Ireland’s Rugby World Cup journey ended with a brave, but ultimately futile attempt to overcome the worst of starts as they lost 43-20 to a daring and skillful Argentina side that will be a major threat to their semi-final opponent.
The Pumas roared into action.
Their willingness to go wide looked a serious challenge to Ireland’s less mobile forwards from the off and a series of forays down the tramlines led to outside centre Matias Moroni running in a try as early as the third minute.
The crowd briefly lifted when injured team captain Paul O’Connell was picked out by TV cameras, but on the pitch it was all Argentina, their fabled Bajada scrum demolishing the Irish eight inside the Argentinian 22.
Argentina got their second try inside the first ten minutes after a lengthy examination by the television match official resulted in Juan Imhoff being awarded a try after a chip and chase attack again down the wing.
The wing’s touchdown was superb, though Ireland will wonder if the officials should have examined a crucial pass in the build-up more closely.
It looked like Ireland’s goose was cooked.
Argentine out-half Nicolas Sanchez converted both tries and added a penalty to put his side up by 17-0 with less than 15 minutes on the clock.
Ireland continued to struggle in every facet, the Pumas poaching and ruck game clearly enhanced by their extensive exposure to the likes of New Zealand and Australia, and their woes continued when Tommy Bowe was stretchered off and replaced by Luke Fitzgerald.
A crushing hit on Madigan seemed to sum up Ireland’s situation, but just as it looked like nothing would go their way, Argentina tighthead Ramiro Herrera was sin-binned for a late tackle.
Playing against 14, the resulting penalty gave Ireland a beachhead inside the Argentinian 22, and while they were unable to engineer a linebreak, a penalty for offside meant they were finally on the scoreboard when Madigan knocked it over.
Ireland were beginning to have chances but managed to ignore one overlap and waste another when Madigan’s low cross-kick flew backwards and killed the momentum.
Argentina were taking those opportunities to make ground and the pressure continued to tell. Sanchez slotted another penalty shortly after that error, though there was relief for Ireland when he struck the post with another effort.
But then, just as it appeared they were about to limp out of the tournament, Ireland answered back.
An innocuous looking attack down the left saw Fitzgerald sprung by a brilliant Robbie Henshaw pass.
The wing backed himself to score, cutting inside to beat the last man with a swerve, and dotting down for the try. Madigan landed the conversion and Ireland were back within ten.
Ireland then got the edge after a huge series of scrum contests near the halfway line but when Argentina were penalised for collapsing, Madigan struck the post.
The chasing Iain Henderson did superbly well to force a knock on and give Ireland a scrum inside the Pumas’ 22, but they were unable to take advantage, losing yet another ball on the deck to the rampant Pumas back row.
A huge challenge beckoned in the second half, and for a time it appeared that Ireland were up to it.
Hope flared when another stunning piece of play by Fitzgerald sent the Millennium Stadium into a frenzy. As Ireland attacked with purpose, Fitzgerald put his head down, burst through two tacklers and offloaded to the supporting Jordi Murphy for a superb score.
Madigan converted, and suddenly the gap was down to three.
Ireland could have taken the lead shortly after, only for desperate Argentine defence to rescue them from another five-pointer, and when a smart break orchestrated by Sanchez led to the concession of another three points to the out-half’s boot, Argentina were back in control.
With the match on a knife edge and the end-game fast approaching, the Argentine willingness to take on flair passes went against them, a low-risk flip missing its target and leading to the concession of a penalty, which Madigan slotted.
The gap was three and it was then that Herrera then came perilously close to exiting the game for good when replays showed him hitting a ruck dangerously with his head and shoulder. Referee Garces was controversially happy to hand him a warning.
Ireland were still getting stretched, but two huge tackles by Jack McGrath lifted the defensive effort, and led to another vital turnover.
They had the chance to go level when Marcos Ayerza flew over a ruck and into Conor Murray, but Madigan pushed a well-struck effort just wide.
Then, just as the Irish defence appeared to be getting comfortable, a high-tackle from Devin Toner gave Sanchez another chance and he extended his side’s lead to six with another successful kick.
Madigan then overcooked a kick to touch to give the Pumas a position inside Irish territory, but McGrath again saved Ireland, diving among a pod of Argentine forwards to secure a key loose ball.
Both sides were now starting to make major errors and the sense that one would prove crucial was palpable. Unfortunately for Conor Murray, it was his mistake that would turn the game.
The scrum-half snatched at a ball at the base of a secure Irish scrum and knocked forward and from the resulting platform, the Argentinians picked up the pace of their attack and made enough positive passes to give them a two-on-one overlap which Joaquin Tuculet was able to score from.
Replays showed that Tuculet did just enough to evade the desperate defensive efforts of the Irish cover. When Sanchez landed the touchline conversion it looked – for the second time – as though Ireland were well and truly finished, 13 points down with ten left on the clock.
There was to be no second comeback from Ireland. A final flourish saw the classy Imhoff race through several exhausted defenders to finally bring an end to Irish hopes before a final Sanchez penalty built the margin even further.
Yet again at the quarter-final stage of this tournament, Ireland’s bubble had burst.
What next? Bad luck, injuries and a schedule that saw them play a bruisingly physical encounter against France just a week before this clash will surely be part of the post-mortem discussion.
The skill levels and willingness to run by the Argentines, so recently a kick-and-chase based outfit, may also be part of that chat.
Man of the match: Nicolas Sanchez.
Ireland: Rob Kearney; Tommy Bowe, Keith Earls, Robbie Henshaw, Dave Kearney; Ian Madigan, Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Rory Best, Mike Ross; Devin Toner, Iain Henderson; Jordi Murphy, Chris Henry, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements: Richardt Strauss, Jordi McGrath, Nathan White, Donnacha Ryan, Rhys Ruddock, Eoin Reddan, Paddy Jackson, Luke Fitzgerald.
Argentina: Joaquin Tuculet, Santiago Cordero, Matias Moroni, Juan Martin Hernandez, Juan Imhoff, Nicolas Sanchez, Martin Landajo; Marcos Ayerza, Agustin Creevy, Ramiro Herrera, Guido Petti, Tomas Lavanini, Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Leonardo Senatore.
Replacements: Julian Montoya, Lucas Noguera, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Matias Alemanno, Facundo Isa, Tomas Cubelli, Jeronimo De La Fuente, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino.
