Cardiff, UK: Veteran Marcos Ayerza will give no quarter in Sunday's World Cup last eight clash but the Argentinian prop has much in common with his Irish opponents.
The 32-year-old -- one of the few remaining players to have been part of the Pumas side that lit up the 2007 World Cup by reaching the semi-finals --has Irish roots and a love of horse racing, becoming very involved in the family stud farm and even calling one of his horses Welford Road after the home ground of his English club Leicester Tigers.
"Horses and horse racing, it's huge in my family, it started from my grandfather," said Ayerza, who has been a stalwart of the Tigers and Pumas scrums for nearly a decade.
"My father and myself have some horses back in Argentina in our farm over there, the stud and yes I do have a horse called Welford Road."
Ayerza says he is very proud of his Irish roots and that it is natural he should have a love of horses given the tradition of the Irish and the four-legged animal.
"Of course I'm one-sixteenth Irish as well: my great-great grandfather was David O'Connor, who came from Ireland," said Ayerza.
AFP
