Read Mike Averis’s full match report:
Wow. That was a hell of a performance from Argentina – to the point that I’m not sure the absence of Sexton, O’Connell, O’Mahony and O’Brien made that much of a difference. Argentina were the better side in nearly every facet; though Ireland grew more competitive at the breakdown and forced a shift in momentum, the Argentinian backs were too sharp, too ruthless and punished any lapse.
That’s all from me, as I have another MBM to do. Join me for Australia v Scotland right here. Cheers for reading folks, bye!
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Full-time: Ireland 20-43 Argentina
Another penalty five metres out and Ireland go through the phases. Isa, who has been brilliant since coming on, smashes Henry backwards but still the Irish plug away. Eventually Ryan knocks it on and that’s it!
79 min Ireland get a penalty in midfield and Henry takes it up to the 22. Ireland are looking to go out of this tournament on a high and Kearney gets it out to Fitzgerald, who nearly slips away. Back inside it comes and Madigan steps, but can’t get away. Penalty Ireland for going off the feet.
78 min As Sanchez is named man of the match, Is Murray gets back in touch: “Nonsensical commentary on TV: yea, sure we’ve lost some big players, but this game hasn’t been close. Argentina have been better in every facet of the game and are deserving winners.
No shame in being beaten by such an attacking team, but surely we -as in the Northern Hemisphere we- have to ask ourselves why a) we play such crap rugby and b) why we keep getting massacred by Southern Hemishpere teams and c) whether those things may possible possibly be connected.”
Penalty (Sanchez 77) Ireland 20-43 Argentina
Because you can never be too sure, Sanchez clips it through from range.
76 min Rob Kearney sends an outstanding kick towards the corner, but Cordero brilliantly flaps it back into play. He runs back and kicks ahead, then Earls shoulder charges him late into touch. It should be a yellow card, but Garces says just a penalty from where the kick landed.
75 min Argentina win the lineout 12 metres inside the Irish half on the left and Sanchez kicks across, with Kearney returning with a big kick to Tuculet. The Puma puts it up and Madigan gathers, Ireland sending it right but not making any ground.
74 min Penalty Argentina at the restart as Henry puts his hands in the ruck. 15 minutes ago, a crushing win for Argentina was the very last thing anyone was expecting, but this has been a brilliant performance.
Try! (Imhoff 73 + Sanchez con) Ireland 20-40 Argentina
Scrappy lineout ball for Argentina, but Lobbe picks it up and goes through a gap. Imhoff is on his shoulder, the flanker gives it inside to him and no one can catch the flying wing as he steps away from Kearney and goes over from 45 metres!
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72 min It’s been pointed out to me that Moroni, not Moron was replaced earlier. Ireland come away from the scrum and send it right, with Henshaw looking to break round the outside shoulder of his man. It goes right to Dave Kearney, but he slices his kick ahead into touch.
71 min It goes right and De La Fuente scampers down the touchline, before Tuculet carries it on into the 22. The ball comes back inside and Herrera knocks on, but Argentina are finishing stronger. Donnacha Ryan is on for Ireland.
70 min Madigan with the shallow restart but Sanchez takes it unchallenged and Argentina drive forward. I imagine they’ll switch to a much tighter game now. Reddan is on for Murray.l
Conversion (Sanchez 70) Ireland 20-33 Argentina
From right out on the left-hand touchline, Sanchez might well have just hammered the final nail in Ireland’s coffin. That’s a brilliant conversion.
Try! (Tuculet 69) Ireland 20-31 Argentina
No! That’s a brilliant finish! He was rolled by Dave Kearney, but just reached to touch it down in the corner!
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69 min Argentina are making another change, with De la Fuente replacing the try-scorer Moron. It’s a strong scrum from Argentina and they have a penalty coming, but Cordero is flying away down the right. They switch left and Tuculet straightens, searing towards the corner and tumbling over the line! Did he knock it on as he went over though?
68 min Noguera is on for Ayerza at loosehead. It’s a solid scrum, but Murray fumbles it at the back and the feed will be turned over.
67 min Driving maul from Argentina, Montoya in possession at the back. It’s slow stuff, then when it comes inside Matera takes his eye off the ball and Ireland have it. For the first time today they go wide quickly, but the pass goes behind Rob Kearney. He regathers and gets it back inside, where Murphy spills it. We go back for the original knock on.
