Ireland launched the home leg of their Nations Championship with a six-try, bonus-point win over Argentina on Friday night, beating the Pumas 42-12 at the Aviva Stadium. Full-back Hugo Keenan was the star with three tries.
The evening did not start to script. Tomás Albornoz found Mateo Carreras with a cross-field kick, and the Argentine wing outjumped the much smaller Craig Casey to give the visitors a 5-0 lead. From then on, though, Andy Farrell’s side dictated terms. Keenan levelled after slick work by the back three, captain Dan Sheehan finished a well-rehearsed lineout move, and Keenan struck again for a 21-5 half-time cushion.
The bonus point came barely a minute into the second half, when fly-half Sam Prendergast sliced through from 40 metres for his first Test try. He also landed all five of his conversion attempts. Carreras grabbed his second score, but Keenan completed his hat-trick soon after, and replacement hooker Rónan Kelleher touched down from a driving maul to make it six.
Argentina, coached by Felipe Contepomi, unravelled. Justo Piccardo and Efraín Elías were both sin-binned, and skipper Julián Montoya left before the break after failing a head injury assessment. The hosts had their own casualty when Sheehan went off for a head check. Ryan Baird, back in green for the first time in a year, was a constant menace at the lineout.
Farrell’s selection gambles paid off. Casey started ahead of Jamison Gibson-Park and Nick Timoney was preferred to Josh van der Flier, and both justified the call. The Pumas, by contrast, are still waiting for a first win on Irish soil after a dozen attempts.
The result puts Ireland top of the northern hemisphere standings, at least until the weekend’s other fixtures. Next up for Farrell’s team is a home date with Fiji, followed by a heavyweight meeting with world champions South Africa on November 21. The Pumas’ tour continues with games against Italy and France.
