43-20 to Argentina. What a shell-shocking disaster.
Ireland battled back from 17-0 down but could never go level on the scoreboard. On another day, we could have turned a catastrophe into a glorious comeback.
Instead it just turned to holy hell.
It was fitting that Juan Imhoff blazed in the final nail in our rickety coffin. The fullback was unstoppable and his pure pace and gutsyness summed up his Pumas side.
Ireland are gone from the 2015 World Cup and, in reality, after today’s outing, they will not be missed. Neutrals may enjoy the Irish hordes in the stands, and taverns, but they must prefer the Argentineans when it comes to on-field performances.
For the second World Cup in succession, Ireland promised much with a dominant pool stage victory [Australia in 2011 and France this time] only to fall badly short when history beckoned.
Many expected today’s game to be a battle and a game decided by the forwards. However, anyone that clung to that may not have caught too much of their rugby.
Daniel Hourcade’s side slashed South Africa 37-25 in The Rugby Championship, just over two months ago, and their superb started should have seen them beat All Blacks in their World Cup opener. Three years of Rugby Championship action – against New Zealand, South Africa and Australia – are paying off.
“We won playing good rugby,” declared Daniel Hourcade, their head coach in the bowels of the Millennium Stadium after this game.
It was good – very good – and it was more than enough today.
Ireland gave them at 17-0 head-start but somehow, by sheer force of will, got back into the match.
Ian Madigan’s missed penalty, when the game was 23-20, was crucial. It gave Argentina the filip they needed and, when Devin Toner was penalised for a high tackle, that lead was stretched.
That drained Ireland. Joe Schmidt has a habit of trusting his starters in big encounters and he did it again. Mike McCarthy and Rhys Ruddock – fresh call-ups after the injury Armageddon last week – were not brought on until it was too late.
The biggest compliment one can pay to the victors is that they targeted Ireland’s strength, the breakdown, and turned it into a weakness. Ireland did not want to commit too many bodies to the ruck but Argentina forced their hand. Pablo Matera, Lorenzo Senatore and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe were astonishing here.
Ireland were thunder-struck for the first 20 minutes and embarrassed by the final 20. Some fight in between but, each time, Argentina wrested the momentum back or Ireland coughed it up.
That was it.
Ireland looked out on their feet at the end. The Irish fans cheered them on until the death but pockets of Pumas supporters got louder as the game went on.
In the cold, hard light of day, with the Millennium Stadium roof opening after the final whistle, Ireland were left brutally exposed.
Argentina played all the rugby and showed all the attacking will.
Ireland, like they were in Wellington, four years ago, ceded momentum from the get-go and battled back only to throw it all away again. They were far too narrow and got Super Rugby-ed to death.
There will be a sick feeling in the pit of Irish stomachs for some time to come.
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