Contepomi, capped 87 times by the Pumas, was a key part of the ground-breaking team that reached the RWC 2007 semi-finals.
The Pumas have gone backwards in the IRB World Rankings since then, slipping to 12th place – their lowest-ever position, and are still seeking their first win since the Tri-Nations was expanded.
However, their former fly half cum trained doctor, who has been an IRB anti-doping campaign ambassador for the past five years, is confident the Pumas can make a positive impression at next year’s Rugby World Cup.
Argentina find themselves in Pool C alongside reigning world champions New Zealand, Tonga, Georgia and Namibia.
“Without any disrespect to any of the other teams, for me the pool draw is not that bad,” Contepomi said.
“These guys will arrive at the Rugby World Cup with four years of competition against the best teams in the world behind them. So they will have far more experience than we had in 2007.
“If they can maintain the progression they are showing and keep developing their game plan I am very confident that they can go quite far in the tournament.”
While hopeful his country can end their winless run in the Rugby Championship, Contepomi feels the level of performance in their remaining two fixtures is more significant than the outcome.
Argentina host the All Blacks this weekend in La Plata hoping to win their first Rugby Championship match in 16 attempts, and conclude their campaign at home to Australia.
A first win over New Zealand in the 25th meeting between the sides would return the Pumas to the top 10 in the IRB World Rankings.
New Zealand go into the weekend as the world's number one ranked team - a position they cannot relinquish even if they lose in Argentina and South Africa, who are 5.31 points adrift in second, manage to overturn the one-point loss they suffered in Perth earlier this month when they take on the Wallabies in Cape Town on Saturday.
South Africa have 88.24 ranking points and Australia 88.10, meaning a second straight win for the Wallabies would see them become New Zealand's nearest rivals.
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“Obviously we are a few steps below the three big nations in the southern hemisphere, and the great challenge, in my opinion, is to learn how to compete with them.
“I think they are doing a great job in starting to play a more expansive and dynamic form of rugby.
“Hopefully they can finish the Rugby Championship well and continue to play good rugby and get some results in November, that’s the key time for me.”
One year on from his final international appearance, Contepomi is immersing himself in his anti-doping role.
As well as being a Keep Rugby Clean Ambassador, he also sits on the anti-doping committee.
Recently he conducted a number of outreach sessions with young players from Uruguay, Chile, Brazil and Paraguay at the CONSUR Under-19 tournament, educating them on the risks involved in taking banned substances and giving them the tools to find out more information.
