DIEGO ALBANESE is the antithesis of the stereotype of overseas players as overpaid mercenaries with little affection for the clubs that pay their wages.
Eighteen months after retiring from professional rugby and returning to his homeland, the Argentinan wing's passion for Leeds Tykes remains undimmed.
"How are my beloved Tykes?" he asks. It is a largely rhetorical question. He knows how they are faring, because even though all but a handful of his former team-mates have moved on, he is in touch with several people at the club and he monitors their progress on the internet.
Albanese, a marvellously fearless and elusive runner, was only at Leeds for three seasons but the club and the city became his second home in a way that Grenoble and Gloucester – his previous rugby destinations – did not.
"Leeds is something so special to me," says the 33-year-old, who is now working in the sales and marketing department of a large drinks firm back home in Buenos Aries. "It was not just somewhere I played. It is part of my life. I made friends there, and the two most important things in my life happened there – the birth of my first two children (a third is on the way).
"One of my dreams is to go back with my family and show them where they were born and show them the Tykes and have a pint with the supporters.
"Leeds is my club. And when I play rugby in the garden with my son Mateo, he wants to be Leeds. I am Argentina. Leeds is a great part of my life."
Seconds after speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Albanese was clearly concerned that he had not got his message across.
An email arrived. "Can you add in the interview that I want to send a big hug to everybody, supporters, staff, players?"
This level of commitment is rarely seen in professional rugby and although it cannot be attributed entirely to Latin genes, it may provide a clue as to why Argentina are such a force when the odds are stacked against them.
As Albanese explains, domestic rugby in Argentina is essentially a social game; it is no place to develop individuals capable of beating the best Test sides in the world, even though there is a home-based squad of 20 players, who are paid a modest amount to do extra fitness work.
"You lose money playing here, because you have to pay fees to be part of a club," says Albanese, who still turns out for San Isidro. "You also have to pay when you play at home. The post-match functions are long – the game finish at 6 o'clock, and you are still drinking and dancing at 2 o'clock.
"As preparation for international rugby, club rugby is not enough. You have to go to Europe."
Of the current 30-man touring party, only six are based at home.
The squad to play England at Twickenham tomorrow did not meet until Sunday. They have had one short camp since the early summer, which makes light of England's complaints that they do not get enough time together. The well-funded home team may be chastened to learn that a pay dispute was resolved when the Pumas, who travel in economy class, were offered £175 a month plus bonuses for the autumn Tests.
A glance at the clubs of the Argentinian players, though, reveals the quality of the tourists, as well as their lack of depth. They draw their men from Heineken Cup contenders Stade Francais, Toulouse, Biarritz, Perpignan, Leinster, Leicester and Sale, but also from relative minnows such as Rovigo, Bayonne, and, er, Leeds Tykes, as well as the Argentinian clubs.
With a full team to pick from and adequate preparation time – which they will get before France 2007 – Albanese reckons that his countrymen are capable of reaching the semi-finals. It is not a fanciful notion, because the Pumas have beaten France four times in a row.
Like the South Sea Island nations, though, Argentina are given a raw deal from the international rugby community. They have been trying for years to get into either the Six Nations or the Tri Nations, to no avail.
Some of the European clubs do their best to limit the amount of time the Argentinians spend with their national team – most of their big names have played just three Tests this year, having opted out of the routine World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Uruguay.
In addition, the World Cup draw has been thoroughly unpleasant to them. Their 'reward' for beating Ireland in 1999 – courtesy of Albanese's try, which ensured him lasting hero status – and reaching the quarter-finals was to be put in the hardest pool, alongside the resurgent Irish and hosts Australia in 2003.
They lost by a point to Ireland, which gave them a seeding outside the top eight for 2007, when they will again face the Wallabies and Ireland. If the draw were based on world ranking, the Pumas would be in a far easier pool.
Albanese's opinions of the situation are unprintable, like much of what he says. He claims that his English has deteriorated, but he retains the ability to swear prodigiously in his second language. F-words and worse come out in torrents, but they are delivered with such innocence and charm that even the sternest maiden aunt might not take offence.
Argentina, though, are accustomed to coping with adversity, and given the ability and attitude of their players, they could cause upsets both tomorrow and next year.
"We've got the quality," said Albanese. "And rugby over here is about playing for the shirt and for your family. Perhaps that's why Argentinian players do well in Europe.
"I think we've got a lot of technical ability. Especially in the scrum. It is not about who is the most powerful. It is about technique. In other countries, people think about the battle between one prop and another prop. For us, the scrum is about the unit – the co-ordinated push."
In terms of finance and structure, Argentina are a third-world rugby nation. But in terms of talent and enthusiasm – if Albanese is anything to go by – they are up with the best.
sam.wheeler@ypn.co.uk