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The world's sixth and seventh best sides will face off in Dublin on Saturday as Ireland host Argentina in the latest November International.
Expectations have been at a minimum for Ireland this November. The reasoning behind this is a remarkable injury list that has denied Declan Kidney of some of his finest talents, including Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell and Stephen Ferris.
That being said, November was largely been a positive month for Ireland. Their opening match against South Africa saw them take a surprising 12-3 first-half lead into the break, but a crucial missed penalty from Jonathan Sexton stuttered their rhythm, paving the way for a resounding second-half comeback from the Springboks.
Naturally the result was a disappointment considering the lead Ireland held at the interval, but the way they controlled the first-half in all areas given their depleted squad was encouraging.
Those positive vibes were backed up in a convincing but ultimately meaningless 53-0 hammering of Fiji at Thomond Park. A look to the future for Declan Kidney saw Craig Gilroy, Iain Henderson and many more impress during the rout, with Gilroy doing enough to win a first start for his country in a Test on Saturday against Argentina.
Having thundered past Fiji and surpassed expectations against South Africa, gauging how Ireland should fare against the Pumas is up for debate. Ireland captain Jamie Heaslip appears to be finding his form again after a significant dip and the spotlight will be on him against Argentina to inspire what in certain areas is an unfamiliar Ireland side.
Substantial injuries technically offer Ireland an excuse but there will be a strong sentiment of unfinished business after letting that nine point lead slip against South Africa. By defeating Argentina, Ireland will pick up valuable momentum ahead of the Six Nations and finish November on a high.
As for Argentina, November has been a month that when we look back on their long-term development will not be forgotten.
Their success against Wales in Cardiff was not down to fortuitous circumstances as might have been argued in the past, but total dominance. Two world-class finishes from Juan Imhoff and Gonzalo Camacho provided the tries and the development of Nicolas Sánchez continued as he slotted drop goals and freed his backs.
Where the Pumas remain dominant however is in the pack. The retirement of Rodrigo Roncero and Mario Ledesma has been made easier by Marcos Ayerza and Eusebio Guinazu, whilst Juan Figallo continues to develop into one of the world's finest tightheads.
The quality only improves in the back-row - Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe just getting better with age and ably assisted by Juan Manuel Leguizamon and Leonardo Senatore. The combination of precision and power in that back-row is a test for any Test side as Wales will testify, giving the youthful Irish duo of Peter O'Mahony and Chris Henry plenty to ponder ahead of Saturday's clash.
Aspects of Argentina's game against France last weekend were positive, but the result will have stung after making ground against Wales the week before. Make no mistake - the Pumas are hungry.
Ones to watch:
For Ireland: Hard to ignore last week's hat-trick hero, Craig Gilroy. Only 21 years of age, Gilroy has spent the last two seasons impressing on the wing for Ulster in both the PRO12 and Heineken Cup and now gets his chance at senior level. Blessed with sharp feet and blistering pace, Gilroy proved how clinical he can be through each of his three scores against Fiji last weekend and offers Ireland another potent attacking option in the back-three alongside Simon Zebo and Tommy Bowe.
For Argentina: Marking his return to the Test side with a try last weekend in France, Marcelo Bosch offers the Pumas a dangerous attacking option in midfield through both his power and slight of hand. Starting at the expense of Gonzalo Tiesi, Bosch will look to give Gordon D'Arcy and Keith Earls plenty to worry about in midfield in order to free up for Argentina's dangerous marksmen out wide.
Head-to-head: Two influential figures at the base of the scrum, Jamie Heaslip and Leonardo Senatore. The Ireland captain was outstanding between 2009-2011 but has struggled for form this season both domestically and with the national side, failing to make the clean breaks that have become his trademark. On the rise once more, a second Lions tour looms for Heaslip who knows that every performance counts ahead of selection. 28-year old Senatore will go toe-to-toe with Heaslip all afternoon in Dublin, with the former Toulon flanker eager to make a big impression on the international stage.
Recent results:
2010: Ireland won 29-9 in Dublin
2008: Ireland won 17-3 in Dublin
2007: Argentina won 30-15 in Paris
2007: Argentina won 16-0 in Buenos Aires
2007: Argentina won 22-20 in Santa Fe
2004: Ireland won 21-19 in Dublin
2003: Ireland won 16-15 in Adelaide
2002: Ireland won 16-7 in Dublin
2000: Argentina won 34-23 in Buenos Aires
Prediction: Provided the weather holds out this could be the pick of the weekend's fixtures. Two evenly matched teams with clinical finishers out wide but as always, it is all about the platform. Fernandez Lobbe and his allies have the ability to dominate the breakdown, but Ireland's all-Leinster front row can control the game at the scrum. Execution from Sexton and Sanchez will be essential. Ireland by five.
