ANDY FARRELL WANTED a performance that would justify his belief that this Ireland team have scope to attack a World Cup year with ambition.
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And while Ireland won’t jump straight to the top of everyone’s list of contenders for next year in Australia, this bonus-point win was a delightful way to start their season.
On a crisp, dry autumn evening in Dublin, they dismantled Felipe Contepomi’s Argentina, scoring sixtries as they rode out a lively start from the Pumas and then blew them away. Ireland even left a bit behind them in this game.
Argentina had never won against Ireland in Dublin, and they didn’t come close this time, with Farrell’s side delivering an accurate, clinical attacking performance, performing well at the set-piece, and showing some of their trademark grit in defence.
Fullback Hugo Keenan scored a hat-trick of tries as he combined beautifully with wings Rob Baloucoune and Mack Hansen in a seriously exciting back three showing. There was something almost un-Irish about that trio’s élan.
Out-half Sam Prendergast had another classy display to continue his strong form, scoring a brilliant 45-metre try along the way, scrum-half Craig Casey provided slick service, while centres Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw did lots of unglamorous hard work.
Up front, the returning Andrew Porter was excellent at loosehead prop as he worked powerfully in the front row with Tadhg Furlong and captain Dan Sheehan, who scored a try before being forced off with a head injury just before half time.
Joe McCarthy was outstanding in the second row yet again, while Tadhg Beirne was a constant nuisance to the Pumas’ bid to get back into the contest.
Keenan on his way to scoring. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
The new Irish back row went well too, with number eight Sean Jansen producing a crucial breakdown steal early on and carrying well, Nick Timoney continuing his emergence as a top-level Test force, and Ryan Baird serving a reminder of his lineout-stealing dynamism as he returned after a year-long absence from the green jersey.
This victory sends Ireland to the top of the Northern Hemisphere table overnight and enhances their hopes of playing in the Nations Championship final at the end of this month.
Next Saturday, they welcome Fiji to Dublin and then it’s the much-anticipated visit of the world-leading Springboks. Irish fans will now look forward to that battle with the best in a more optimistic manner, even if it will be a completely different test.
Argentina will be hugely disappointed with their ultimately flat performance in Dublin as the likes of Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Marcos Kremer struggled to impose themselves on the game. Their backs always looked dangerous but didn’t get enough chances to strike, with Baird and Beirne’s assault on the Pumas lineout partly responsible.
Farrell and his assistants will pick out bits and pieces they didn’t like – they could have had even more tries here – but this was about as comprehensive a win as they could have hoped for. The performance will have them excited for what lies ahead.
Mateo Carreras leaps to gather for the opening try. Nick Elliott / INPHO
The Pumas looked the more threatening team early on, particularly when play broke up, while their maul did damage in the lead-up to wing Mateo Carreras’ opening try in the 10th minute.
The forwards trundled forward and after Keenan made a good one-on-one tackle on Bautista Delguy wide on Ireland’s left, Argentina out-half Tomás Albornoz smoothly cross-kicked to the other edge, clearing Craig Casey and finding his wing.
Trailing 0-5, Ireland grabbed some much-needed momentum at a wide breakdown, where skipper Sheehan led a barge turnover that also involved Baloucoune and Casey.
Having kicked to touch on the right, Ireland struck lethally on their first visit to the Argentina 22. Prendergast ran a slick loop play around Robbie Henshaw, then dropped the ball off his shoulder for Baloucoune swinging from right to left.
The Ulster wing got his right hand behind the tackle and offload to fellow wing Hansen, who lifted another lovely offload inside for Keenan, who had continued upfield after his initial decoy line off Henshaw. It was a delightful first-phase score, converted by Prendergast.
Ireland needed to dig in defensively in the 10 minutes that followed, with number eight Jansen winning a particularly important breakdown turnover near their try line, while Tadhg Beirne stole a lineout and Nick Timoney won another poach penalty post-tackle.
Hugo Keenan scored two tries in the first half. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Ireland struck lethally again with a lineout strike following Timoney’s turnover, with Sheehan working hard to get infield on a back peel play before returning an inside pass to Timoney, who surged up to within a few metres of the line. Sheehan thundered around the corner on second phase and barged over Delguy to finish.
Ireland were rolling now, with Porter soon making big surge through the Argentinian midfield defence, before the third Irish try arrived just before the half-hour mark.
This time, a clever Prendergast kick left Argentina throwing into a five-metre lineout and directly after hooker Leonel Oviedo had replaced injured captain Julián Montoya, Ireland blindside Baird picked off his throw.
