Beyond the tries: Rodrigo Isgró and the love of simplicity

-What brought you to Mendoza these days?

A year ago, I started working with Max Capital, a financial company that helps me manage my finances and supports me. For me, it's key to have support that values ​​both my sports career and my personality. I look for long-term relationships, not just one-off deals, and they share those values.

Rodrigo Isgró

Marcelo Álvarez / Los Andes

- You mentioned your grandmother, what does she mean to you?

She's very important to me. She's the only grandmother I have left, and she can't travel to Europe. That's why I take advantage of every time I return to be with her. I'm the only son, and I've always been her favorite.

Do you feel that your sporting life has changed since the 2020 Olympic Games and the Olympic medal?

A lot. I lived in Buenos Aires for four years playing for Puma Seven, where I found a family and achieved great things. Making my debut with Los Pumas and playing in a World Cup were dreams come true. I'm happy to continue on the team.

What has your experience been like playing abroad?

-I was apprehensive at first, but the offer from Harlequins FC was an incredible opportunity. I was very well received; the club and my teammates made the adjustment easier. It was a great learning experience both personally and athletically. It was a very positive year. I grew a lot as a person and as a player. Plus, I was fortunate enough to receive many visits from family and friends, which made the distance easier.

-Have you been able to play several games this year?

- Quite a few, much more than I played before. Here in England, 15-a-side rugby is a different challenge than sevens, because there are matches every weekend. In sevens, you play a circuit, then take a break to get back to training and prepare for another. Here, the pace is constant; you train all week for a match every weekend, and that really excited me. During the season, three championships are played simultaneously, although some start earlier and others later. There's the local cup, which they call the Prem Cup here, then the Premiership, which is the English league, and the Champions Cup, which is like the European Cup. This year, I played in all three tournaments.

- You mentioned that your focus is always on Los Pumas.

My decision to go to England also has to do with wanting to be with Los Pumas, because I knew it was the way to grow, to keep improving. Every time I train or play, I think about being called up and wearing the jersey. It's pure passion. Wearing the Pumas jersey is something very special, a feeling that can't be explained with words, it can only be felt. I've always dreamed of it, and today being able to fight for a spot makes me very happy.

- What did you feel the day you were chosen as the best player in the world?

I keep it close to my heart. Personal awards were never a goal for me; I always competed with myself to be better, but without thinking about being the best. That day surpassed anything I could have imagined. I remember it was right after the World Cup in France, and the awards ceremony was in a place where all the world champion players from South Africa were present. Being there, surrounded by the idols you saw on posters and admired, was incredible. I never felt like an equal, but that day I did.

- Do you remember anyone who left a mark on you during your childhood or early years?

- Yes, Taity Viazo, a coach at my club when I was 16. During a rainy preseason, he used to say to us: "Why can't the best under-16 player in the world be from Mendoza?" He wouldn't let us get away, he made us run until we were exhausted, and when I got the award, I remembered that phrase. He was right.

- What do you value most today?

Beyond the titles and awards, what I remember most are the moments with my teammates, the days off, the shared mates, the locker room. That's what truly remains. On TV, you only see the beautiful things, but behind them, there are many things that aren't shown, both the good and the difficult, and I try to enjoy everything.

Rodrigo Isgró

Marcelo Álvarez / Los Andes

- Have you had a hard time staying motivated?

- Yes, of course. There are tough days, moments when you miss it, others when you just don't feel like it, but the Los Pumas jersey is what drives me every day. That makes me always strive to be my best.

- You've experienced key moments with Los Pumas: the Olympic Games, the medal in Tokyo, the World Cup, and now the victory against the Lions.

— Yes, I'm privileged to have been there during those moments. But for me, the most important thing isn't just the titles or awards, but the group, the teammates, with whom you share everything.

- What was it like for you to play against the Lions?

- It was crazy, a privilege. Only two Pumas teams in history have had that opportunity. And for me, the most special thing was sharing it with my lifelong friends and my dad outside the game. Sometimes it's not the moment that matters, but who you experience it with.

- What did 2023 and 2024 mean to you?

- 2023 was my first full year with the Pumas. I made my World Cup debut and fulfilled my dream. But in 2024, I had to rethink a lot of things because I had already achieved almost all of my goals and didn't know what I wanted. It was a year of finding new motivations, not only in rugby but also in how to give back to my family and my club for everything they'd given me. Starting over, learning, and fighting in England was difficult, but it challenged me again, and that keeps me motivated.

- Did you have support in this process and decision to go to Europe?

- Yes, I was very lucky to have former Pumas players at my club, like Fede Méndez, with whom I have a close relationship. He helped me a lot when I left, gave me advice, and was always there. Also with Tati Viazo, the coach who influenced me when I was a kid. I feel like they've experienced what I'm experiencing and I can learn from their experiences.

- And how do you see yourself in the future?

I feel like I still have a lot of work to do to truly feel like a part of Los Pumas, not just from the outside. For me, it's something internal, a feeling I'd like to achieve. I wake up every day grateful, eager to continue growing, and, above all, enjoying the process. Because in the end, the most important thing isn't getting there, but how you experience the journey.

- Your parents are fundamental in this life with rugby

-Yes, and I can count on one hand the games my dad and mom weren't there. I think I would have if I hadn't had their support, because not everyone is lucky enough to have their mom take them to practice. Not everyone is lucky enough to have their dad wait for them to practice or pick them up. They helped me achieve my dream.

Although his current life is focused on European rugby, Rodrigo makes it clear that his main motivation remains wearing the Los Pumas jersey. “Every time I train or play, I think about that. It's a feeling I can't explain. I've dreamed of being there my whole life,” he confesses.

He may have won medals, trophies and awards, but Rodrigo is still the boy who dreamed of playing for Los Pumas , " the one who listened to his dad tell him that the important thing was to give it his all," the one who values ​​a mate with his friends more than a photo on the podium.

Rodrigo Isgró isn't dazzled by what he's achieved. He marvels at what he's experienced. And that, perhaps, is his greatest achievement.