No regrets for Pumas legend who just completed last hurrah

No regrets for Agustín Creevy. The former Puma captain, who retired from international rugby in last year’s Rugby Championship after 110 caps, and from the professional at the end of the recent European season, had one final game left in his tank.

And his departing words was that, in his immense joy, “there are no regrets.”

A true star of the game, at 40, he finally hung his boots. So much, that his local club gave him a special board with two pegs to physically hang his boots, which he did in front of club mates, friends and family after San Luis lost against Belgrano Athletic in Buenos Aires’s Top 12 Championship.

Having started playing rugby at 12 in San Luis, one of the top clubs in the city of La Plata, in the periphery of Buenos Aires, true to Argentine fashion, the love for club and colours need him to close his long and illustrious career wearing the blue and red of his club.

Joseph on what he expects from Boks

Joseph on what he expects from Boks

A flanker and number eight growing up, he made his senior debut in April 2004, 21 years ago. Two months before playing for Los Pumitas U21s, he won his first cap at flanker against Japan in 2005. His first two caps were at openside flanker and with the future at his feet, he moved to Biarritz where he stayed for three seasons; injuries and homesickness interfered and his young career stalled.

Los Pumas had won the bronze medal in Rugby World Cup 2007 without him and an out of favour Creevy had no future as a loose forward, unless he moved to hooker, as then coach Santiago Phelan told him.

“All I did in my life was to be able to play for Argentina,” he repeated many times over his very long career.

If that meant reigniting his career as a hooker, that he did. In 2009, he was released by Biarritz and San Luis opened their arms and helped him learn the new skills needed for the new position. Within a year, he was second choice to Mario Ledesma and played in his first Rugby World Cup in 2011.

As the first batch of Argentine based professionals, he led Pampas XV in an embryonic team that played in South Africa and generated future Pumas and Jaguares over the next few years.

With future foe Ledesma retired, an untimely injury cost him his place in the first Rugby Championship and he would not start a full international until 2014.

In 2011 he signed for Montpellier, his third French club – he had spent three months as medical joker at Clermont two seasons earlier. In his two years in central

France he became, over 43 games, a fan favourite. His good humour, smiling presence, accessibility and rugby prowess made him a much-loved player in every team he played for.

A move to England in 2013 showed his commitment. In his first season with Worcester Warriors, the club was relegated. A new Puma coach, named Creevy, until then a perennial number 16, captain; yet he still chose to stay for another season in the West Midlands until the club regained Premiership status. He is still worshipped in the city.

With Jaguares joining Super Rugby in 2016, Creevy was a marquee player, earning probably one of the highest salaries in the tournament, enjoying the return home.

He shone for the Argentine franchise which he led with distinction in its four and a bit seasons of existence, leading them to a much-remembered final loss against the Crusaders in 2019.

Later that year, no longer a Puma captain, he lost his place as a starting hooker in Japan 2019 but he never stopped supporting future Puma captain and centurion Julián Montoya.

When Jaguares folded due to COVID-19, he returned to England to join London Irish where he played three seasons until the club was dropped from the Premiership for financial difficulties.

Having fallen out of favour with former teammate Ledesma, now his third national coach, he was dropped until Cheika replaced Ledesma and brought back to the

Puma fold for two final seasons, including his fourth Rugby World Cup in France.

At 38, still playing at a high level, he fielded many offers to return to France but chose to stay in England. Whilst his wife and daughter stayed in London, he commuted to Manchester on a weekly basis where he played for the Sale Sharks.

His professional swansong was in a mentorship capacity at Benetton, in Italy, again commuting from the Veneto Region to London to visit the family. He played seven games in the URC. The curtain finally fell in 2025, 21 seasons after that first game for San Luis.

“I wanted to play one final game in the club that formed me as a player, where I made some of my best mates. San Luis is my life. I was happy here and the club has been by my side when I needed them,” he said on a grey Saturday afternoon.

“It is not a goodbye, only the end of an era; I am not leaving as I will continue to help from wherever I am needed.”

An emotional in-house ceremony at the end of that game had him finding it hard to control his emotions.

“I am who I am in rugby thanks to my club. I have my family and my friends here. Rugby gave me the joy of playing for Los Pumas and that was the flag I always chased. All I did was to play for Argentina.”

He garnered the utmost respect of teammates and opponents. Double World Cup champion Keven Mealamu was one of those, as you can see in any video of the games they played against each other the respect with which they treated each other after the final whistle.

A hooker that ran as a flanker, passed like a back, coined the nickname Sonny Bill for his premier offloading, and with time became a better than average hooker, is no longer a player. After eight minutes of hard toil for his club, he called it a day.

His future is open but recently started a career as a Youtuber. His charisma is made for television or social media.

“I gave my all to rugby. It is time to think a little bit about my family needs. I don’t regret anything, so I am very happy that it has come to an end where it all started.”