Farrell’s men played off the steal fluidly, with McCloskey, Prendergast and Hansen shifting the ball from left to right and into the hands of Keenan, who slalomed infield and beat four defenders on his way to his second try.
Prendergast added his third successful conversion for 21-5, a scoreline that held until the break despite more intense Irish pressure in the Pumas 22.
That bout involved centre Justo Piccardo being sin-binned for their repeated infringements, Sheehan going close to scoring in the left corner off a maul, and Oviedo following Montoya off with another head injury. That resulted in Pumas replacement loosehead Mayco Vivas being sent on at hooker.
Rob Baloucoune carries for Ireland. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
It was stop-start stuff and Ireland weren’t able to notch their bonus-point score before half time, but it came less than two minutes after the restart.
With the Pumas down to 13 men as one of their players was lying injured, Prendergast smoothly dummied and darted in between Marcos Kremer and Juan Martín González, then scorched home from 45 metres out.
28-5 down and facing the prospect of a battering, Argentina sparked up in response as centre Santiago Chocobares broke through soon before Carreras smashed over for his second try just before Piccardo returned from the sin bin.
But Ireland still had control, with a strong tackle from replacement back row Josh van der Flier allowing Beirne to win a turnover penalty that Prendergast nudged into touch in the right corner.
And from there, another flash of handling skill sent Keenan over for his third. Ireland tried the maul first, then Furlong and McCarthy tipped the ball onto Baird, who lifted a classy final pass over Delguy to Keenan in space.
Another Baird lineout steal sparked the next Irish assault on the Argentina 22, which ended with the Irish blindside himself being held up over the try line.
The Pumas were back down to 14 players after a high tackle by sub lock Efraín Elias on Keenan in the next passage, allowing Ireland to pile on yet more pressure.
Ryan Baird and Joe McCarthy go to work for Ireland. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
From the left corner this time, the Irish maul barged over as some of the backs got in on the party and Rónan Kelleher dotted down in the 55th minute, with Frawley adding the extras.
And so, Farrell had the luxury of emptying his bench before the final quarter had even arrived, meaning some of his leading lights could conserve some energy for the remainder of this busy month of Nations Championship action.
One of the Irish replacements, tighthead Sam Illo, was yellow-carded as the Pumas tried to wrestle some momentum back and Farrell’s men produced repeated infringements, only for Timoney and Beirne to deny the Pumas with a smart hold-up over their line.
A pair of delightful Hansen kicks – first a regathered chip, then a diagonal – nearly sent McCloskey free on the left for Ireland’s seventh try, but it wasn’t to be.
Indeed, it might have been a little frustrating not to score again in that final quarter but Ireland had already done all the damage.
Ireland scorers:
Tries: Hugo Keenan [3], Dan Sheehan, Sam Prendergast, Rónan Kelleher
Conversions: Sam Prendergast [5 from 5], Ciarán Frawley [1 from 1]
Argentina scorers:
Tries: Matteo Carreras [2]
Conversions: Tomás Albornoz [1 from 2]
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan; Robert Baloucoune (Jamie Osborne ’59), Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey, Mack Hansen; Sam Prendergast (Ciarán Frawley ’55), Craig Casey (Jamison Gibson-Park ’55); Andrew Porter (Tom O’Toole ’57), Dan Sheehan (captain) (Rónan Kelleher ’36), Tadhg Furlong (Sam Illo ’55 (yellow card ’61)); Joe McCarthy (James Ryan ’57), Tadhg Beirne; Ryan Baird, Nick Timoney (Andrew Porter ’69 to ’72), Sean Jansen (Josh van der Flier ’47).
ARGENTINA: Juan Cruz Mallía (Gerónimo Prisciantelli ’64); Bautista Delguy, Justo Piccardo (yellow card ’35), Santiago Chocobares (Lucio Cinti ’64), Matteo Carreras; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo García (Símon Benítez Cruz ’52); Boris Wenger (Mayco Vivas ’64), Julián Montoya (captain) (Leonel Oviedo ’29 (HIA – Mayco Vivas ’37 to ‘HT) (blood – Mayco Vivas ’52 to ’57)), Francisco Moreno (Joel Sclavi 51′ (HIA – Francisco Moreno ’69 to ’77)); Guido Petti (Efraín Elias ’51 (yellow card ’55)), Pedro Rubiolo; Juan Martín González, Marcos Kremer (HIA Juan Martín Scelzo ’55 to ’67), Pablo Matera.
