Ireland 16 Argentina 7
Eddie O'Sullivan's Ireland finished the year on a high with a sixth straight win of the season and victory over their bogey side Argentina on a Lansdowne Road surface better suited to water-polo than rugby.
Once again the boot of Ronan O'Gara separated the teams with his three penalties after each side had scored converted tries.
Ireland battled through the puddles to gain a measure of revenge over a side who had knocked them out of the 1999 World Cup and again won in Buenos Aires the following summer.
But more importantly for O'Sullivan he will head into World Cup year 2003 having scored important blows against two of his group rivals in next October's tournament.
First there were the heroics in the rain against world champions Australia two weeks ago, today came the hard slog in even worse conditions against one of the strongest packs in world rugby.
Both sides had trouble adapting to the wet conditions, with both footing and handling made extremely difficult in the relentless rain.
Inevitably it meant that the scoring chances were down to mistakes.
Ireland took advantage in the 21st minute when Argentina full-back Ignacio Corleto failed to collect a clever up and under from skipper Brian O'Driscoll.
The ball fell to Corleto's opposite number Girvan Dempsey who gratefully pounced eight metres out to slide in for the opening try, which O'Gara converted to open up a 7-0 lead.
Less than two minutes had passed before the Pumas were capitalising on a defensive error, although this time sloppy thinking had as much to do with the mix-up.
Dempsey and wing Shane Horgan had shepherded a Pumas kick into touch for what they believed was an Irish line-out when Diego Albanese nipped between them and took the throw for the Pumas as the linesman signalled an Argentina put in.
Horgan was adjudged to have made contact with the ball as it made its first bounce but as Ireland dozed, Albanese's throw had reached flanker Rolando Martin who ran over the line for an unchallenged try which Felipe Contepomi converted to level the scores at 7-7.
There was a further setback for the home fans that had braved the conditions in the 27th minute when second row Gary Longwell was taken off with what looked like a serious shoulder injury after a collision with Pumas hooker Mario Ledesma, but Ireland stayed focused and O'Gara's well-taken penalty into a stiff breeze took the home side into the interval three points in front at 10-7.
The conditions continued to impact on the game at the restart as the contest turned into a war of attrition between the two packs.
Early on it looked like the Pumas were winning it and Ireland, having defended well, were let off the hook when the visitors advanced in the 50th minute.
O'Gara's attempted clearance was charged down and ricocheted beyond the Irish try line only for the referee to blow up for offside.
The let-off acted to spur Ireland's pack onto the offensive and, as they moved the ball up field, Argentinian discipline wilted and O'Gara kicked Ireland into a six-point lead after 53 minutes as the rain finally eased.
From then on Argentinian possession turned to indiscipline when Contepomi cynically killed the ball and further dissent moved the kick 10 metres closer to the posts. O'Gara duly took advantage and Ireland edged closer to a well-earned victory by opening up a nine-point advantage with 15 minutes remaining.
Such is the confidence coursing through Irish veins right now, that the men in green kept pushing for more points as the clocked ticked down, keeping Argentina firmly on the back foot and forcing further errors from the tourists.
Scorers
Ireland: Tries: Dempsey. Conversions: O'Gara. Penalties: O'Gara (3)
Argentina: Tries: Martin. Conversions: Contepomi
Ireland
Girvan Dempsey (Leinster); Shane Horgan (Leinster), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), Kevin Maggs (Bath), Justin Bishop (London Irish); Ronan O'Gara (Munster), Peter Stringer (Munster); Anthony Foley (Munster), Keith Gleeson (Leinster), Victor Costello (Leinster); Malcolm O'Kelly (Leinster), Gary Longwell (Ulster); John Hayes (Munster), Shane Byrne (Leinster), Reggie Corrigan (Leinster)
Replacements used: Alan Quinlan (Munster) for Victor Costello (Leinster), Leo Cullen (Leinster) for Gary Longwell (Ulster), Marcus Horan (Munster) for Reggie Corrigan (Leinster)
Argentina
Ignacio Corleto; Gonzalo Camardon (Roma), Jose Ramon Orengo (Grenoble), Lisandro Arbizu (Bordeaux, capt), Diego Albanese (Leeds); Felipe Contepomi (Bristol), Agustin Pichot (Bristol); Gonzalo Longo (Narbonne), Rolando Martin (San Isidro), Santiago Phelan (CASI); Rimas Alvarez (Perpignan), Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe (Castres); Omar Hasan (Agen), Mario Ledesma (Narbonne), Mauricio Reggiardo (Castres)
Replacements used: Juan Fernandez Miranda (Deportivo Franciasa) for Lisandro Arbizu (Bordeaux/Fra, capt), Martin Durand (Champagnat) for Rimas Alvarez (Perpignan/Fra)