Rugby World Cup 2015: You'd have to be loco to mistake nicknames

By Pablo San Roman

AAP·

23 Oct, 2015 04:00 PM2 mins to read

Winger Santiago Cordero goes under the cuddly name of "Fluff." Photo / AP

Ernesto "Che" Guevara earned the rugby nom de guerre "fuser" because of his fierce tackling and Argentina's World Cup team are keeping up his revolutionary style, though their nicknames are not so intimidating.

The Pumas go into their semifinal against Australia at Twickenham on Sunday with a coach known as "Egg" and a star kicker called "Puppy".

Winger Santiago Cordero goes under the cuddly name of "Fluff."

The Spanish language is famous for inventiveness in creating affectionate names, but Australia would be making a mistake if they took them at face value.

At an Argentinian press conference this week one player responded to a question by saying "ask Egg".

"Who's Egg?" said a puzzled Australian journalist before Pumas coach, Daniel Hourcade, stepped in to reveal his alias.

The nickname comes from his childhood when his brother Luis decided his head looked like an egg.

"Sometimes people call me by my real name and I do not realise they are talking to me," said Hourcade. "I am the Egg."

Five-eighths Nicolas Sanchez, one of the most senior players in the squad, is known as "Puppy", but only because his older brother was "Dog". Santiago Cordero is known as "Corderito" because of his family name, which means lamb.

He is also called "Fluff".

"I am called this because I have a lot of hair everywhere," Cordero joked.

Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe is known as "Cork". His mother gave him the name because he was a plump child.