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Keenan grabs hat-trick as Farrell's Ireland blow Argentina away
Ireland 42
Argentina 12
ANDY FARRELL WANTED a performance that would justify his belief that this Ireland team have scope to attack a World Cup year with ambition.
And while Ireland won’t jump straight to the top of everyone’s list of contenders for next year in Australia, this bonus-point win was a delightful way to start their season.
On a crisp, dry autumn evening in Dublin, they dismantled Felipe Contepomi’s Argentina, scoring six tries as they rode out a lively start from the Pumas and then blew them away. Ireland even left a bit behind them in this game.
Argentina had never won against Ireland in Dublin, and they didn’t come close this time, with Farrell’s side delivering an accurate, clinical attacking performance, performing well at the set-piece, and showing some of their trademark grit in defence.
Fullback Hugo Keenan scored a hat-trick of tries as he combined beautifully with wings Rob Baloucoune and Mack Hansen in a seriously exciting back three showing. There was something almost un-Irish about that trio’s élan.
Out-half Sam Prendergast had another classy display to continue his strong form, scoring a brilliant 45-metre try along the way, scrum-half Craig Casey provided slick service, while centres Stuart McCloskey and Robbie Henshaw did lots of unglamorous hard work.
Up front, the returning Andrew Porter was excellent at loosehead prop as he worked powerfully in the front row with Tadhg Furlong and captain Dan Sheehan, who scored a try before being forced off with a head injury just before half time.
Joe McCarthy was outstanding in the second row yet again, while Tadhg Beirne was a constant nuisance to the Pumas’ bid to get back into the contest.
The new Irish back row went well too, with number eight Sean Jansen producing a crucial breakdown steal early on and carrying well, Nick Timoney continuing his emergence as a top-level Test force, and Ryan Baird serving a reminder of his lineout-stealing dynamism as he returned after a year-long absence from the green jersey.
This victory sends Ireland to the top of the Northern Hemisphere table overnight and enhances their hopes of playing in the Nations Championship final at the end of this month.
Next Saturday, they welcome Fiji to Dublin and then it’s the much-anticipated visit of the world-leading Springboks. Irish fans will now look forward to that battle with the best in a more optimistic manner, even if it will be a completely different test.
Argentina will be hugely disappointed with their ultimately flat performance in Dublin as the likes of Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Marcos Kremer struggled to impose themselves on the game. Their backs always looked dangerous but didn’t get enough chances to strike, with Baird and Beirne’s assault on the Pumas lineout partly responsible.
Farrell and his assistants will pick out bits and pieces they didn’t like – they could have had even more tries here – but this was about as comprehensive a win as they could have hoped for. The performance will have them excited for what lies ahead.
The Pumas looked the more threatening team early on, particularly when play broke up, while their maul did damage in the lead-up to wing Mateo Carreras’ opening try in the 10th minute.
The forwards trundled forward and after Keenan made a good one-on-one tackle on Bautista Delguy wide on Ireland’s left, Argentina out-half Tomás Albornoz smoothly cross-kicked to the other edge, clearing Craig Casey and finding his wing.
Trailing 0-5, Ireland grabbed some much-needed momentum at a wide breakdown, where skipper Sheehan led a barge turnover that also involved Baloucoune and Casey.
Having kicked to touch on the right, Ireland struck lethally on their first visit to the Argentina 22. Prendergast ran a slick loop play around Robbie Henshaw, then dropped the ball off his shoulder for Baloucoune swinging from right to left.
The Ulster wing got his right hand behind the tackle and offload to fellow wing Hansen, who lifted another lovely offload inside for Keenan, who had continued upfield after his initial decoy line off Henshaw. It was a delightful first-phase score, converted by Prendergast.
Ireland needed to dig in defensively in the 10 minutes that followed, with number eight Jansen winning a particularly important breakdown turnover near their try line, while Tadhg Beirne stole a lineout and Nick Timoney won another poach penalty post-tackle.
Ireland struck lethally again with a lineout strike following Timoney’s turnover, with Sheehan working hard to get infield on a back peel play before returning an inside pass to Timoney, who surged up to within a few metres of the line. Sheehan thundered around the corner on second phase and barged over Delguy to finish.
Ireland were rolling now, with Porter soon making big surge through the Argentinian midfield defence, before the third Irish try arrived just before the half-hour mark.
This time, a clever Prendergast kick left Argentina throwing into a five-metre lineout and directly after hooker Leonel Oviedo had replaced injured captain Julián Montoya, Ireland blindside Baird picked off his throw.