66 min Ireland are keeping it tight, but being pinned back in their own half. Madigan looks to switch direction with a snap kick, but he overhits it and the ball goes flying out on the full. Argentina lineout midway inside the Ireland half. Strauss comes on for Best.
65 min Tuculet returns the restart with a lovely left-footed strike to five metres inside the Irish half. Henderson takes the lineout, it’s quick ball and Dave Kearney looks to wriggle out of a tackle.
Penalty (Sanchez 64) Ireland 20-26 Argentina
32 metres out and off to the left, this one. Sanchez looks nervous, as well he might, but the kick is good enough to take him ahead of Handre Pollard as the World Cup’s leading scorer.
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63 min Argentina go short side and Lobbe drives it up. They go right again, but Argentina are taking it standing still. Through the phases, then Sanchez is taken out by a high tackle from Henderson. Just a penalty, says Garces.
62 min It was knocked on by Isa, so Ireland get the scrum on their own 22. McGrath is boring in something awful but gets away with it and Murray is able to clear to Tuculet on halfway.
61 min Off comes Petti, with Alemanno his replacement. Murray takes the restart on halfway and Madigan puts it high, but Argentina get it into the hands of Isa who drives down the left touchline. Back inside it comes, but Murphy turns it down on the 22. Murray hesitates, dummies and his pass is so very nearly picked off by Isa!
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60 min It’s 15 metres in from the left, midway between halfway and the Argentina 10 metre line. Huge pressure on Ian Madigan here... and he pushes it a yard or so wide right.
58 min Argentina win it and Cordero comes inside, darting through a gap but then knocking on. Ireland have the knock-on advantage, then Ayerza brainlessly dives over the top and concedes a penalty!
57 min Argentina look to have the nudge at that scrum, but Garces orders it to be reset.
56 min Huge this as captain Creevy comes off, the 21-year-old Montoya replacing him. Ireland get it from the lineout midway inside Argentina’s half and go left, but they’re penalised for accidental offside.
55 min Brilliant from Best, stripping Lavinini on the floor in the centre of the field. They have a penalty to boot, although I’ve no idea what for.
54 min A change at scrum-half for Argentina as Cubelli replaces Landajo. Murray’s clearance is gathered by the new No9, but then Creevy is driven back, Argentina keep it though and look for gaps, but this is some fearsome tackling from the Irish. Isa goes down the left and is very nearly stripped, but Imhoff comes in to rescue it.
Penalty (Madigan 53) Ireland 20-23 Argentina
Curls it over from all of 43 metres and Ireland are back within three.
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Just a penalty, yes. Alan Quinlan on commentary thinks he should be red carded. What a surprise, huh?
He led with the head, belatedly bringing his arm around to bind. I suspect it’ll just be a penalty...
52 min Senatore’s day is also done as Isa replaces him. Argentina drive the restart back up to halfway then send it left, with Imhoff darting inside. It comes back to Ayerza but the ball shoots out of his hands, going backwards and Argentina are struggling. Lobbe is in at the side of the ruck and it’s another penalty. There’s worse news for them as the TMO is checking for a shoulder charge into the ruck by Herrera, who has already been sin-binned...
Penalty (Sanchez 51) Ireland 17-23 Argentina
They needed that. McGrath and White replace Healy and Ross.
50 min Wide they go now and Cordero offloads inside to Imhoff, who comes off his wing and cuts into space! He’s up to the 22 and Argentina get the penalty as Best goes off his feet at the ruck.
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49 min Toner spins out of contact in midfield and they go right, but Fitzgerald is wrapped up and Argentina drive Ireland off the ball. Sanchez smashes it clear and Kearney comes back with the up and under. Matera gathers that just inside his own half.
48 min They go for the shortened lineout and Henderson takes it. Heaslip his it at the back and they go left to Henshaw on the crash ball, before Toner and Rob Kearney take it on down the left. Into the 22 now...
46 min Ireland are getting ready to make a couple of front row changes, but they’ll have to wait until after this scrum. Maybe they won’t bother, since Ireland get the penalty as Ayerza is done for wheeling it. Madigan kicks to the 22 on the right.
46 min A garryowen box kick from Murray, of course and Senatore spills it under pressure from the chasing Kearney. The crowd are loving this comeback and with good reason. Argentina are on the ropes.
