Ireland 29 Argentina 9:ALTHOUGH Argentina were ultimately put away more convincingly than had been the case a year ago, as then this was not a vintage Pumas' team. In a recurring theme during this November series – it certainly ceased to be autumnal – Ireland disappointingly again played to the standards of the opposition rather than imposing their own game.
The scoreline possibly flattered Ireland a tad, helped in part by the pupil out-kicking the master, as Jonathan Sexton landed six from six for a 17-point haul whereas Felipe Contepomi managed just three from six in an otherwise all-action display.
Argentina brought much of their usually virtues to the latest instalment, namely a strong, outside-in defence, and a potent scrum and even more potent maul.
They did not opt for so many pick-and-goes or one-off runners, instead opting to try to bring their backs more into the game.
For much of the match it looked beyond them, though it improved and reviving much of their close-in, arm-wrestling game, for much of the second half they made Ireland go through a lengthier defensive work-out than they would have wanted.
Ireland’s scrum improved palpably as the match wore on and after the two veteran props, Rodrigo Roncero and Martin Scelzo, were withdrawn even had the satisfaction of rolling the Pumas off their own ball. Alas, it started to then suffer when Ireland rang the changes to their frontrow, with two potential attacking scrums undone when Tom Court went straight to ground.
Ireland’s restart receptions (they lost four) were again poor but the combination of better contact skills, more efficient clearing out, the anticipated superiority of the Irish backrow and the speed of Peter Stringer’s service generated quicker Irish ball, though there were still times when the artisans got in the way of the artists, and took too much out of the ball. But, forced to live off rations in the second half, Ireland frittered away the little ball they had by too often kicking it away.
Things might also have panned out more awkwardly for Ireland. Contepomi was wide with a drop goal before Sexton’s kick out on the full gave the Pumas a lineout just outside the 22. That was their cue for drawing the first lines in the sand, rumbling remorselessly to the Irish line and in the pick-and-goes that followed Mario Ledesma was within inches of the line and Scelzo was possibly over, though surprisingly there were no claims for a try.
The reprieve seemed only temporary as the Pumas put Ireland through four scrums, once eschewing a certain three points for what seemed an inevitable penalty try, whereupon Mark Lawrence adjudged their next put-in wheeled and Jamie Heaslip mopped up a retreating put-in for Sexton to clear their lines.
With their first opportunity though, Ireland promptly showed what they could bring to the party. They broke new territory when Geordan Murphy worked a counter-attack with his wingers, albeit a pre-rehearsed double switch which put Andrew Trimble away. When the Pumas came in from the side, it led to Sexton opening the scoring.
Better followed six minutes later, although ironically off slow ball. Good hands by Stringer and Sexton, and a decoy run by Brian O’Driscoll, enabled Heaslip to straighten off Tommy Bowe’s short pass and accelerate inside Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, who looked all at sea, and in a reprise of last week’s opening try, put the excellent Stephen Ferris over
Although Ferris could have narrowed the angle before celebrating, Sexton landed the conversion and, after Contepomi missed an eminently kickable penalty when Seán Cronin obstructed at the ensuing restart, Sexton tagged on another three-pointer after good carries off quick lineout ball by O’Driscoll and especially by Cian Healy.
All that was keeping the Pumas in the game was Ireland’s sloppy restart work and also, admittedly, Patricio Albacete’s strong chasing of Contepomi’s kick-offs. When this was compounded by Donncha O’Callaghan fringing, Contepomi finally opened Argentina’s account. However, either side of Contepomi missing again, Sexton added another two penalties, first for Roncero tugging Stringer off the ball after good carries by Gordon D’Arcy, Ferris and Tony Buckley, then for Scelzo going off his feet after a good line by O’Driscoll.
Argentina went off at half-time trailing 19-3 and with Contepomi, at the behest of his irritated frontrow, giving Lawrence an earful about there being too much space between the frontrows and specifically that Buckley was going to ground.
In any event, their dander up and the penalty count going four-nil to them in the third quarter, the Pumas picked up their intensity and ambition to dominate that chunk of the match; inspired in large part by the hard-running Contepomi.
A second penalty by their skipper was the least they deserved, although all this followed a well-worked scrum move with Sexton wrapping around D’Arcy only for Murphy, of all people, to kick out on the full with the unmarked Bowe outside.
Sexton landed a superb penalty from half-way but Ireland lost their shape a little in attack off a turnover. Trimble at first receiver moved on the ball for an isolated Court to concede another three-pointer to Contepomi before a groggy O’Driscoll departed with a suspected cracked jaw – Lawrence had asked a doctor to have a look at him.
Granted their first attacking set-piece ball of the second half in the 80th minute, and even the lineout was scraped off the deck, it appeared that Keith Earls had legitimately touched down Ronan O’Gara’s well-weighted chip ahead only to be curiously denied by the TMO, Hugh Watklins of Wales.
In any event, D’Arcy neatly used recycled ball to chip and gather himself for a try which O’Gara converted.
To have the final say with the Argentinians was, as ever, no mean achievement in the circumstances.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 14 mins: Sexton pen 3-0; 20 mins: Ferris try, Sexton con 10-0; 29 mins: Sexton pen 13-0; 31 mins: Contepomi pen 13-3; 34 mins: Sexton pen 16-3; 40 mins: Sexton pen 19-3; (half-time 19-3); 58 mins: Contepomi pen 19-6; 66 mins: Sexton pen 22-6; 70 mins: Contepomi pen 22-9; 80 (+1 min)D'Arcy try, O'Gara con 29-9.
IRELAND: Geordan Murphy (Leicester); Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster), Andrew Trimble (Ulster); Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), Peter Stringer (Munster); Cian Healy (Leinster), Sean Cronin (Connacht), Tony Buckley (Munster), Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster), Mick O'Driscoll (Munster), Stephen Ferris (Ulster), David Wallace (Munster), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: Denis Leamy (Munster) for Ferris (62 mins), Tom Court (Ulster) for Buckley (64 mins), Damien Varley (Munster) for Cronin (65 mins), Ronan OGara (Munster) for Sexton, Keith Earls (Munster) for B O'Driscoll (both 69 mins), Devin Toner (Leinster) for M O'Driscoll (72 mins), Eoin Reddan (Leinster) for Stringer (76 mins).
ARGENTINA: M Rodriguez (Stade Francais); H Agulla (Leicester Tigers), G Tiesi (Stade Francais), M Bosch (Biarritz), L Gonzalez Amorosino (Leicester); F Contepomi (Toulon, capt), N Vergallo (Toulouse); R Roncero (Stade Francais), M Ledesma (Clermont Auvergne), M Scelzo (Clermont Auvergne), M Galarza (Leinster), P Albacete (Toulouse); G Fessia (Cordoba), J Farías Cabello (Tucuman), JM Fernandez Lobbe (Toulon). Replacements: M Ayerza (Leicester) for Roncero (44 mins), J Figallo (Montpellier) for Scelzo (50 mins), L Borges (Albi) for Tiesi (61 mins), A Creevy (Clermont Auvergne) for Ledesma (62 mins), A Lalanne (London Irish) for Vergallo (69 mins), S Guzmán (Stade Francais) for Galarza (76 mins). Not used: Á Galindo (Racing Metro).
Referee: Mark Lawrence(South Africa).
