Argentina and Ireland have not always seen eye to eye, other than when they are glaring at each other. Gus Pichot, now their man on the board of World Rugby, once had the temerity to accuse the saintly Brian O’Driscoll of trying to get Argentinians sent to the sin-bin, while Eddie O’Sullivan, then the Irish coach, accused the Pumas of gouging.
It was against Ireland in Lens, in 1999, that Argentina announced themselves as a world power and went on to confirm it eight years later, ending Ireland’s lacklustre campaign in the pool stages, while going on to reach the semi-final, something their opponents have yet to manage.
Sunday will be their 15th meeting in 16 years, but it will be the first time Ireland have met this kind of Argentina because as Devin Toner, the 6ft 10in Irish lock pointed out, this Puma team scores tries. Hatfuls of them: 22 in the pool stages – one fewer than South Africa and in a group that included the All Blacks, who top the table with 25 tries, and Tonga.
“I played against Argentina a couple of years ago and went off with concussion after a few minutes because everyone was hitting so hard,” said Toner. “This is going to be a massive test. They are a hugely difficult team and hugely talented as well.”
Toner put the improvement in Argentina’s game down to their experience of four seasons in the Rugby Championship and regular meetings with New Zealand, who they are yet to beat, Australia and South Africa. It was this season’s win in Durban that gave a clue to how Argentina, under their coach, Daniel Hourcade, are trying to play. They still have a big pack and an efficient kicking game and while the scrum is still something of beauty in Argentinian eyes, large doses of adventure have been grafted on to the pragmatic.
The pool game against Georgia was a perfect example. For 40 minutes the pack arm-wrestled its way to a slim half-time lead and then the backs had their say, running in five tries to make seven in all.
Joe Schmidt, Ireland’s coach, is a big fan of the Argentina back three – the full-back Joaquin Tuculet and the wings Santiago Cordero and Juan Imhoff – and while Juan Martín Hernández and Nicolás Sánchez elegantly pull the strings in midfield, Ireland ignore the big men and their traditions at their peril. Dean Ryan, now coaching Worcester in the Premiership and an Observer columnist, once went with England to Argentina and at a social event in Buenos Aires was lectured on the art of scrummaging for close on half an hour, only to discover that his mentor was a fly-half.
This week Marcos Ayerza, Leicester’s Argentinian prop reckoned by many to be the best loosehead at the tournament, had his audience in thrall explaining the Bajada – the Argentinian system of scrummaging developed by the San Isidro club and adopted by the Pumas.
It is a mix of the old and the new – the attacking game said to have been inspired by Graham Henry during his two years helping out and traditional Puma strengths – that Ireland face.
