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The long wait is over; Argentina is finally set to have a player with 100 test caps. Agustín Creevy is the first Puma in history to reach the milestone. At the age of 38, Creevy will play his 100th test match on Saturday. He will feature as a replacement against South Africa in Buenos Aires.
In a test career of two full decades, Creevy has experienced highs and lows. He debuted as a flanker against Japan in April 2005. 6678 days later he becomes the first Puma to complete 100 test caps.
The ever-determined Creevy converted from flanker to hooker in 2009. It changed his career forever. He had 3 caps before he became a hooker. He went on to play six test matches in 2010 and six more in 2011. He was deputy to Mario Ledesma at that year’s World Cup.
Ledesma’s final match was at the World Cup. Creevy replaced Ledesma in the Quarter Final loss against New Zealand in Auckland. It marked the end of one era with a new one already underway. Creevy went on to become one of the greatest Pumas. He captained his country to historic Rugby Championship wins over Australia and South Africa and lead his country to the Semi Final of the World Cup in 2015.
His professional career has also been long. Creevy played in the Top 14 as a flanker for Biarritz. He also briefly played for Clermont before coming to life as a flanker for Montpellier. Creevy features in Super Rugby for Los Jaguares and has also played in the English Premiership for the Worcester Warriors and London Irish. He will join the Sale Sharks after Rugby World Cup 2023.
In addition to reaching the milestone, another notable point is the decision of where to reach 100 caps. Creevy was intentionally rested from Argentina’s match 2023 Rugby Championship against South Africa in Johannesburg. This allows him to earn his 100th cap in Buenos Aires.
Two other Pumas have over 90 caps. Nicolás Sánchez needs three more to reach 100 while Pablo Matera is six short. Matera is notably younger than both Creevy and Sánchez. He has a very strong opportunity of reaching 100 caps in 2023.
Between now and the World Cup, Argentina face South Africa in Buenos Aires and Spain in Madrid. Los Pumas have pool matches at the World Cup against England, Samoa, Chile and Japan. If Argentina advance to the Quarter Finals or further and Matera remains fit then he will certainly reach 100 caps this year.
The following table shows lists Argentina’s most capped players. Players in bold are active. Caps include matches that have already been played. For this reason Creevy is listed on 99 caps.
| PLAYER | POS | YEARS | CAPS |
| Agustín Creevy | HK | 2005- | 99 |
| Nicolás Sánchez | FH | 2010- | 97 |
| Pablo Matera | N8 | 2013- | 94 |
| Tomás Cubelli | SH | 2010- | 88 |
| Julián Montoya | HK | 2014- | 88 |
| Felipe Contepomi | CE | 1998-2013 | 87 |
| Juan Manuel Leguizamón | N8 | 2005-2019 | 87 |
| Matías Alemanno | LO | 2014- | 84 |
| Lisandro Arbizu | CE | 1990-2005 | 86 |
| Rolando Martín | FL | 1994-2003 | 86 |
| Mario Ledesma | HK | 1996-2011 | 85 |
| Martín Landajo | SH | 2008-2018 | 84 |
| Tomás Lavanini | LO | 2013- | 81 |
| Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro | LH | 2010- | 78 |
| Jerónimo de la Fuente | CE | 2014- | 75 |
| Guido Petti | LO | 2014- | 73 |
| Matías Moroni | CE | 2014- | 72 |
| Agustín Pichot | SH | 1995-2007 | 71 |
The table demonstrates that captain Julián Montoya is now among the top 5 capped Pumas. There are not enough remaining test matches in 2023 for him to reach 100 Pumas caps. He should do so in 2024.
Veteran scrum-half Tomás Cubelli is yet to play a test match in 2023. He is tied with Montoya on 88 caps. Second-rowers Matías Alemanno and Tomás Lavanini have 84 and 81 caps respectively. Both men will be able to target 100 caps in the years after RWC 2023.