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Try! (Murphy 44 + Madigan con) Ireland 17-20 Argentina
Another good kick from Madigan finds touch midway inside the Argentina half. Henderson takes it this time and Henshaw takes it up on the crash ball. Again Fitzgerald slips through a tackle and makes the break! He pops it inside to Murphy running the supporting line and he’s under the posts! What a turnaround.
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43 min Toner takes under no pressure and it goes infield to Henry, who takes it into contact. Offside against Argentina and that’s another penalty.
42 min Through the phases they go, with Landajo looking to go round the corner, but then Cordero is wrapped up and isolated, conceding the penalty for holding on 15 metres out. Madigan clears brilliantly to touch on the left, on the 10 metre line.
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41 min Here we go, Sanchez getting this brilliant game back under way. Jason Robinson reckons that Argentina need to keep going with the expansive game and they’re on the front foot immediately, with possession deep in the 22. They go right and left again, but there’s a slight lack of precision and little momentum.
.@DanLucas86 hi Dan, what's the world record comeback in RWC? 15 points by Romania last week, right? Can #IREvARG set a new one? (17 points)
— David Maloney (@dtrmcr) October 18, 2015
Off the top of my head, I think it is that 15 point turnaround, yes.
“With respect Dan,” writes Is Murray, “there is every indication which way this will go: Argentina are better in every aspect of the game: quicker to the breakdown, clever, creative and -most amazing of all- more passionate. We’ve been comprehenvively outplayed and there’s only one way this is going to end unless Joe Schmidt makes some BIG changes to our gameplan in the second half.”
I’ve got a feeling Garces could start to get annoyed with Ireland at the scrum if things don’t change there. Healy is struggling badly.
Well this is a bit exciting, isn’t it? Argentina started thinking they were last night’s All Blacks and tore Ireland to shreds. They were the width of a post away from being 20 points up at one stage but then, a minute later, Luke Fitzgerald scored a sensational solo try to get Ireland back to within 10. With that he completely swung the momentum of the match and now, with 40 minutes to go, there’s still absolutely no real suggestion as to which way this is going to go.
Half-time: Ireland 10-20 Argentina
That’s enough.
40 min Argentina go wide again, but Imhoff is dragged into touch by a collective effort from Fitzgerald and Kearney. We’ll just have time for the lineout.
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39 min Ireland lineout just over halfway and they go infield quickly, but they try to overcomplicate the loop around and Henry throws a speculative pass forward.
38 min It’s scrappy as Lavinini fumbles, but Matera collects it on the 22. Argentina look to go through the phases, but Herrera goes off his feet at the breakdown and Ireland get the penalty.
37 min This time Healy is penalised for boring in as Herrera just proves too strong. Hernandez kicks to touch inside the 22 down the left.
Irish getting away with murrrrdeur at the scrum. Breakdown too for that matter.
— Christian Day (@christianday83) October 18, 2015
36 min Herrera spills it into Irish hands at the back of the lineout though and Ireland go right to Earls. He’s held up on halfway though, Creevy winning yet another turnover for his side and Argentina get the scrum. To think, Creevy was on the Worcester bench not too long ago and now he’s probably been the most impressive hooker at the tournament.
35 min Ireland go through the phases, but Dave Kearney holds on on the 22 when Lobbe beats everyone to the breakdown. The clearance finds touch on the right, near halfway.
34 min Irish scrum, 20 metres out almost right in front of the posts. This is a huge moment for both sides, you would think and Murray comes off the back, popping it inside for Rob Kearney who is stopped well by Senatore.
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33 min Ireland were probably fortunate to get that penalty, but no matter. Madigan, from a way out hits the far post and Cordero tries to run it back, but knocks on in the tackle from Henderson.
31 min Argentina may be leading by 10, but you get the sense they’re wobbling. Ireland go into midfield from the scrum and Earls takes the big hit from Moroni. It creates space for Rob Kearney, who is taken to ground, but we go back for a scrum penalty against Ayerza for not driving straight.
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30 min Madigan needs a bit of treatment, but he’s OK to continue. Argentina have their first scrum of the day and it’s a messy one. The ball squirts out and Jordi Murphy harries Senatore, forcing the No8 to knock on.
