Argentina Get RWC Boost as Two World-Class Coaches Join Contepomi’s Staff

Argentina has added two world-class coaches to Felipe Contepomi’s Los Pumas coaching staff. Weeks out from the resumption of the Nations Championship, Shaun Edwards and Mario Ledesma join Contepomi’s staff to take control of defense and forwards & scrum coaching roles respectively. Edwards and Ledesma join immediately with their terms lasting until the completion of Rugby World Cup 2027.

 

For Mario Ledesma the appointment marks a return. The former Pumas hooker from Rugby World Cups 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 was head coach of Argentina at Rugby World Cup 2019. He coached Los Pumas to their first ever win over New Zealand but was replaced ahead of Rugby World Cup 2023 by Michael Cheika in 2022.

Shaun Edwards is a new arrival in a new country. He was defensive coach for France for seven years and enjoyed success with France winning the Six Nations in 2022, 2025 and 2026. Before coaching France, Edwards was the mastermind behind the Welsh defense from 2008 to 2019 under Warren Gatland.

 

PROFILE – MARIO LEDESMA

A player who emerged from Curupaytí, a club where he played until 2001, he wore the Los Pumas jersey in 84 matches between 1996 and 2011 and competed in four World Cups (1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011), with the third-place finish in 2007 standing out as the highest point. In France, he played for Narbonne (2001–2003), Castres (2003–2005), and Clermont (2005–2011), with whom he won the Challenge Cup in his first year and the Top 14 title in 2010.

Ledesma began his coaching career at Stade Français (2011–2012), where he served as an assistant under Michael Cheika. He then moved to Montpellier (2012–2014), also as an assistant, accompanying Fabien Galthié, and in 2014 rejoined Cheika at the Waratahs before following him to the Australian national team as forwards coach. He held that position until 2017 and reached the 2015 World Cup final with the Wallabies. In 2017, he took over as head coach of Jaguares, and in 2018, he transitioned to lead Los Pumas, a role he held until February 2022. He joins the national team staff following his recent work as a consultant for the Game Department and as head coach of the URBA U17 representative team.

 

PROFILE – SHAUN EDWARDS

Born in the city of Wigan, England. Considered the most successful coach in Six Nations history with seven titles, Shaun Edwards joins Los Pumas after a seven-year stint as France’s defence coach (2019–2026), with whom he won three Six Nations titles (2022, 2025, and 2026), the 2022 Grand Slam, and reached the world number 1 ranking.

Prior to that, between 2008 and 2019, he served as the defence coach for Wales, guiding the national team to four Six Nations titles (2008, 2012, 2013, and 2019)—three of them Grand Slams (2008, 2012, and 2019)—and also reaching the world number 1 spot in 2019. As head coach of Wasps (2002–2011), he conquered two Champions Cups (2004 and 2007), one Challenge Cup (2003), four English Premiership titles (2003, 2004, 2005, and 2008), and the Anglo-Welsh Trophy (2006). As a player, he starred for the English rugby league team Wigan Warriors between 1983 and 1997, a legendary run that made him the most decorated player in the northern hemisphere with 37 titles.

Name	Role	Country	Background / Context
Felipe Contepomi	Head Coach	Argentina	Former legendary fly-half (87 caps), promoted from assistant coach to lead the team through the 2027 World Cup.
Mario Ledesma	Forwards & Scrum Coach	Argentina	Former Pumas Head Coach (2018–2022) who returned to the staff to replace Andrés Bordoy.
Shaun Edwards	Defence Coach	England	The highly decorated English coach who joined the staff after a seven-year stint building France’s elite defensive system.
Kendrick Lynn	Attack & Backs Coach	New Zealand	New Zealander brought in from the Super Rugby Highlanders structure to run the offensive patterns.
Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe	Lineout & Ruck Assistant	Argentina	Former Pumas captain who remains a key technical asset transitioned from the previous coaching era.
Juan Covassi	Head of Physical Preparation	Argentina	Oversees the athletic conditioning, sports science, and high-performance training regimens.
Andrés Charadía	Strength & Conditioning Coach	Argentina	Works alongside Covassi managing the physical power baselines of the squad.
Felipe Llorente	Team Logistics Manager	Argentina	Coordinates the global travel, operational movement, and camp coordination for the team.
Dr. Conrado López Alonso	Chief Medical Officer	Argentina	Manages player medical assessments, match-day safety protocols, and injury rehabilitation.