As much as he enjoyed the experience of playing at the iconic stadium with his beloved Los Pumas, within hours of the match finishing he was in hospital fearing for his life.
Now the defense and skills coach for Argentina, the former centre remembers feeling ‘some kind of pain’ in his chest during the warm-up. He played the entire match but produced a ‘flat’ performance. He didn’t really mind as everything was geared to ‘peaking’ a few weeks later in the World Cup. Sadly he never got that chance to add to his 10 caps.
“I was in the shower after the game and the pain wouldn’t go. I remember calling one of the coaches over who was a cardiologist and things started to happen around me.”
He skipped the doping test for which he had been selected and was rushed to hospital where the initial echocardiogram showed no noticeable problems. A blood sample quickly established he had to be rushed to intensive care in the University of Cardiff Hospital. A torn heart artery was soon discovered and after a sleepless night, he was sent to the operations table.
“At that stage I wasn’t worried about the World Cup, I was worried about surviving. When I signed the release for the operation I realized it wasn’t a joke.”
Gaitán had a stent put into the artery so that blood could flow freely. He was forced to stay for a fortnight, unable to travel but he will forever remember the assistance the Welsh Rugby Union gave him during this time.
“They were very good to me and did much more than they needed to,” he said. “[WRU liaison officer] Chris Patfield was very good, coming every day, making sure I had everything I needed. I am still in touch with him regularly.”
A number of Welsh players came by the hospital to check on their rival. “I was in intensive care so no-one was allowed in, but the gesture was very much appreciated,” he said.
His early departure from the game was a source of inspiration for a team that was to bring home the bronze medal from the 2007 World Cup. Within eight months he was back with the national team.
“No High Performance sports for me though,” he explains. “I was asked to work in the coaching set-up part-time as I also work at Biarritz Olympique who were very good to me.”
When he comes to Cardiff for the Pumas game – it won’t be the first time since 2007 however. “I came back in 2009 when we lost against a good Welsh side. I like coming back because even if the memories are somewhat sour, I also remember how well I was looked after by Chris and the WRU.”
“Argentina is in the process of getting ready for Rugby World Cup so this game is part of us finding our feet. Los Pumas’ last Test was last November and even if we had two friendly games in June, it wasn’t with a full squad.
“We will have the full RWC squad and focusing on little things to ensure we arrive in New Zealand fully ready. I guess Wales will be looking at a similar output, although they will have had the luxury of two previous Tests.”
So what to expect from Los Pumas? “We are a team that will be sticking to a game plan and trying to find its combinations. We are hoping to have a good game against a good side in a great stadium in front of a big crowd.”