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29 min Advantage Ireland and Madigan’s inside ball sends Earls away on the half break. That’s advantage over now and Madigan overcooks his pass to Henshaw, who knocks on on the Argentina 10 metre line.
28 min Kearney with the penalty, finds touch on his own 10 metre line. Heaslip crashes it up the middle and you get the feeling that Ireland are very much on the front foot now.
27 min That was an outstanding finish from the replacement wing and completely against the run of play he’s got his side right back in the match – they find themselves 10 points down when it was so nearly 20. Argentina go off their feet at the restart and concede a penalty in the Irish 22. The good news for the Pumas is that Herrera and Senatore are back.
Try! (Fitzgerald 27 + Madigan con) Ireland 10-20 Argentina
This is a tough one, nearly 50 metres with the angle, and it drifts on to the post. An exchange of kicks and Ireland have it on halfway. They get it left to Fitzgerald and he slips off the tackle down the touchline, cuts inside and suddenly he’s clear through! Madigan adds the extras.
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25 min Another penalty to the Pumas, Heaslip not rolling away. The Irish are getting absolutely demolished at the breakdown.
24 min Ireland scrum then on halfway. In fact Senatore, not Matera is off. Ireland go right and Henshaw spills it in contact, so Imhoff comes away with it and steps inside.Right it comes now as Argentina look to smash it over halfway.
23 min Hernandez kicks into space behind Fitzgerald, who returns to the omnipresent Senatore. It goes right and Hernandez takes it into contact, but he loses it forward. Senatore makes way for Orlandi for the scrum.
“Your happy Irish fans celebrating photo might have to be changed before Roy Keane emails in complaining about them only being there for the craic,” parps Ian Copestake.
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Penalty (Sanchez 22) Ireland 3-20 Argentina
38 metres out this time, with a bit of an angle, but it goes straight through and the 17-point gap is restored.
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21 min Deep to Dave Kearney goes the restart and Murray... well, you know what he does. Senatore spills the ball back into Irish hands and Madigan plays a bizarre kick pass across to Earls, but he’s turned and Argentina fling it back across to the left. Back right it comes and Henry goes into the ruck at the side. He rolls his man by the neck for good measure.
Penalty (Madigan 20) Ireland 3-17 Argentina
Knocked over with little fuss and Ireland are on the board.
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19 min Offside against Argentina, Ireland get the penalty in front of the posts. Madigan taps and darts over to huge cheers, but he took it from the wrong spot. Back they go and he’ll take the points.
18 min A great kick from Madigan finds touch 10 metres out on the right. That was utterly needless from Herrera and he’s endangered his side’s huge momentum. Toner takes the lineout and Ireland get the driving maul going, crabbing in towards the posts. Argentina stop the drive, so they pick and go.
17 min It’s spilled by the Pumas though in the tackle from Henderson and Ireland move into infield to Madigan. He’s met by a massive hit from Matero that draws “oohs” from the crowd, but we go back for a penalty to Ireland for a no-arm tackle on Earls from Herrera. The prop goes to the sin-bin too.
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16 min Ireland’s defence is solid, so Landajo passes back to Sanchez in the pocket 38 metres out. It’s not a good strike and the ball squirts low and miles wide. Madigan goes deep with the drop out, Senatore crashing it back up.
15 min Now Argentina sling it right, driving up over halfway and they go the other way, with Senatore making headway down the left touchline. Ireland are on the ropes.
14 min The ball bobbles off an Argentinian hand at the kick-off into the mitts of Henry and Ireland drive up towards the 22. They go through the phases, but it’s knocked on and Argentina go wide, Tuculet stepping inside and searing forward.
Penalty (Sanchez 14) Ireland 0-17 Argentina
About 41 metres out, a few metres to the right of the sticks. It never looked like missing.
13 min Ireland think they’ve won the turnover, but Garces penalises Ross for going off his feet. Bad news for Ireland – yeah, more of it – as Bowe is down having treatment on his leg. He looks to be in a lot of pain and the stretcher is coming on. As is Luke Fitgerald.
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12 min Henshaw hits it up on the crash ball, taking a huge forward inside pass that goes unnoticed. Never mind as Bowe takes it on and Creevy enacts yet another turnover, but the kick goes straight to Rob Kearney. Madigan returns and Tuculet takes, giving Argentina possession halfway.
