Diego Ormaechea is held in such high regard in his native Uruguay that, having finally brought the curtain down on his illustrious career in 2001, he was offered the national coaching job the instant he revealed a desire to coach.
One of Uruguay’s leading horse racing veterinarians, Ormaechea captained his country in their finest hour at Rugby World Cup 1999, the No 8 scoring the first try in a 27-15 debut defeat of Spain at Galashiels.
The oldest player in the history of the World Cup, the then 40 year old retired from the international stage following Uruguay’s 39-3 defeat by South Africa with a national record 66 caps and 14 tries to his name.
Renowned for his hard-hitting defence, Ormaechea then took a year out before returning to play another season for the Carrasco Polo Club with whom he won 13 national championships in total.
Ormaechea, who made his international debut in 1979, did not have the best of starts as Uruguay coach with three defeats to open their Rugby World Cup qualifying campaign.
However the values that Ormaechea has instilled in his team shone through and three victories at home in Montevideo, including first ever Test successes against Canada and the United States, saw them qualify.