Ireland vs. Argentina Rugby: Match Preview and Key Details

Ireland, having secured victories in their last three encounters with Argentina, will seek to recover from a recent defeat against New Zealand as they welcome the Pumas for their second Autumn Nations Series fixture on Friday. The reigning Six Nations champions displayed a subpar performance against the All Blacks, marking their third loss in five matches. Consequently, Andy Farrell’s team is expected to strive for a significantly better showing. The game is scheduled for Friday at 20:10 GMT at Aviva Stadium. Live text commentary will be available for blow-by-blow updates. Audio coverage can be accessed via BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, or BBC Radio Foyle, as well as on the BBC Sport website and app. For comprehensive pre-match coverage and analysis, the Irish Rugby page is recommended. Ireland’s head coach, Andy Farrell, is set to announce his squad on Wednesday afternoon at 14:00 GMT. Argentina is also expected to reveal their starting line-up on Wednesday. The match official for Friday evening will be New Zealander Paul Williams. He will be assisted by Welshman Craig Evans and fellow New Zealander Angus Mabey. Richard Kelly, representing New Zealand Rugby, will serve as the television match official (TMO). Ireland is scheduled to issue a squad update on Monday. Tadhg Furlong was absent from Ireland’s match against New Zealand due to injury, and fellow prop Tom O’Toole suffered a head injury shortly after entering the game against the All Blacks. For Argentina, outside half Santiago Carreras has been included in the squad for the Ireland fixture following his recovery from a calf injury, while experienced loose forward Pablo Matera rejoins the team after serving a suspension. As previously noted, Ireland enters this contest following a disheartening performance against the All Blacks, marking their initial home loss since the 2021 Six Nations. Despite aiming to retaliate for their World Cup quarter-final elimination last year, Ireland struggled, with many mistakes contributing to New Zealand’s 23-13 victory. Conversely, Argentina prepared for their journey to Dublin with a decisive 50-18 triumph over Italy in Udine on Saturday. The Pumas scored seven tries against the Azzurri, with fly-half Tomas Albornoz contributing 20 points. Argentina, a semi-finalist in last year’s World Cup, also achieved significant victories in the Rugby Championship, including a win against the All Blacks in Wellington and a home triumph over world champions South Africa. Additionally, they accumulated 67 points in a home game against Australia. Ireland and Argentina have faced each other 19 times in Test matches, with their inaugural meeting occurring in 1990. The Irish have emerged victorious in 13 of these contests, encompassing all 10 matches played on home soil. Their most recent win was a dominant 53-7 victory in November 2021. Nevertheless, Argentina boasts several significant victories against Ireland, having triumphed in three of their four World Cup clashes. The most recent of these occurred in the 2015 quarter-finals in Cardiff. Despite Ireland being favored to secure a semi-final spot for the first time, the Pumas quickly established a 17-0 lead and ultimately won 43-20. This proved to be a particularly difficult evening for Joe Schmidt’s Ireland, who were without Paul O’Connell, Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, Sean O’Brien, and Jared Payne due to injuries. Robbie Henshaw, Conor Murray, Cian Healy, and Iain Henderson, all participants in that quarter-final, remain part of the current Ireland squad, while Santiago Cordero and Matias Alemanno are still included in Argentina’s roster. Argentina’s head coach, Felipe Contepomi, is a familiar face to Irish supporters. The former fly-half played for Leinster from 2003 to 2009. His tenure with the province concluded on a mixed note when a cruciate injury prevented him from playing in the 2009 European Cup final victory over Leicester. This injury led to a young Johnny Sexton being elevated to the starting lineup, with the future Ireland captain’s 50-yard drop-goal contributing to the club’s 19-16 win and their inaugural European Cup title. Contepomi rejoined Leinster in 2018 as backs coach, serving four years in Leo Cullen’s coaching staff before departing to become assistant to Argentina boss Michael Cheika. Collaborating with Cheika, under whom he had previously played at Leinster, Contepomi assisted the Pumas in achieving a fourth-place finish at the World Cup before being appointed to the head coach position following Cheika’s departure. Contepomi also played a significant role in a challenging day for Ireland, scoring 11 points in Argentina’s 30-15 victory at the 2007 World Cup, a result that marked Ireland’s first-ever elimination at the pool stage.