So, what do you get when you cross a puma and a tiger? No, it’s not a trick question! You get Marcos Ayerza, celebrating his tenth year as a Leicester Tiger, with a deserved testimonial season.
Marcos has made over 190 appearances for the Tigers and here I ask him some questions about his rugby life.
What was your first involvement in rugby in Buenos Aires?
My first involvement in the game started due to coming from a very rugby-oriented family. My father played rugby, my elder cousins, brother and so my destiny was to play rugby from being a boy.
I remember in the summer holidays we would meet up with family and one of the most recurrent topics was always rugby!
In Buenos Aires there are a lot of rugby schools and clubs where most people would join, normally because it was your parents’ club or family club or your school club, and it all starts officially there.
Where did you play and what was your position (were you always destined to be a prop)?
Apart from hooker I can tell you that I have played in every position in the forwards pack!
When I was younger, I was one of the first to grow and so I started playing in the second row. Then as a teenager I was supposedly quite fast and my hands were good, so I played at number eight and even at centre! Then through the years I went to seven and then to the front row, and have stayed there since I was eighteen years of age.
Which was your grassroots club?
My grassroots club would be my school when I was little, called St. Brendan’s. I was nine years old and started playing there. Then at twelve years old I moved to play at what I consider my amateur club and that was called Cardinal Newman in Buenos Aires.
Do you have business interests in Argentina or the UK and what would you have done had you not played professionally?
I have some business interests in both Argentina and in the UK.
I am a thoroughbred horse breeder back home with my family and had a business running for five years importing horse feed from the UK through probably Europe’s biggest horse feed manufacturer (Dodson and Horrell).
I shipped, stored and distributed in Argentina for those years. Then after some political reasons I was not allowed to keep importing the feed and had to leave my clients with no more feed. I was especially gutted myself as a breeder.
After this experience I started looking at the import/export and commodities business using the rugby network to grow and explore different opportunities. I am now working with a friend and business partner and also a rugby player Mariano Sambucetti in commodities trading.
If I wasn’t a rugby player or when my rugby is over I think I would be a horse breeder and an entrepreneur. I like the challenges of getting new business opportunities running. The commodity sector and the import/export business is a really tough world but very interesting as well.
How did Geosynthetics become your player sponsor at Tigers and do you do any promotional work with them outside of match days, corporate events?
Geosynthetics have been my sponsor for some years now. Originally I think the club put us together but I would like to think they have chosen me every year since (laughs!). We have a very good relationship with them through this and occasionally even though my job keeps me busy, I have been able to do things outside rugby match days with them as well.
Do you have time for any other interests?
Professional rugby is very demanding in every aspect. Not only physically, but also mentally. The stress and pressure levels are always very high. So post match down time at home can lead to the development of other activities or passions.
Just looking at preparing for life after rugby is something that normally helps even with your current rugby.
I always say that this way when you are focused in rugby your mind and body is fully determined and concentrated on what you are doing. When you turn to other activities you are better at both because you can switch better.
If you don’t, sometimes you get mentally drained with one just activity and so this duality helps in both arenas.
What events are planned for your testimonial year?
I am honoured to have been awarded a testimonial year by a committee of people who are doing a great job. The testimonial starts on the 9th of October 2014 with a launch dinner at Welford Road, where I will be joined by the likes of Tom Croft, Tom Youngs, Geoff Parling and Dan Cole.
This is followed by a Captain’s dinner in Lincoln featuring Louis Deacon, Geordan Murphy and Ed Slater. Then 2014 finishes with the traditional and ever popular Ladies Night in December.
2015 is predominantly dinners and lunches in London throughout the Six Nations and leading up to the World Cup. We are also finalising a testimonial game in the New Year together with another ex Tiger and an old favourite up at Welford Road…watch this space for details!
All events information will be posted on the testimonial website the committee has set up that is: www.matestimonial.com.
How does grassroots or even professional rugby get supported in Argentina, it’s a popular sport but does it get overlooked for funding by football and perhaps even polo?
Rugby has grown a lot in Argentina since the 2007 World Cup success in which we finished third in France. This brought back a lot of media, sponsors and people’s attention towards rugby. Nowadays it’s the third most supported sport in Argentina and we have so many players and leagues that are well regarded.
One of the main challenges the Argentinean Rugby Union faces is the changes that rugby is suffering in Argentina with the increase in number of fixtures in the calendar.
The national teams inclusion in the Rugby Championship alongside Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and also the possibility in 2016 of joining the Super Rugby franchise means players maintaining their place in professional domestic teams is hard.
All these changes are very good as a rugby nation but we need to focus attention and try to persuade fans to follow their team not just for the odd game in June in Buenos Aires but all year and all around Argentina. This challenge is being dealt with well and will keep growing I think.
Having said that, I think Argentina’s main sport is still football and Government funding always goes towards the Football federation, although with what’s happening in football and how rugby has grown the last seven to ten years, this is starting to change.
Argentina becoming part of the Rugby Championship must have been good for the profile of the sport back home?
The Pumas inclusion in the Rugby Championship from 2012 was a historic moment for Argentinean Rugby and is definitely increasing the profile of rugby in the country for sure.
There are still people, sponsors and even the Unión getting used to this huge change and the challenge is there to keep it growing.
Marcos, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to me, especially as you are away preparing for the Rugby Championship. The very best of luck and I will be following your progress. I shall also be looking forward to you getting back to the Tigers squad in October!
Please take the time to check out Marcos’ testimonial details and events.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter @PentersPR. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and @LWOSWorld, as well as “liking” our Facebook page.
Don’t forget to check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert for the latest in Sports injuries.
