The optimism that surrounded the highest-ranked team in the world beating the All Blacks a week ago before metaphorically face planting into the Aviva turf rolled into another Friday in Dublin.
How expectations flip and nerves nudge a little closer to the edge. Defeat does things to the head with seven days to mull it over. Ireland’s fret, however, lasted all of two minutes in a 22-19 win.
In a dramatic change of narrative, the theme for the night ran along the lines of a redemption song for Ireland against a resurgent, dangerous Argentina. But when Mack Hansen said that last week “wasn’t us” it came from the heart.
The South American side, with their reputation for dash and vim and the familiar figure of Felipe Contepomi at the helm using all his Leinster experience to engineer something special in the form of a first win against Ireland in Aviva, stepped from their bus under the west stand wired to their music and with brazen intent etched across their faces.
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Then as they walked off the pitch after the prematch warm up, they did so tight as a shoal and holding each other’s arms as The Alan Parson’s Project blew out Eye in the Sky and flames licked from burners up both sides of the pitch.
Fire was an apt metaphor in a year in which South Africa, Australia and New Zealand all fell to Argentina in the Rugby Championship and fire was there in the second minute when Matias Moroni charged into the face of Jack Crowley, then put hands on the outhalf’s chest and shoved him away. His reward? A yellow card.
Minutes later Crowley was scoring an absolute karma of a try. Nutted in the face one minute, taking pats on the head the next. And as Moroni sat desolate in his sideline chair head bowed Mack Hansen took his turn to dance on his grave with a second try.
With that the crowd fell into an eerie silence. It was all going far too well, and they were sucking up Ireland’s swarming game and giddy energy.
Ireland had found their World Cup tempo; they had rediscovered the aggressive breakdown; they had found character and purpose and were putting it all together. Crowley even symbolically floated over a drop goal to close the first quarter as if to say to coach Andy Farrell and Sam Prendergast on the bench all was good.
Beforehand in the match program, a message from captain Caelan Doris had read like a confession of sorts as he spoke of a team that misfired in its opening game and his players more than anxious to right the wrong.
“As a group we know that we didn’t meet out standards last weekend,” wrote the Irish number eight. “There’s no sugarcoating a defeat ... We will learn from our mistakes.”
The captain’s log went on to finish with an appeal to the Irish fans, who last week drifted in and out of full-throated support.
“Your backing can make all the difference,” he said.
They listened. There was much more cheer served out by the crowd, although Ireland was not without flaw giving Argentina three kickable penalties in the first half. But the Irish urgency was also there, James Lowe hitting hard, the flashing red scrum cap of Josh van der Flier and crowd favourite, big Joe McCarthy rumbling over.
Bite and character were there, the nuanced parts of the game like dominating tackles, committed intention, body language and an urgent need to win the game held Argentina in their best moments at the end of the first half, the break coming with Ireland firing bodies at them on the line and 22-9.
Inevitably, the rubber hit the asphalt for Argentina after the break and almost instantly the air crackled with uncertainty as they shaped up to the challenge and engineered the prospect of a second half plot twist. Within 11 minutes Ireland’s 22-9 lead became a more fragile 22-19.
Argentina had arrived late, but they did arrive and if they are looking for some feel good takeaways they will look no further than holding Ireland scoreless from the 32nd minute.
In an upswing moment, noise filled the stadium when Cian Healy’s boots hit the turf in the 67th minute and the screen showed Brian O’Driscoll in the stadium clapping his former Leinster and Ireland team-mate. A working life in the trenches that often goes unnoticed, the squat ball of muscle insouciantly jogged to the scrum and his 133rd Irish cap, marking the history books as an equal with O’Driscoll. It must have felt good but the loosehead prop showed little emotion.
The All Blacks poked the bear last week and Argentina paid a price. In a tale of two weeks, it was the best of weeks even winning ugly.