Farrell’s men played off the steal fluidly, with McCloskey, Prendergast and Hansen shifting the ball from left to right and into the hands of Keenan, who slalomed infield and beat four defenders on his way to his second try.
Prendergast added his third successful conversion for 21-5, a scoreline that held until the break despite more intense Irish pressure in the Pumas 22.
That bout involved centre Justo Piccardo being sin-binned for their repeated infringements, Sheehan going close to scoring in the left corner off a maul, and Oviedo following Montoya off with another head injury. That resulted in Pumas replacement loosehead Mayco Vivas being sent on at hooker.
It was stop-start stuff and Ireland weren’t able to notch their bonus-point score before half time, but it came less than two minutes after the restart.
With the Pumas down to 13 men as one of their players was lying injured, Prendergast smoothly dummied and darted in between Marcos Kremer and Juan Martín González, then scorched home from 45 metres out.
28-5 down and facing the prospect of a battering, Argentina sparked up in response as centre Santiago Chocobares broke through soon before Carreras smashed over for his second try just before Piccardo returned from the sin bin.
But Ireland still had control, with a strong tackle from replacement back row Josh van der Flier allowing Beirne to win a turnover penalty that Prendergast nudged into touch in the right corner.
And from there, another flash of handling skill sent Keenan over for his third. Ireland tried the maul first, then Furlong and McCarthy tipped the ball onto Baird, who lifted a classy final pass over Delguy to Keenan in space.
Another Baird lineout steal sparked the next Irish assault on the Argentina 22, which ended with the Irish blindside himself being held up over the try line.
The Pumas were back down to 14 players after a high tackle by sub lock Efraín Elias on Keenan in the next passage, allowing Ireland to pile on yet more pressure.
From the left corner this time, the Irish maul barged over as some of the backs got in on the party and Rónan Kelleher dotted down in the 55th minute, with Frawley adding the extras.
And so, Farrell had the luxury of emptying his bench before the final quarter had even arrived, meaning some of his leading lights could conserve some energy for the remainder of this busy month of Nations Championship action.
One of the Irish replacements, tighthead Sam Illo, was yellow-carded as the Pumas tried to wrestle some momentum back and Farrell’s men produced repeated infringements, only for Timoney and Beirne to deny the Pumas with a smart hold-up over their line.
A pair of delightful Hansen kicks – first a regathered chip, then a diagonal – nearly sent McCloskey free on the left for Ireland’s seventh try, but it wasn’t to be.
Indeed, it might have been a little frustrating not to score again in that final quarter but Ireland had already done all the damage.
Ireland scorers:
Tries: Hugo Keenan [3], Dan Sheehan, Sam Prendergast, Rónan Kelleher
Conversions: Sam Prendergast [5 from 5], Ciarán Frawley [1 from 1]
Argentina scorers:
Tries: Matteo Carreras [2]
Conversions: Tomás Albornoz [1 from 2]
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan; Robert Baloucoune (Jamie Osborne ’59), Robbie Henshaw, Stuart McCloskey, Mack Hansen; Sam Prendergast (Ciarán Frawley ’55), Craig Casey (Jamison Gibson-Park ’55); Andrew Porter (Tom O’Toole ’57), Dan Sheehan (captain) (Rónan Kelleher ’36), Tadhg Furlong (Sam Illo ’55 (yellow card ’61)); Joe McCarthy (James Ryan ’57), Tadhg Beirne; Ryan Baird, Nick Timoney (Andrew Porter ’69 to ’72), Sean Jansen (Josh van der Flier ’47).
ARGENTINA: Juan Cruz Mallía (Gerónimo Prisciantelli ’64); Bautista Delguy, Justo Piccardo (yellow card ’35), Santiago Chocobares (Lucio Cinti ’64), Matteo Carreras; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo García (Símon Benítez Cruz ’52); Boris Wenger (Mayco Vivas ’64), Julián Montoya (captain) (Leonel Oviedo ’29 (HIA – Mayco Vivas ’37 to ‘HT) (blood – Mayco Vivas ’52 to ’57)), Francisco Moreno (Joel Sclavi 51′ (HIA – Francisco Moreno ’69 to ’77)); Guido Petti (Efraín Elias ’51 (yellow card ’55)), Pedro Rubiolo; Juan Martín González, Marcos Kremer (HIA Juan Martín Scelzo ’55 to ’67), Pablo Matera.
Referee: Luke Pearce [RFU].
Argentina Aviva Stadium Dominant Dublin Ireland Rugby