11 min Roars from the crowd as the restart is tapped back on the Irish side. Needless to say, the men in green need a lift.
Conversion (Sanchez 10) Ireland 0-14 Argentina
From wide on the right it’s not the cleanest of strikes, but over it goes via the far post.
Try! (Imhoff 10) Ireland 0-12 Argentina
This is thrilling stuff. It goes right and Tuculet hits the line from deep, creating the overlap. Out it goes to Cordero and the winger chips ahead into space. His fellow wing is across and in support, chases and dots it down!
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9 min No, Ireland didn’t pop up, they fell to smithereens. Sanchez finds touch on halfway and Argentina spin it right, then left along halfway, but a poor pass goes behind Senatore and they lose momentum.
8 min Pressure on Argentina here as Murray feeds, five metres inside the 22. But oh my word that is a monster of a scrum. Ayerza demolishes Ross, Ireland pop up and that’s a penalty.
7 min Ireland get the ball for the first time in midfield and Murray, sigh, sends up and up-and-under. Earls gives chase and jumps brilliantly, but his tap down goes into touch. Argentina win the lineout and Matero takes it into contact with Heaslip, but a good tackle from the No8 dislodges the ball and earns Ireland an attacking scrum.
6 min Up they go over halfway and Creevy offloads brilliantly out the back of his hand to Senatore on the flank, but Murphy does well at the breakdown and forces the penalty for his side. Madigan kicks to touch near the 22, down the right.
5 min Madigan restarts with a long kick and Argentina run it back. This is a hell of a start from Argentina.
Try! (Moroni 3 + Sanchez con) Ireland 0-7 Argentina
Sanchez aims for the corner, but misses touch and Kearney returns with a monster kick. Hernandez sends up a high return and Tuculet catches it brilliantly. Right they go and Matero drives over the gainline. Lobbe cuts out the Irish defence with a lovely long pass and Cordero gives it out to Moroni to surge into the corner from 20 metres. Sanchez nails the kick from the touchline.
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2 min Ayerza takes it on, driving up to the 10 metre line before Sanchez goes for the garryowen, but Rob Kearney is safely under it on his own 10 metre line. They go right and Henderson drives up to halfway, but he’s penalised for holding on when Creevy gets over the top of him brilliantly.
Peeeep! At Jerome Garces’ signal, Ian Madigan gets us going with a kick to the 22, taken in by Lavinini. Sanchez sends up the high ball and Murphy does well to take it on halfway. Murray sends the kick back over the top to Cordero and now Argentina go wide.
Anthems watch. The Argentinian fans are loud and in great spirits. The Irish though are something else. They put last Sunday’s crowd to shame.
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Five minutes until kick-off. Once again an absurd level of noise in the Millennium Stadium as the players come out. I can’t tell yet, but instinct is telling me it’s going to be a heavily pro-Ireland crowd.
“Argentina are the new France,” reckons Joe Matthews, “but I am convinced Ireland can only beat one France in a tournament. They hit their straps mid way through the France match and now their straps have disengaged and will be left trailing behind Argentina’s flyers.”
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I was probably a bit cruel with my Conor Murray jibe earlier. If Ireland are to win this then they surely have to do it through the forwards. Argentina might be missing the suspended Bosch for his tackling and kicking, but Moroni is a player in the Fofana mould and is one of several backs who can hurt Ireland if they decide to play an expansive game.
I think we can all agree this is a good development.
HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW #IRE's @Ian_madigan displays a new streamlined look for #IREvARG ✂️ #RWC2015 pic.twitter.com/uMv3GTgiSb
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 18, 2015
We do indeed have a prediction, courtesy of John McInery,
@DanLucas86 Imhoff the danger man for Arg, we still have enough world class leaders left after losing those 4 to see us through, green by 6!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) October 18, 2015
I’d say the entire back three are a big danger for Argentina. Ireland haven’t exactly got mugs coming into the team – Henderson especially was magnificent against France, stealing a lot of lineout ball and Madigan showed great control, more than we’ve come to expect of him over the last couple of years. I’m not convinced that they have the same leadership as they would with a fully fit team at all but, strangely, I think that could lift them.
If you’re feeling braver than me I’d love to hear your predictions. Will it be Argentina’s all-round expansive game to prevail? Or is the Conor Murray Box Kicking Circus too powerful?
