'He was a true friend': Gryzz Wyllie's impact on Argentine rugby

The debt of gratitude Argentine rugby has with Alex Wyllie is bigger than many outside of this country can acknowledge.

When news of his death surfaced, many that came under his mentorship between 1996 and 1999 were hugely thankful and appreciative of what he did for them, for the team and Argentine rugby.

‘Grizz’ was gruff, grumpy, his voice harsh, spoke hard truths but in time, after sharing his positive vision of the game and his vast knowledge, getting understood and himself understanding what Argentines were made of, he was a true friend.

If you scratched under his exterior, he was a solid guy. Wyllie’s first contact with Argentine rugby was coaching against Los Pumas in the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and later head coaching the All Blacks to series’ wins in 1989 at home and in an unbeaten tour of Argentina in 1991.

The following year he was invited to work with the national team ahead of a tour of Europe.

He was on his way home from Europe and stopped in Buenos Aires for a week. After beating Spain and Romania, Argentina beat France for the first time ever in France.

That night in Nantes is etched in history. Four years, later, in 1996, when he finished coaching Transvaal in South Africa, he joined Los Pumas for a series against the Springboks in Buenos Aires and, days after, a tour of England.

Twickenham all but fell; the two point loss should have been a win. Head coach was José Luis Imhoff, father of future test wing Juan, who immediately embraced Wyllie’s knowledge.

Hired on a weekly basis, 1997 was a busy year for Wyllie who, when back at home, never ceased to be a farmer. He was in Argentina ahead of the shared series against England and then returned back home wearing Puma colours for an infamous tour.

After horrible weather in the buildup, Wellington brought its finest weather for the opening test. Trying to earn some much needed advantage against arguably one of the best ever All Blacks’ teams, he chose to get to Athletic Park at the eleventh hour.

He argued within the team the All Blacks would get nervous if they thought Los Pumas were a no-show. Los Pumas warmed up in a nearby park but because of traffic had to leave much earlier than expected and the desired effect was nowhere to be seen.

New Zealand 93 – Argentina 8. After the four week tour, the U21s arrived in Christchurch ahead of the U21 Southern Hemisphere Tournament in Sydney. That is where Wyllie was at his best – there was less pressure and he had a much better rapport with the coaches.

He smiled a lot, something hard to identify under his huge moustache, and even dropped a tear at the end of the tour when the team containing future World Rugby Hall of Famer and current Puma coach Felipe Contepomi and thirteen future internationals – including eight who played in RWCs – presented him with a signed jersey.

After that tour, things had to change and players firmly believed in what Wyllie had to offer and his vision on the modern, professional, game.

Head coach Imhoff started to lose power and Wyllie’s voice was far more prominent. The year of the worst loss ever finished with a close away loss against France in Tarbes, and a shared series with the Wallabies at home.

When France arrived in 1998, the scene was sourer; the good vibe between head coach and advisor was less friendly and internal battles, of which Wyllie stayed away from despite being the central issue, took its toll on the team that underperformed that year, not a positive sign in the build-up to Rugby World Cup.

Again, the brightest part of that year was the U20s sojourn to Cape Town which brought the best of Wyllie, showing his true personality under that toughness. As 1999 was heading into an annus horribilis, most players wanted Imhoff out of the team and after a dark period, he was told to step aside.

He refused, but in the end had to accept the fate. Coach of the U20s Héctor Méndez was elevated with Wyllie his right hand. It wasn’t the end of the chaos. A fortnight before flying to Cardiff where Los Pumas were to play the home side in the tournament opener, Méndez resigned and Wyllie was elevated.

He flew into Buenos Aires, held a couple of training session and off to Rugby World Cup. A close loss against Wales was followed by a bad first half performance against Samoa – who had beaten Los Pumas in RWC 1991 and RWC 1995.

Wyllie stormed into the small changing room at Stradey Park, spoke his truth with a few expletives – if there was audio of that ranting, it would probably need to be beeped – and left.

His message reached the bones and fibres of each player, the game was turned around, and a win under the rain in Llanelli was the start of many good things. Los Pumas went on to beat Ireland in a coming-of-age night in Lens to qualify, for the first time, to a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal.

With only three days to recover, including travelling to Dublin, France beat them, only in the final minutes. Having agreed to coach Clontarf for two seasons, the next morning, as the team was leaving Wyllie tried to say his goodbye.

He couldn’t. He stood speechless in front of the team, dropped more than a tear, and left. “Alex was very important as an assistant, offering a different balance and vision. Each coach at national level had his own philosophy, but his was always new or different,” said Gonzalo Quesada, current Italian head coach, who played most tests at 10 during Wyllie’s time with Argentina.

Mauricio Reggiardo propped the Argentine scrum from 1996 to 2005.

He said: “Alex taught me how to push myself and be rigorous. He was a hard man who wanted hard players. Even if that is a characteristic of the Argentine player, he gave me a lot in that sense, teaching me how to enjoy playing hard.”

One of the many aspects that got mentioned about Wyllie’s input was how strict he was with time – 10am meant 9:50 and ready.

It took some time to mould his players, but they all saw the benefits of something that previously was not the case. Former Puma coach and flanker Santiago Phelan also told ESPN: “He was great.

Hard, rustic, but he gave us a great commitment. Rugby was different in the way we trained, prepared for and lived rugby.

He brought us his way and left a huge mark on us, including RWC 1999. He really loved rugby and he made us feel that.”

Phelan (2008-2013), hooker Mario Ledesma (2018-2022), Felipe Contepomi (2024-) and Quesada (with Italy from 2024) played for Wyllie during those years and became international coaches.

Injured when he arrived in 1996 but in the team for the second half of ’97 until Wyllie’s departure, Agustín Pichot was an able lieutenant.

The former captain and vice-chairman of World Rugby wrote on social media: “Today I wrote in the 1999 World Cup chat: ‘Alex was the founder of modern Argentine rugby.’ But beyond that, for me, he shaped a way of seeing the game from a simple perspective, and above all, he taught me loyalty, love, and commitment.

“Before a match with Scotland (pre RWC 1999), when I was dropped due to political bidding, he stood up for me and told the coaches: ‘he plays or I quit. He’s the best.’

“Before kick-off he told me: ‘You’d better play your best game or you’ll miss out on World Cup selection.’

“I stared at him, thinking it was a joke… but Alex didn’t even flinch. That day we beat Scotland for the first time in Edinburgh.

“Alex continued coaching until the end of Rugby World Cup, and we met again at my farewell in 2009, when he travelled from his remote farm in New Zealand to be by my side.

“Ill never stop thanking him for what he did for me, for us in those moments when we were lost, and for Argentine rugby.

“Best regards, my friend. See you later. Thanks for everything.” Say say…thanks Grizz!