no surprise that Contempomi has shown such aptitude for study as a coach having split his time in Dublin between playing and working to become medical doctor.

Leaving the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland with a Bachelor of Medicine degree in 2007 earned him the nickname 'Dr Phil' among Leinster supporters.

Former Leinster back Luke Fitzgerald, who describes Contepomi as still having a "folk-hero status" in Dublin, believes that blend of intellect and experience is a compelling combination.

"He's a great personality and obviously a super smart guy, as you can tell from being a qualified doctor too," said the 34-times capped Ireland international who was a Test Lion in 2009.

"You can see his CV is very well filled out on the experience side, and I think what is the X-factor for him is that little bit of creativity that we would have seen in his own game."

'I'm very proud of him'

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Michael Cheika hired Contepomi as an assistant in 2022

Contepomi succeeded Cheika after the 2023 World Cup and has authored wins over the likes of New Zealand, South Africa and the British and Irish Lions as head of the coaching ticket.

Starting their second block of Nations Championship fixtures against Ireland in the Aviva Stadium on Friday offers the chance for another big scalp.

But he arrives back in Dublin amid reports, external he has ruled himself out of the succeeding Leo Cullen at Leinster following the conclusion of his current contract with Argentina following next year's World Cup.

Contepomi's Leinster connection, coupled with a coaching CV boasting Test rugby success, naturally led to the 49-year-old being touted as a leading option to replace his former team-mate in one of the premier jobs in club rugby.

The likes of Ronan O'Gara, Stuart Lancaster and Leinster's current senior coach Jacques Nienaber were all also linked to the vacancy that now seems will be filled by Bordeaux-Begles' Irish attack coach Noel McNamara.

Irrespective of what the future holds, Cheika believes Contepomi is doing an under-rated job with the Pumas building towards next year's global showpiece in Australia.

Ranked eighth in the world, the side may have won only six of their 15 Tests since that famous win over the Lions in Dublin last year, but Cheika points to the differing constraints in the role when compared to other leading nations who have the benefit of a stronger domestic game and, as a result, less disparate playing bases.

"They're performing great, well above their weight," he said.

"People take it a little bit for granted with Argentina. Well, 'yeah, they're a great team' and all that, but these guys are performing with so much less access to resources than any of the other countries that are at the top.

"He's had to go back and I suppose teach himself how to do that and he's done it really, really well and that's why the team is able to achieve more consistency than it's ever probably had before.

"I'm very proud of him, obviously as a friend of mine, a former player of mine, and now a colleague from coaching as well and I hope that they can continue that movement all the way through to the World Cup of '27."