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Revenge spurs Creevy

The vastly experienced hooker still vividly remembers the pain and hurt he and his countrymen felt when beaten 15-29 by the Wallabies in a World Cup semifinal at Twickenham a year ago.

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That loss and the subsequent defeat by South Africa in the third-place play-off was a disappointing way for the Pumas to bow out of a tournament where they won a host of new admirers around the world with their new adventurous, attacking style.

Revenge spurs CreevyHaving managed to record just a single victory in their five Championship matches so far this season, and with crucial World Cup points at stake, the Pumas need to bounce back from a crushing 17-36 defeat by tournament winners and reigning world champions New Zealand in Buenos Aires last weekend.

But Creevy was confident the Twickenham effect, allied to passionate support from Argentinian fans, can help return his side to winning ways.

"Losing that semi-final to Australia hurt a lot and there is something of a feeling of revenge for us. That is also the case with losing to them [20-36] in Perth a few weeks ago," Creevy told reporters at Twickenham on Friday.

"It is also a wonderful opportunity for us to play again at Twickenham, one of the nicest in the world and scene of so many good memories of a year ago. It is a very important place for the history of rugby and I will never forget those World Cup memories.

"But hopefully, this time, we can get the right result and get our second win of this season's Championship. Playing Australia here will bring us some good luck. Playing a home Championship game outside Argentina is an exciting experience and we feel very comfortable. We feel very much at home here.

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Revenge spurs Creevy"We had incredible support during the World Cup, and for that semifinal. And we are expecting many Argentinian fans to support us during the game, with around 50,000 people expected to watch. There is a big Argentinian population in England and hopefully, as many of them as possible can come along.

"It is also a very important game for us in terms of the World Cup rankings. If we can beat them [Australia] here, it will help our ranking a lot."

The Pumas' only Rugby Championship victory over Australia came two years ago when they upset the Wallabies 21-17 in Mendoza. And with Australia bringing some young blood into their pack, Creevy hopes his hardened forwards can capitalise on the Wallabies relative inexperience.

"Australia have made many changes but are still a strong team. They have brought some young players in but we also have a few inexperienced players. It is going to be a really hard game but we will be ready for it and I am feeling good about what we can do to them.

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"The forward battle will be hard and physical, and will be the important one of the game. We have to be strong in that area, and control the game as much as we can," he added.

Agence France-Presse

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