Try machine Francisco Leonelli aims to continue his red hot scoring streak against Munster this weekend but admits Saracens fans won't see the best of him until next season.

The Argentina international wing has emerged as an unlikely hero for the Men in Black having scored two hat-tricks in his side's last two league games at Vicarage Road.

He plundered a 15-minute treble against relegated Leeds Carnegie while Wasps afforded him the same chasms of space last weekend.

Sandwiched between them Leonelli scored his side's only try in the stunning Heineken Cup quarter final triumph over Ospreys.

The summer signing from Glasgow Warriors had not scored in 11 previous outings and many of his team-mates have attributed his purple patch to becoming a father for the first time a week before he clobbered Leeds.

"My friends are saying my child came with a lot of tries," quipped Leonelli, who turns 30 a week tomorrow (Saturday). "Some of the tries I've scored were quite easy while the others came from teamwork. I just seem to be in the right place at the right time."

Humble words from a quiet, unassuming man. Leonelli rarely grabs the headlines but he is determined to soak it up when someone dares to take an interest in his exploits.

"When is this article going out?" he asked fervently during our meeting at Old Albanian RFC on Wednesday while team-mate Richard Hill did his best Pied Piper impression in the packed media room nextdoor.

Hill in his pomp earned the nickname The Silent Assassin', a moniker that Leonelli is on course to earn once the flanker hangs up his boots next month.

"I'd never scored a hat-trick before in professional rugby - I once scored five tries in a game but that was against very weak opposition," said the Bolivian-born speedster. "Of course you always want to score tries but I was happy with the way I was playing before the tries started flowing.

"I've played well before when I haven't scored but if you keep on playing well the tries tend to come.

"For me, a win for the team is the most important thing but if I get a few tries along the way I will be more than happy."

Happiness is something that had been in short supply for Leonelli on the pitch before his move to Saracens. He was plagued by injuries during his time with Glasgow and suffered a hamstring strain on international duty last year which cost him a place in the Pumas' World Cup squad.

A few nagging ailments has stunted his progress with the Men in Black but he is making up for lost time in staggering fashion.

"I had too many injuries when I was at Glasgow and here I struggled for two or three months," he added. "Now, I've slowly worked my way back, I'm playing regularly and looking to grow in every game.

"Playing regularly helps me become fitter but I still think I have got a long way to improve. I didn't have a proper pre-season because I got injured at an Argentina team camp. I think having a good pre-season next time will see me far more prepared physically to avoid injuries and to be able to perform even better."

Leonelli has been capped 14 times by Argentina where, like Sarries, they have mainly deployed him out on the flank rather than his preferred fullback berth.

Not only does he see Sunday's Heineken Cup semi final as a chance to write another new chapter in the club's history, he hopes another starring performance will attract the attentions of Pumas coaches Santiago Phelan and Fabián Turnes.

"I was involved with Argentina for two or three years before I got injured prior to the World Cup," commented Leonelli. "But I want to be involved again as playing for your country is the most honourable thing you can do. That will only come playing at a good level with Saracens and big matches like the one on Sunday makes it easier to be recalled as it raises your profile."

Leonelli, who also enjoyed a spell with Edinburgh Gunners, is a certain starter against Munster and he believes the Men in Black have every chance of victory if they repeat the kind of incendiary performance that killed off Ospreys.

"We've proved this year that when we perform to our best we can beat anyone," he said. "But our biggest weakness this year has been a lack of consistency. If you want to win the league or be in the top four in the Premiership you have to be consistent, and that is why we are not even close this time.

"We were consistent in the pool stages of the Heineken Cup and produced the goods against Ospreys. That is the sort of game we will need again on Sunday and not the sort we produced against Wasps where we conceded five easy tries in the first half.

"Eddie Jones comes in next season and he is one of the top coaches in the world, so hopefully we can sort it out with him and reach that level of consistency because it's so frustrating. We know we have the potential but we still have to prove a lot of things. Hopefully we will put these things in place and be a better team."

Sarries will most definitely have to be at their best and then some to topple Declan Kidney's experienced Euro campaigners and Leonelli is already daring to dream of ultimate cup glory.

"It would be awesome, absolutely outstanding if we were to go all the way and win it but we have to have a really good game on Sunday. If we get through I would prefer London Irish as Toulouse, on their day are very, very good and would be a much more difficult side. "