The teams:
Ireland: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Donncha O'Callaghan, 20 Iain Henderson, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ronan O'Gara, 23 Fergus McFadden.
Argentina: 15 Juan Martin Hernandez, 14 Gonzalo Camacho, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Santiago Fernandez, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Julio Farias Cabello, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Maximiliano Bustos, 2 Eusebio Guinazu, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Nahuel Lobo, 18 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Tomas Leonardi, 21 Nicolas Vergallo, 22 Gonzalo Tiesi, 23 Manuel Montero.
Date: Saturday, November 24
Kick-off: 14:00 GMT
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France), Andrew Small (England)
Television match official: Geoff Warren (England)
by Ben Coles
@bencoles_
Comments
sextons_on_fire says...
Kinda hope that we lose this so Turnip-face gets the sack!!
Posted 10:40 24th November 2012
decky100 says...
@the_dange
Lol mate go easy on froggy73..i think he wrote 'back-row' due to not being fully fluent in the english language, whereas he probably meant to say back-line (considering he talked about bowe and murray in the same sentence.) Though i can understand your insistence on trying to stamp out the trolls at source;)
Posted 07:58 24th November 2012
slowfox7 says...
Haven't seen the match against Fiji. Ireland must have played remarkably well, and Fiji remarkably badly. On paper it should have been closer. Argentina have progressed a lot in the last 5 years, and the Rugby Championship performance certainly gave them a lot of confidence. However, discipline more than talent, is what they need to overcome Ireland's traditional fighting spirit. Good luck to both!
Posted 06:19 24th November 2012
The_Dange says...
@Froggy73
Bowe is a winger. Not even in the forwards. The back row is POM, Henry and Heaslip. Now I realise that you are a troll.
Posted 05:00 24th November 2012
damo says...
Darcys scoring record for club and country for the past 3 years is by far the worst, even Italian 12's are getting over the whitewash a lot more than him - international records Keith Wood scored more trys in less games and he played long before any whipping boys were in the 6 nations and also in a far more limited Ireland team!!!!!!!!!!!!! Darcy is in my opinion the worst 12 in international rugby!!!!!! His intercepted pass by Paul Emerick in the RWC vs USA puts Emerick in as a better player in my eyes especially as his missed tackle on Phillips was the nail in the coffin in the qtr final!!!! Sack Kidney please!!!!
.....
We lost a 6 nations on his missed tackle on Rougerie, he is a joke!!!
Posted 23:47 23rd November 2012
Lucasrg says...
@carpelone
lame :)
Argentina by 15! at least 3 tries!
Posted 22:09 23rd November 2012
carpelone says...
Too close to call. Normally, I would support Argentina, but not today. I have just closed a deal with a company in Belfast. In addition, they promised me some Bushmills, I can't let them down.
Ireland by three.
Posted 14:57 23rd November 2012
Norm says...
Blametheref
Cant fault your analysis. I do think Kidney after the grand slam tried to play a running game, remember those exceptional first 20 mins against Scotland in 2010 6N, but then he didnt see it through because i dont think he knows or has experience running this kind of game, probably why he didnt really find his feet at Leinster. He persisted imo with this approach for 12- 18 months and when it didnt click n time for the WC he went back to what he knew. Net result we have a team with an abundance of talent being asked to do something in a green shirt which ceased to be asked of them a couple of years ago at provincial level.
I maintain my respect for Kidney and ultimately it would be great if he fell on his sword but arent the powers that be in the IRFU those responsible for seeing the disconnect at head coach level. Time they got their fingers out, they are every bit as guilty of wasteful conservatism as Kidney, again imo
Posted 14:19 23rd November 2012
Patagon says...
I can see why PR is backing Ireland to win by 5; looking at the results from 2000 to 2010, Ireland has the upper hand, they won 5 out of 9. This surprised me, because I had the perception that Argentina had won more. I remember Argentina winnings in two RWC, 1999 and 2007, and that gave me the impression that Argentina had the upper-hand, slightly but that's what I thought.
Anyway, I am only talking about perceptions, and I am biased too ;)
A note on sports rivalries - a great subject by the way - Ireland main rival is England, and will be for a few centuries to come - the same for Scotland, Wales, France .... SA, and also AU/AB second main rival is England - and also, who would you think it is Argentina's main rival .... yes of course, England (because Brazil don't really play rugby, yet).
So, back to this match: Ireland and Argentina may support each other against England :) but they have also developed a fairly strong rivalry since the RWC99 when Argentina won by a whisker. They met again the RWC03 (Ireland won) and RWC07 (Argentina won).
