Gerry Thornley talks to Felipe Contepomi who has become a real leader for Leinster

On the face of it, things have never been better for Felipe Contepomi at Leinster. After two peripheral seasons with the province - through little fault of his own - he has become a standard-bearer for the team on and off the pitch. Outstanding again when captaining them to victory last week against Ulster with another seven from eight haul to keep his kicking ratio up close to 90 per cent, it's a surprise to learn that this hasn't been the best of weeks for him.

The assistant coach David Knox has been chiding Contepomi, an avid Liverpool and Inter fan, that Chelsea and Juventus had the Premiership and Serie A in the bag before September was out.

Then, last weekend, Chelsea and Juve beat Liverpool and Inter. Knox has been giving Contepomi unmerciful stick all week.

Contepomi freely admits to watching more football than rugby on television, much to the annoyance of his Argentinian girlfriend, Paula. He's an ABC (Anybody But Chelsea) man, and dislikes Jose Mourinho's "arrogance". Having polished off a cake and a pot of tea in a Donnybrook cafe, he then gives a tactical discourse on their formation. "It is not 4-3-3, as Mourinho says, it is 4-1-4-1. He used the exact same system at Porto. He is very effective at making average teams good."

Mention Diego Maradona and he can tell you everything about him, from his birthday to all the highs and lows of his career. "He is the one sporting hero of my life," Contepomi admits, with almost boyish wide-eyed wonderment.

"I was nine at the time and I remember that if Argentina were playing in the afternoon during the week we were given the rest of the day off school," he recalls, which must have made the memories even better. "We went down to the Obelisk, where we had a massive celebration late into the night. You cannot describe what winning the World Cup meant to the people of Argentina."

So how come Contepomi was one of the minority who took to rugby rather than football? "I went to an Irish school," he smiles in reference to Cardinal Newman College, by way of explanation. "And football was very competitive. Everybody played the game, from all the social classes, and parents would go to matches with their boys demanding that they be in the team. Not so many played rugby, although I played rugby on Saturday and football on Sunday."

That stopped when he made the senior team at Newman at the age of 18, having played flanker until 15 before, thankfully, being converted into an outhalf. His talent quickly shone through, and he made his debut for Los Pumas against Chile in 1998, and the following year, lest we ever forget, came on as a replacement and orchestrated that match-winning try against Ireland in Lens.

"Grizz Wyllie (the coach) wanted me in the team but he did not have control over the selection, and Quesada was a brilliant goalkicker. So he brought me on against Ireland with about half an hour to go and moved Quesada to fullback, and I could see people looking around and wondering what was happening. But you know, I didn't feel under too much pressure, maybe because I was young (he was 22). Maybe now I would feel more pressure," he says smiling.

Contepomi has played in each of the subsequent four meetings between the countries, and no doubt will do so when they encounter each other in another do-or-die World Cup pool encounter. "I think both of us would prefer to avoid each other. We always know it will be a very tough match and if we were in separate pools we might both go through." There's also been some bad blood, so to speak, arising out of some of those encounters, but it never rebounds on Contepomi. "They are all good guys here at Leinster. Nobody made any comment to me after Ireland knocked Argentina out of the World Cup, like 'oh we sent you on the plane home'. They could have, but nobody did."

If there is a tiny shred of angst over his treatment at Leinster it involved their refusal (as with his French-based Argentinian team-mates) to release him the week after Ireland and Argentina met in Lansdowne Road last November for Los Pumas' clash with the Springboks.

"They played me against Bourgoin, when we scored 92 points. The only European games I played were against Bourgoin," he says, shrugging his shoulders, as if Leinster didn't really need him that week.

"I am proud to play for Argentina but I am also proud to play for Leinster, as I was for Bristol and for Newman," he points out, and maintains he never became frustrated during the previous two years. "I was apprehensive about coming to a new club and a new country, but I have never regretted that decision for one moment."

A victim of a registration gaffe in his first season, Contepomi suffered a nasty neck injury playing for Argentina against Wales and during his rehabilitation last season Leinster signed David Holwell. "It has been difficult at Leinster with three different coaches in three years. I know that Declan Kidney did not like me much as a number 12, because whenever he had the choice he usually moved Shane Horgan in there. But you always have to train your best and be ready."

This is stated as a matter of fact with not a trace of bitterness in his voice. He reckons he's fortunate to have such a good life and will not be going to Musgrave Park tomorrow with a point to prove.

The mild-mannered son of a surgeon, Contepomi would never be inclined to personalise the game in any way. "Rugby is not an individual sport like tennis or golf. It is a team game," he reasons simply.

His coach, Michael Cheika, knows he has a gem in the Puma playmaker, who at 28 is on the top of his game. "He is in a nice place right now. His girlfriend (who is due to give birth to their first child early next year) is over with him in Ireland, his studies are going well (he's in the fourth of five years studying medicine at the College of Surgeons) and he's playing well. He's the ultimate professional and a joy to work with. His preparation is meticulous."

At last you sense this is Contepomi's time, and that Leinster will reap the benefits of having another world-class player in their backline. "But you know, this is not about me. This is about Leinster, and it is an exciting time to be a part of Leinster, with the move to a 14,000-seater ground in the RDS, and we are improving a little bit every week. Now we have to improve again because we are playing Munster and then soon we will be in the Heineken Cup. It is a big part of our year."

The ultimate pro, and a true team man.