After the Chicago Soldier Field test match, Ireland must reset and focus on their next assignment, an assignment against an opposition who have broken their hearts in previous RWC tournaments.
Argentina form guide
Argentina come to the Aviva Stadium on the back of a strong Rugby Championship where the South Americans beat South Africa (H) and Australia (A) and were competitive against New Zealand in both fixtures.
The sore point for Argentina in the Rugby Championship was their second half collapse at home to Australia surrendering a huge lead to lose 34-45, the collapse was the second biggest comeback win in the history of test match rugby. It has prompted a change in captaincy as veteran Creevy is relieved of the captaincy in favor of the youthful, exuberance of back row forward Pablo Mantera.
What is the squad makeup?
The Argentinian squad is one which should be cohesive in the pack and back line. This is because the vast majority of the side ply their club careers with the Argentine franchise Jaguares who are in the Super Rugby competition. They have progressed well in the competition, progressively rising up the rankings with a respectable seventh position this season after finishing tenth in 2017 and thirteenth in the standings for the 2016 season. A squad which is evolving with the Jaguares should see improvement as well for the national team come RWC 2019.
Head Coach
A name that Ireland will know very. Mario Ledesma was an accomplished hooker who had a successful playing career in France and National side. A natural leader, Ledesma led Argentina superbly in the 2007 to a semi-final appearance and continued in that same vain in 2011 RWC where Argentina succumbed to New Zealand in the quarter finals. Coaching stints in Australia and France developed his managerial skill set to take over Jaguares and Argentina national teams in 2018. A man who will make the tough decisions evident in his demotion of Creevy as captain before this tour.
Game Plan
The Argentinian style of play has evolved quite significantly in recent years. The routine box kicking and pack platform supremacy game plan of the past has fundamentally shifted. The side likes to express themselves with ball in hand, look to be expansive when the opportunities arise with a steadily improving offloading game.
Players to Watch
The back three threat at the weekend have pace, power and footballing skill to keep Ireland on their toes. Delguy and Boffelli had excellent seasons with their club Jaguares and their pace and ability to create line breaks were seen in the Rugby Championship this season. Moyano is a player who given time and space will destroy opposition.
The half-back partnership is very experienced. Sanchez is a quality fly-half operator who will ping to the corners when required but his ability to bring his back line unit into the game is a key strength. Landajo is a solid scrum half, no frills and will look to distribute fast ruck ball. Ireland’s back row unit will need to slow down ball to contain the half-back threat of Argentina.
The back row unit led by Pablo Mantera will look to cut loose in their ball carrying. Mantera is a back row who loves to carry endless ball and will look to offload at every opportunity and will be ably assisted by experienced operator Leguizamón.
Potential Weak Point
The second row unit contains the brilliance of Lavanini in the ranks. His line out and set piece execution is genuinely world class. However, questions have persisted on the front five cohesion during the summer and Rugby Championship test match series.
The front row, traditionally an area of strength has become an area where squad depth has being exposed. Ledesma will hope that the front row unit containing Creevy and Herrera can provide the stability required but after that, squad depth quality in the prop positions dips and this is an area of concern for Argentina ahead of the Autumn and RWC 2019 fixtures.