'This is once in your life' - Carreras eyes Lions upset

BBC News

13 hours ago

British and Irish Lions v ArgentinaVenue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin Date: Friday, 20 June Kick-off: 20:00 BSTCoverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app, and updates on BBC Radio 5 Live
Santiago Carreras is preparing for a match 20 years in the making.For Argentina, who are not part of the British and Irish Lions touring rotation, the scarcity value of Friday's fixture in Dublin is sky high."You might play this game once in your life - it is so special," the 27-year-old tells BBC Sport."Everyone in the team is looking forward to it."The last big-cat tear-up between the Lions and Pumas was back in 2005, when a last-gasp Jonny Wilkinson penalty spared the New Zealand-bound tourists defeat and secured a 25-25 draw.Forget colour television - the handful of other meetings between the two teams were before even colour photography was much of a thing.Never, though, have Argentina had such a good chance of victory.The current crop of Pumas are ranked fifth in the world.They have beaten three of the four teams above them in the past 12 months.Ireland, the only higher-ranked team to avoid recent defeat against Argentina, were pushed all the way in November in their most recent visit to Dublin's Aviva Stadium.And the Lions are still pulling together their squad, with a number - most noticeably the 12-strong Leinster contingent - involved in last weekend's domestic finals.Ominously, Carreras says there is more to come under the leadership of Felipe Contepomi, who captained the 2005 Argentina side to that draw in Cardiff, and took over as head coach from Michael Cheika after a run to the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-finals."I think we are still building our game and our culture," said Carreras."We showed a really good face on the field over the past year."The most similar thing [between Cheika and Contepomi] is the mindset to win and to play."We want to back ourselves to play and do the things we talk about."The mindset of the group internally is really competitive - that is the best thing."
Eleven of the 32-strong Argentina squad preparing for the Lions, including Carreras, have sharpened their skills in England's Premiership this season.Captain Julian Montoya, who will head to Pau this summer, is at the end of a five-season stay with Leicester.Flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez and centre Lucio Cinti are at Saracens, while Rodrigo Isgro is across London at Harlequins.Second row Pedro Rubiolo will join full-back Benjamin Elizalde and back-row brothers Benjamin and Santiago Grondona at Bristol next season."All of us are in contact, week by week," says Carreras."They are like the second family here. I am really close with the guys in Bristol and we all try to stick together because we are so far away from home. We share a lot of time together."Barbeque is difficult because of the weather! The weather and the food as a whole are so different - I don't want to say it is better in Argentina, but actually it is!"But the people here are really nice - that is the most important thing. When you are part of an environment in the club and the people make me feel like I am at home, that is the best part of it."Next season home will not be Kingsholm, though - Carreras is swapping Gloucester for Premiership champions Bath.
"It is tough," says Carreras of his move. "You never want to leave a place where you feel good and welcome, and I really feel part of Gloucester and love everyone there and the club."It will be sad to leave Gloucester, but it is life. I think it is time for a new challenge for me at Bath and I am really looking forward to it."Everyone at Bath is a class player - the forward pack is almost international level - and it is a challenge for me to be part of that group and keep pushing my own level around them."His new club team-mates created Twickenham memories last weekend, winning Bath's first domestic title in 29 years.Carreras already has his own.Back in November 2022, he scored a try in Argentina's 30-29 win over England at the tail-end of the Eddie Jones era - their second victory at the home of English rugby.This summer, the Pumas will aim for a first series win over England as head coach Steve Borthwick takes a team missing their British and Irish Lions stars on a two-Test tour of the country."It will be a good challenge to play England," says Carreras."That memory of playing against them in November is a really special one. It was a special day."Argentina, who routinely stage training camps at London's Lensbury facility, are, like their players, making a home in England.The final match of their Rugby Championship campaign this year - a meeting with world champions South Africa - will be staged at the Allianz Stadium on 4 October."We are not used to playing away from South Africa and Argentina, but hopefully it will be a good opportunity to win the game and Championship," says Carreras.The Pumas are hunting big games - and big upsets - throughout 2025.