Mateo Carreras is a ridiculous rugby player, a real livewire and a major threat to England in Saturday’s Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina.
Anyone who has seen him play for Newcastle will know he can score a try from anywhere, out of anything.
England will be very wary of kicking loosely to the Pumas’ finishing king. Kick well, chase well and compete, no problem — kick poorly, chase poorly, and a player of his quality will make any team pay.
Argentina are strong and very settled, boasting huge experience and power in the pack. Julian Montoya has shown his class at Leicester, while huge men like Tomas Lavanini and Marcos Kremer are imposing figures.
Santiago Carreras features more at full-back than fly-half at Gloucester, but has warmed to his task at No10 for the Pumas now.
I am still filled with pride to see three former London Irish players in this Argentina squad and preparing to play at the World Cup, on the biggest stage of all.
Flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez and three-quarter Lucio Cinti will ply their trade at Saracens next year, in the wake of Irish’s administration. Agustin Creevy has signed on at Sale for next term, too, with the 38-year-old hooker as evergreen as always.
These boys were a huge part of what London Irish achieved on the field in a memorable last 12 months for the now-stricken club. Creevy is an absolute legend, even at Irish, despite a relatively short time at the club.
He scored a ton of tries, is a timeless rugby player and just keeps on going and going, but it is his personality as well. He is a very caring guy, very considerate, very hospitable. That hospitality as well is something that runs through for all the Argentina boys.
Just as England cannot afford to kick poorly to Carreras, they cannot afford to concede any kickable penalties. Emiliano Boffelli will start on the wing rather than full-back, but his prodigious boot is a real threat to England. He is one of the best goal-kickers in world rugby, and he will knock over anything even slightly within range.
England must stop Argentina building scoreboard pressure by Boffelli slotting a sequence of goals. Tom Curry has not had a minute of competitive rugby since May, but England have full belief in him to start on Saturday after an ankle injury.
Just as England cannot afford to kick poorly to Carreras, they cannot afford to concede any kickable penalties to Emiliano Boffelli
England will send him out to empty the tank, and if they get 50 minutes out of him, that could be enough. They will know he is ready to go, they will know that at some point he will punch himself out, but that’s exactly what they want.
Once he’s done, Lewis Ludlam will come off the bench, adding energy and trying to get England over the line. England need to settle on their preferred centre partnership, and Joe Marchant has a fine chance to help them do just that.
The Stade Francais-bound three-quarter is starting to find his voice in the squad, and this is a major chance for him to nail down a spot in the starting lineup.
