End of the road for Puma legend
Argentina hooker Mario Ledesma contemplated the end of his international road on Sunday after the Pumas came off, as expected, second best in losing their World Cup quarterfinal 10-33 to hosts New Zealand.
Ledesma, who will return to his responsibilities as scrum coach at Top 14 side Stade Francais, said he had enjoyed the experience and was sad it had all come to en end after a decade-and-a-half.
"It's a great pleasure to have experienced something as this. Everything I experience from here on will be banal compared with what I have lived through these past 16 years," admitted a tearful Ledesma as he headed for the team bus after the loss at Eden Park.
He said it was difficult at the end to keep his emotions in check.
"At the moment you have a load of things engraved upon your memory. It's been a huge privilege and great pleasure to play so long for the Pumas and it means a lot to me," he added.
"It was my dream as a kid," he added, while explaining that "at the last World Cup [in 2007] I went over there to win it, I wanted to be champion [they reached the semifinals]. This time I wanted to enjoy every minute and I did right down to the last kick.
"Giving one hundred percent I made a lot of sacrifices," said the veteran after winning his 84th cap.
"Personally, that was my best match of the World Cup and I thank God for giving me this chance and also my wife and children for allowing me to play till the age of 38," added the former Clermont star, who played a huge role in helping them win their first national title in 2010.
Ledesma said he thought Argentina might have run the Kiwis a little closer but found referee Nigel Owens "very tolerant in the rucks with [All Blacks skipper] Richie McCaw.
"It's difficult to get moves going when there's always someone diving into the middle. And then every time we tried rucking we got penalised.
"I think they'd have won anyway but in my view the score is not a true reflection of the match," said Ledesma, the third most-capped Argentine in history behind Lisandro Arbizu and Rolando Martin, who both made 86 appearances.
"We knew if we stayed in the game and got a score they would have doubts. And that's how it went as it's not as if they turned in an exhibition of their rugby," said Ledesma, whose 18 World Cup appearances for the Pumas across four tournaments are a national record.
"But I've experienced more with the Pumas than I had hoped. To play to the age of 38 and bow out with a quarter-final against New Zealand," he said, his voice trailing off.
"I was a bit emotional to hear some of the fans chant my name. It's very good, it's recognition and that makes me very happy."
AFP