Argentina's rugby team will make their World Cup debut on Saturday against England in Marseille, a match Los Pumas confess will be "a battle."
Prop Eduardo Bello, speaking on Wednesday at the South American side's training camp in La Baule, western France, said the crunch match is at the forefront of everyone’s thinking.
"It's going to be a battle. We believe in the process and we know what we have to do. If on Saturday we do what we've been training for, we'll do very well in this formation," the player told a press conference.
"They're going to come after us in the scrum, but we don't look too much at what they do, we rely more on what we can do," added the 27-year-old, who played for Saracens last season and will continue in England next season, albeit with Newcastle.
"The year at Saracens was very useful for me to grow as a professional. To learn how they live rugby, their culture and to see the quality of their players," he explained.
Also appearing before journalists was 24-year-old centre Santiago Chocobares, who has 14 caps for Los Pumas.
"It's going to be a great game, very important for us. England are a great team, with world class players and a lot of history in their national team. It doesn't mean anything to me that they've lost a few games, they're a great team and they're going to want to show it against us," he said.
On a personal level, Chocobares is now fully recovered from the knee ligament injury he suffered last year that kept him out of action for more than six months.
"Looking back, it was one of the best things that happened to me. It helped me to grow mentally, to learn to live day by day, to prepare better for the games, these are things I learned at the club," he added, referring to Toulouse-based club Stade Toulousain.
"The successes and the not so good things I lived very close to my family who is a fundamental support, I share with them the good things and the not so good things. It is key to keep your feet on the ground, the bad moments pass," he added.
Addressing his participation in the World Cup, Chocobares assured that he wants to "enjoy this World Cup very much, it's a great opportunity. I want to live it intensely and go as far as possible.
– AFP
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