LA PLATA, Argentina (Reuters) – Veteran former Argentina captain Agustin Creevy will make a decision about whether he quits rugby altogether after playing his last international for the Pumas on Saturday.
The 39-year-old came on for a late eight-minute cameo as Argentina were beaten in the last minute by Australia in their Rugby Championship clash in La Plata.
Creevy got a loud roar from the crowd when he ran on as a substitute in his home town after announcing before the game it would be the perfect place to end a 19-year career with the Pumas after 110 caps.
But he could yet continue at club level.
“I will think about whether I want to continue playing professional rugby,” he said after Saturday’s 20-19 defeat.
Creevy’s family are based in Britain and he played last season at Sale Sharks, but was released in May. He suggested he might seek a further playing opportunity there but has promised a return to his first club San Luis, where he began his career as a loose forward before moving to hooker.
“I promised people that I will play again, and I will keep my promise, at least one game. If everything goes well, and I don’t find a club or something that catches my attention, I will go around the beginning of October, and if not, it will be next year.”
He said he was also interested in a future coaching career. “It may be that I like the idea, I think it’s important and it’s good.”
Creevy is the only Argentine to compete at four World Cups and an iconic figure in the game.
“I would like to be remembered, but not for what I did on the field. I would like to be remembered by my teammates, who would say, ‘what a great time we had, how we enjoyed this, how we enjoyed that’.
“I think that enjoyment is the important part of rugby. It is more about the person than about rugby,” he told reporters.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Chopra)