It’s a Sunday, so ITV’s lead-in to the rugby is, of course, Jeremy Kyle.
I reckon I can solve this one, Jeremy. My money’s on it being the bloke.
Preamble
Afternoon folks. Let’s talk about me for a bit: after all, the first rule of sports commentary is to talk about yourself, for you are the most interesting thing in the world. I’m a bold person with one hell of an ego. My parents always tell me I think I know best all the time and they’re right, I do. Back in 2007 I predicted Ireland would beat Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup and since then my head is big enough to think I can call how most things in any aspect of life will go; sport is so easy I don’t have to try. I don’t bet on sports because I think it would be unfair to the bookies. OK, I’m an arsehole, but that’s not the point.
I have no clue how this one is going to go. Zip, nadah, nothing. This is the least predictable match of the entire World Cup and right now I’m struggling to think of a sporting event I’ve ever watched that I’m less confident of calling. This isn’t to say it’s going to be close, necessarily, though I think it will. Just that anyone who tells you what’s going to happen is a massive charlatan.
Ireland are the bookies’ favourites, but that means diddly squat. You would back Ireland at full-strength to win this one, but then they have an injury list that only Wales would fail to wince at. Jonny Sexton, Paul O’Connell, Peter O’Mahony and Sean O’Brien – the massive idiot who got himself banned for no bloody reason – have been four of the very best, most totemic and inspirational players in northern hemisphere rugby over the last two years and Joe Schmidt has lost them all in one fell swoop. In theory, it should be four fatal blows.
Argentina, on the other hand, are the neutral’s adopted team. They arguably played the most attractive, easy-on-the-eye rugby in the pool stage and ended up with 179 points – more than any other team. They have a “proper” 15-man game and have the smoothest goal-kicker in Nicolas Sanchez. They seem to follow the philosophy that, in fact, it’s attack rather than defence that wins games and, what’s more, it’s working for them. On technical ability alone, I’d make Argentina the favourites.
Spirit is, according to widely received wisdom, not enough to win a World Cup match, let alone a quarter-final. If it was, then the balance of power in world rugby would look very different. It’s a testament to this Irish side’s indefatigability then that you think they could just will themselves to go all the way. The rumours emanating from their camp is that there is talk among the players of doing it for their fallen captain, O’Connell, and if there’s one man in one team in sport you can imagine inspiring them to victory from the sidelines, it’s him. There will also be lingering memories, passed down over the last eight years, of the disastrous 2007 World Cup, when Argentina knocked Ireland out at the pool stage. Vengeance is a factor here too.
Kick-off is at 1pm BST, or 9am in Buenos Aires. Here are your teams for what should be a thriller.
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; Leonardo Senatore, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti, Ramiro Herrera, Agustin Creevy, Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: Julian Montoya, Lucas Noguera, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Matias Alemanno, Facundo Isa, Tomas Cubelli, Jeronimo De La Fuente, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino.
Dan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Mike Averis’s piece on Argentina from earlier in the week:
Eight years ago, in the basement at Stade de France, a 33-year-old scrum-half, still splattered with mud, let fly at the conservative world of rugby, telling anyone prepared to listen that Argentina could be ignored no longer. Gus Pichot’s side had just completed seven weeks of tweaking the nose of world rugby, first beating France on the opening night of their own World Cup in Paris before completing the embarrassment with a second win that night in the play-off for third place.
A day later South Africa beat England to take the Webb Ellis Cup but the heroes of France 2007 were clearly the South Americans and on Sunday Pichot, still very much a man who speaks his mind, will take his seat among the great and good at the Millennium Stadium hoping his country defeat Ireland, another of the sides embarrassed by the 2007 Pumas, and makes another World Cup semi-final.
The firebrand captain that night in Paris is now his country’s voice on the most august of the many bodies he harangued eight years ago, then the International Rugby Board, now World Rugby. And he is just as passionate about speaking of his country’s achievements, particularly the way they are playing their rugby.
Argentina, revamped off the field as well as on it, go into the quarter‑finals as the tournament’s leading points scorers. In a pool that included New Zealand, Georgia and Tonga, the Pumas scored 22 tries in four games, impressing at rugby hot spots such as Gloucester and Leicester as well as a then rugby world record crowd at Wembley.
