Argentina Player Biographies

The following are brief biographies of the Argentine World Cup squad (ages correct at start of tournament):

ALEX WYLLIE (joint-coach) Age: 55. The former All Black flanker and coach was hired to bring steel into a team where many players are still proud of their amateur status. Worked as a technical advisor to the Pumas from 1996 before being made coach just months before the World Cup after a player revolt overthrew the old regime of Jose Luis Imhoff.

HECTOR MENDEZ (joint-coach). Appointed with Wyllie ahead of tour of Scotland and Ireland. Former Puma from the city of Rosario who works as psychiatrist.

MANUEL CONTEPOMI. Fullback. Age 22. 1.8m. 86kg. Caps Seven. Twin of flyhalf Felipe. Medical student. Can play in virtually any position in the backs.

IGNACIO CORLETO. Fullback/winger. Age: 21. 1.85m. 85kg. Caps: Three. The Buenos Aires wing/fullback has plenty of pace and enthusiasm but is short of experience.

DIEGO ALBANESE. Winger. Age 26. 1.74m. 78kg. Caps: 28. San Isidro wing/fullback is a student and office worker. Has four tries to his name and played in 1995 World Cup. Born at the popular seaside resort of Mar del Plata. Good sevens player.

OCTAVIO BARTOLUCCI. Winger. Age 28. 1.95m. 99kg. Caps: 10. Economics student who has an impressive seven tries in his 10 games.

GONZALO CAMARDON. Winger. Age 28. 1.78m. 85kg. Caps: 24. Plays for Asociacion Alumni. Light and fast, has eight international tries. Played in 1991 World Cup as scrumhalf but not picked in 1995.

EDUARDO SIMONE. Centre. Age 24 (25 on October 16) 1.83m. 86kg. Caps: 22. Marketing student who scored try on debut against United States in 1997, born 16/10/74.

JOSE ORENGO. Centre. Age 23. 1.76m. 86kg. Caps: 13. Plays for Atletico del Rosario in Santa Fe Province, heart of Argentina's soybean territory. Has run in five tries in his 13 games. Engineering student.

JUAN FERNANDEZ MIRANDA. Centre/flyhalf. 1.79m. 85kg. Caps: Six. 24. The younger Fernandez Miranda, brother of scrumhalf Nicolas. A utility back for Hindu Club who has scored 69 points including two tries. Student.

GONZALO QUESADA. Flyhalf. Age 25. 1.82m. 84kg. Caps: 17. The dashing flyhalf has scored 216 international points including 47 in first four tests. Administration worker.

FELIPE CONTEPOMI. Flyhalf/centre. Age 22. 1.8m. 86kg. Caps Seven. Medical student who is very much in support to Quesada.

JOSE LUIS CILLEY. Flyhalf. Age 26. 1.77m. 80kg. Caps: 11. Scorer of 102 points to date. An Economics student who played in the 1995 World Cup in South Africa.

LISANDRO ARBIZU. Flyhalf/centre. Age 28. Caps: 61. Captain, and one of Argentina's most experienced players. Plays flyhalf for Brive in France. Relinquished the captaincy to the home-based Sporleder when he joined Brive two seasons back but regained it for the recent tour of Britain in the absence of the suspended lock. Played for Brive in 1997/8 European Cup final loss to Bath, narrowly missing match-winning drop goal in injury time. Playing in third World Cup. Was youngest Puma captain when given the job in 1992.

AGUSTIN PICHOT. Scrumhalf. Age 25. 1.74m. 78kg. Caps: 22. One of the Pumas' stars and one of the best number nines in the world. The livewire Bristol scrumhalf has eight tries to his name. Was a key figure in Argentina's second-half recovery in the recent loss to Ireland. Has played several times for the Barbarians. Formerly with Richmond in England.

NICOLAS FERNANDEZ MIRANDA. Scrumhalf. Age: 27. 1.77m. 80kg. Caps: 21. Hindu Club man who works in marketing. Very much a back-up to Pichot.

LUCAS OSTIGLIA. Flanker. Age 23. 1.90m. 95kg. Caps Four. Student who plays for the Hindu Club.

ROLANDO MARTIN. Flanker. Age 31. 1.89m. 97kg. Caps: 49. Veteran of 1995 World Cup, an accountant and a flanker for San Isidro, a club based in a swish part of Buenos Aires. Formerly with Richmond in England. Has 13 tries for Pumas.

MIGUEL RUIZ. Flanker/lock. Age 24. 1.93m. 103kg. Caps: 23. From Mendoza, in the heart of Argentina's wine-producing country, office worker Ruiz plays as loose forward or lock for his local Teque Rugby Club.

SANTIAGO PHELAN. Flanker/number eight. Age 25. 1.87m, 92kg. Caps: 12. Business worker with one try to his name.

GONZALO LONGO. Flanker. Age 25. 1.93m. 98kg. Caps: Three. Plays for San Isidro. Unlikely starter.

PEDRO SPORLEDER. Lock. Age 28. 1.98m. 120kg. Caps: 65. Captain from 1996-99, but is now lucky to be back in the World Cup party after a reprieve for him and Mario Ledesma after the Curupayti incident. Playing third World Cup.

ALEJANDRO ALLUB. Lock. Age 23. 1.96m. 105kg. Caps: 18. Medical student with one international try.

RAUL PEREZ. Lock. Age 34. 1.98m. 110kg. Caps: 18. A systems analyst during the week, Perez or Duendes Rugby Club.

CARLOS IGNACIO FERNANDEZ LOBBE. Lock. Age: 24. 1.94m. 106kg. Caps: 16. A physical education student with one try to his name.

OMAR HASAN. Prop. Age 28. 1.83. 113kg. Caps 22. Comes from the northern sugar-cane province of Tucuman, but plays for French team Agen. Has had experience playing club rugby in New Zealand. Popular with team mates as one capable of laying on a show at after-match functions or during free time, he has a fine singing voice.

MAURICIO REGGIARDO. Prop. Age 28. 118 kg. 1.9. Caps: 25. The Buenos Aires-born prop plays professionally for Castres in France.

MARTIN SCELZO. Prop. Age 23. 1.90m. 130. Caps: 13. The heaviest player in the squad. Plays for Hindu Club in Buenos Aires and works in an office on weekdays. Has five international tries.

FERNANDO DIAZ ALBERDI. Prop. Age 21. 1.8m. 108kg. Caps: Three. Plays for CUBA in Buenos Aires and is a student.

ROBERTO GRAU. Prop. Age 28. 1.82m. 105kg. Caps: 27. Fierce scrummager who has played in England, France and South Africa.

MARIO LEDESMA. Hooker. Age 26. 1.83m. 103kg. Caps: 18. Was suspended along with Pedro Sporleder after an incident in a match for his club side Curupayti but recalled to World Cup squad. Played once as Puma captain. He was originally due to miss the World Cup but both he and Sporleder were pardoned and reinstated.

AGUSTIN CANALDA. Hooker. Age 22. 1.82m. 107. Caps: Two. Argentina's former Under-19 captain impressed on the recent tour of Britain, and in the historic victory against Scotland.

Reuters contributed to this report.