 Nunez Piossek signed for Glasgow in September |
When Jose Maria Nunez Piossek took to the field for Argentina against Scotland in June, little did he know that he'd soon be calling many of the opposition team-mates a few months later.But that's exactly what happened, thanks to fellow Argentine and Glasgow Warriors full back Bernardo Stortoni. "I played against Scotland in Rosario in the first Test match," said Nunez Piossek. "I'm good friends with Bernie and before the match we were joking about the Scottish players. He told me which ones were his team-mates at Glasgow. "It's funny because I didn't know too much about them then, but now we are becoming good friends." The move to Glasgow came as a surprise to some, including Nunez Piossek himself, having retired from the professional game this time last year.  | What I do notice is that in Glasgow the people are very friendly, they are being really kind and that makes me and my family feel welcome. |
"I'd been in France for a few years and, before the World Cup, I got injured," he said. "I recovered in time to play in a friendly against Belgium but got injured again. "After that, my state of mind was poor, because I'd worked so hard to be fit for the World Cup. I thought my body was letting me down. I decided I was too old to play professional rugby, so I retired. "I moved from France back to South America, but in March the new coach of Argentina called me and asked me to play for the Pumas again. I told him I would try, that I would start training. "It felt good, I started playing for my local club, Huirapuca, and then the Pumas. When the national team got together in the summer, Bernie told me that I would be joining him at Glasgow. I told him that he must be joking, I wasn't going to play professionally again. "But he kept saying it and eventually my agent spoke to Sean Lineen and here I am." Argentina's top try scorer, with 30 tries in 30 Tests - including an astonishing nine in one match against Paraguay - made his first appearance in front of the home crowd in this month's Heineken Cup defeat by Bath, replacing the injured Lome Fa'atau in the first half. "It felt good to play at Firhill," he said. "I'm not arrogant, but at 32 years old I've played a lot of matches. "When I'm on the field, they all look the same to me. I focus completely on the match and don't notice the rest of my surroundings. Yes, every place is different, but my way to concentrate is not to look beyond the pitch. | MY SPORT: DEBATE |
"What I do notice is that in Glasgow the people are very friendly, they are being really kind and that makes me and my family feel welcome. " With two Magners League matches and the 1872 Cup up for grabs against old rivals Edinburgh, Nunez Piossek's Glasgow team-mates have wasted no time explaining the importance of the fixtures. "I've heard about the history of the cup, that it was first played a long time ago and that it's very special match because it's against Edinburgh, the only other professional team in Scotland," he said. "Edinburgh want to beat Glasgow and we want to beat them. It will be great and I'm very excited about being part of that match."
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