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PARIS - The Pumamania that has gripped Argentines since the Pumas reached the rugby World Cup quarterfinals could turn into their team's own worst enemy.
Argentina, who have shown great concentration and willpower in their pursuit of World Cup glory, are having to work harder than ever at keeping their feet on the ground as they prepare for Monday's quarterfinal against Scotland.
"There are demands we make of ourselves that are manageable and there are many more demands coming from outside or from people who don't know much about rugby," lock Patricio Albacete said today.
"The other day someone was doing a radio interview and asking if we were already on a level with the All Blacks," he told reporters.
"Do you see how delirious people are getting?
"That's why we must keep our feet on the ground, not believe ourselves to be better than we are, know who we are and stay that way."
One of Argentina's main virtues has been the way players have kept a cool head, stuck to a game plan and not allowed the occasional setback in a match to unsettle them.
Their match preparation centres on talking things through as a squad and never believing themselves to be superior to any of their opponents.
"For me it's almost 80 per cent (of the job)," the two-metres tall, 26-year-old Albacete said.
"We have to go (into the game) fully concentrated, very calm without giving much importance to what is being said around us, the press, what our relatives tell us about the people in Argentina."
The Pumas' success at the tournament has gripped people in Argentina to the extent that rugby has pushed football, the national game, into second place.
Argentina have also been obliged by tournament organisers to move to a designated hotel for quarterfinalists that is in a busier part of Paris, albeit the affluent and beautiful Neuilly-sur-Seine, and is less quiet than their former suburban base.
"We have to keep to one side of what's happening, especially here at the hotel which is not as reserved as the other.
"The fact is we were comfortable, isolated, with no-one bothering us," Albacete said.
"If someone came to see you they had to ask permission first, you had to go and fetch them (from the door), we'd already got on good terms with the staff."
Albacete said Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were expected to reach the last four.
"They are very strong rugby nations, who are showing a high standard.
"The surprise is us in these quarterfinals. Some didn't even expect us to qualify, others thought surely not in first place, so even the French underestimated us.
"I'm not sure whether the standard of the (European teams) dropped or the others' grew.
"I think France still have a very good level. Maybe due to our own merits they couldn't develop their game in the opening match (won 17-12 by Argentina) or lacked confidence."
- REUTERS