I expect a very hard fought test match especially in the last 10 minutes, and a close result. I admire both teams and hope we have a great game tomorrow.
Long live Ireland, and long live Argentina.
Posted 13:37 23rd November 2012
blametheref says...
I don't buy the writer's comment "November has largely been a positive month for Ireland", this kind of thinking (and the B & I Lions Tours) is why Ireland (and the Home Nations) underachieve far too consistantly in world rugby.
The bar could have been raised by the IRFU during the O' Driscoll era but 2 successive coaches who served far too long when they should have been fired and whose tactical and game nous was seriouly limited and conservative, saw an Ireland that maintained an underachieving inferiority complex that now haunts the Irish set up like failure haunted Leinster for many many years until the arrival of Williams, Cheka and Schmidt.
This November, Ireland should have been taking the field with the mentality that it is utterly unacceptable to lose to any team, especially at home...South Africa had as many injuries to frontline players as Ireland and for a coach and some of the media to be in some way content with the performance only shows where Irish rugby has failed to go and will continue to go....There should be serious questions asked and answered as to why the powers that be have largely failed the talent of the O' Driscoll era, and if a real shake up happened maybe we might progress, because if we don't we are definitely heading into an abyss of failure similar to Scotland...
Posted 11:28 23rd November 2012
froggy73 says...
I see the Pumas winning that one although I felt they left lots of energy against France last week in the first half. On paper they seem superior. They don't really mind playing away from home (they are used to it). I am still unconvinced by Ireland's backrow (Bowe excepted) and Murray doesn't do it for me as well. For all these reason, I'd back Argentina to win (I wouldn't put my money on it though)
Posted 11:06 23rd November 2012
BODsGODmisspelt says...
This is gonna be a tight game, Argentina should be the favourites (but bokies have Ireland to win).
Really hoping for an Ireland win but everything is goin to have to click and Healip really has to lead by example to set the tone.
Imhoff and Gilroy to score anytime roughly 2:1 are my bets
Posted 10:58 23rd November 2012
rugby_rockstar says...
After last week's romp, I'm looking forward to seeing a meaningful match for the full Ireland team. It's going to be a very tough and enjoyable game. I'm pretty neutral on this one. Maybe slightly supporting Argentina but I'm certianly not dead against Ireland. I'd like to see them finish on a high and come into the 6 nations with some confidence. The 6 Nations is looking a bit like a damp squib as far a the home nations go at the moment.
Posted 10:32 23rd November 2012
spike19 says...
Hard to see who is going to give Ireland any go forward momentum. The Boks were able to suffocate Ireland around the fringes and Shepard them into touch with their predictable back play. Healy and Heaslip are the only powerful ball carriers in the team, I cant see Earls breaking the line he is not the future at 13. Looking at the Argentine team they do look stronger particularly in the back row and in the back line. It could be Deccie's swansong!
Posted 10:11 23rd November 2012
Wallaroo says...
Argentina's showing of late has been nothing less than exceptional, truth is they should have beaten us at home.
Argentina by 7.
Posted 10:08 23rd November 2012
paddy91317 says...
Cant wait for the game
Posted 10:02 23rd November 2012
tuffnut says...
I'm really looking forward to this one. It's great to see how far Argentina has progressed over the last year (or two) beating Wales, drawing with SA, running Aus close, and beating the French in Argentina recently. The exciting thing about Ireland IMO is that it's only a matter of time before they start closing out more of the big games. From an outsider's perspective (correct me if I'm wrong) I get the impression domestic rugby in Ireland is very healthy and continuing to grow which can only be good for world rugby as a whole.
Both teams are playing smart attacking rugby so let's hope we see a cracking game on Saturday.
Posted 09:41 23rd November 2012
dodgyrog says...
this is argentina's game to loose, they have been getting better and better. this Ireland team lacks leadership, Chris Henry was giving instructions to the pack in the south africa game while heaslip looked on. Craig Gilroy deserves his chance however you feel once BOD is back earls will get shifted back to the wing. why put mcfadden on the bench, put cave there then you cant shift earls about to cover.
Posted 09:06 23rd November 2012
mlbp says...
For me the Pumas have the edge. Their legs might be a bit tired but their lack of mistakes, their discipline, their excellent work in the backline and their hard work in the tight should win this one.
Posted 07:49 23rd November 2012
lostprofit says...
"Expectations have been at a minimum for Ireland this November. The reasoning behind this is a remarkable injury list"
Thats not it. Expectations have been at a minimum for Ireland because Kidney is a pitiful excuse for a forward thinking, inventive and brave head coach.
Posted 07:26 23rd November 2012