He had announced his retirement, for the second time in his career. And then, no. At 40, Benjamin Urdapilleta has decided to carry on with USAP for another season. A look back at the road travelled by a fly-half out of time.

A retirement announced, then shelved

The Catalan summer’s running story is over. Benjamin Urdapilleta, who arrived mid-season to help Perpignan save their place in the elite, had announced he was hanging up his boots after the promotion play-off won against Provence Rugby (24-47) in mid-June. He was heading back to Argentina and a new life as a players’ agent, he explained at the time.

Except that the fly-half had left a door ajar on social media. It has just swung wide open: at 40, the Argentine signs on for another season with USAP. A second retirement postponed, after an earlier false exit already behind him.

An exceptional goal-kicker

Behind the anecdote stands one of the great overseas kickers of French rugby over the past fifteen years. In a position where longevity is rare, the Argentine fly-half built his reputation on consistency: a rare coolness in front of the posts and a kicking game that, season after season, swung countless matches.

From Castres to Perpignan, sixteen French seasons

His career is a tour of French rugby’s strongholds: Castres, where he established himself as one of the league’s best fly-halves, Oyonnax, Clermont, a spell at Stade Toulousain, and now this final chapter at Perpignan. At every stop, the same control and the same longevity.

An Argentina international who came through the Pampas XV before crossing the Atlantic, he will have left a mark on the Top 14 as few overseas fly-halves have.

One last dance at 40

At an age when most players hung up their boots long ago, Urdapilleta will therefore go round again for one more season in Catalonia. One last dance, pending, perhaps, a third retirement announcement. With him, we have learned never to swear to anything.