Ireland v Argentina - 15/11/2024 - (20.10)

[OllyM97]

Which version of Los Pumas will turn up this week, and will Ireland turn in another wobbly performance?.

 

[big ginger 8]

Tom O'Toole ruled out to the surprise of nobody. Furlong still a doubt.

Am I confusing myself or is there previous of Aled Walters teams looking sluggish when he starts with them before ramping up?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Tom O'Toole ruled out to the surprise of nobody. Furlong still a doubt.

Am I confusing myself or is there previous of Aled Walters teams looking sluggish when he starts with them before ramping up?

He coached Munster and Leicester so they definitely looked sluggish. Not sure about ramping up.

 

[AlRums]

Tom O'Toole ruled out to the surprise of nobody. Furlong still a doubt.

Am I confusing myself or is there previous of Aled Walters teams looking sluggish when he starts with them before ramping up?

I just hope O'Toole is back on this planet by now.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Bounce back expected in a big way. Think we got our prep badly wrong (or potentially purposefully unfocused on the specific game, can explain my theory there but prob best for the Ireland thread) last week.

We'll have trained in Carton for this rather than Portugal which I think might have been cause for the inability to catch a ball and the rucking will be addressed. Had those two things been even 7/10 on Friday we definitely give ourselves a chance to win the game in the last 10 rather than chasing fruitlessly for the last 20 as happened.

Argentina will come to play but I think we can smother them and build a score consistently like every game between the two sides since they last beat us in 2015.

 

[OllyM97]

I think Ireland to win but not by a lot, 7 points or less. Bar the second SA test, Ireland's last 5 or 6 performances haven't been great. There's definitely been a noticeable dip. I think this game shows whether it was just a temporary blip or whether this specific group of players is nearing the end. Interested to see what happens here.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I think Ireland to win but not by a lot, 7 points or less. Bar the second SA test, Ireland's last 5 or 6 performances haven't been great. There's definitely been a noticeable dip. I think this game shows whether it was just a temporary blip or whether this specific group of players is nearing the end. Interested to see what happens here.

I think the dip is mostly around trying to adapt to not playing a game orientated around the 10. The defence hasn't dipped at all really and when it's good it's still good.

I think we'll be in the hunt for the 6n next season but we'll see 12 - 18 months of less than fluid performances. The start of this season was mostly embedding what we're good at with a couple new key players and maintaining a top 4 ranking. Onto the next, and generally most frustrating phase of building up to a peak again, if we can do this while maintaing 87+ ranking points it'll be a good return.

Players will have to change but mass change aren't needed and won't help.
The vast majority of guys who won't play more than 10 more tests in their career are on the bench. Bringing McCarthy, Crowley, Osborne and Nash into the 23 this year has been successful and the next 12 months will likely see one of the talented 6s establish themselves as starters and go from a very old bench to quite a young one. Hopefully Stockdale takes whatever chances he gets too, playing lights out for Ulster this season and quite a like for like replacement to Lowe.

Prop is the looming issue. Porter is world class and Furlong still can be on his day. Bealham is serviceable but outside that there's not too much.

I think the handicap of 10 is pretty bang on.

I do think last week was just a bit of a disasterclass that won't be sustained like Eden Park in 22.

 

[munstermuffin]

My biggest issue with Porter is he is clocking up huge mileage. This will effect him in time. Yes he has ability and noone is questioning that. But the next 10months are looking like they are going to be very intense on him.

Regards Friday. We will win but as was said already I expect it to be by under 10points. Friday nights are a disaster to for atmosphere and just I always felt for Munster games even Irish players just don't hit the heights on Friday nights. Not sure why.

@Leonormous Boozer we will be in the mix in Spring but that is because we aren't a bad team mixed wit my god there is a crazy amount of bad teams. Wales Scotland and Italy will be taking part and are poor. England are a mix of god knows what turn up and France are a very good team. But I think this year is a good year to be on the 2 home cycle as the 3 away are poor teams.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

My biggest issue with Porter is he is clocking up huge mileage. This will effect him in time. Yes he has ability and noone is questioning that. But the next 10months are looking like they are going to be very intense on him.

Regards Friday. We will win but as was said already I expect it to be by under 10points. Friday nights are a disaster to for atmosphere and just I always felt for Munster games even Irish players just don't hit the heights on Friday nights. Not sure why.

@Leonormous Boozer we will be in the mix in Spring but that is because we aren't a bad team mixed wit my god there is a crazy amount of bad teams. Wales Scotland and Italy will be taking part and are poor. England are a mix of god knows what turn up and France are a very good team. But I think this year is a good year to be on the 2 home cycle as the 3 away are poor teams.

Agreed yeah. Not much to do re Porter, just hope he's as much of a dawg as it appears.

Late games at the aviva haven't quite suited us yeah, Oz in 22 was similar and that was a Saturday. Strange because obviously we went quite well at the RWC with them. Small thing though, hopefully they get it right.

6 nations, yeah we should be going into win. If we had Farrell I'd be hoping for a slam. France and Scotland look like the real potential hiccups but also two that we should win. England are hard to gauge but at home, we should win. I expect us to slip up somewhere, hopefully only once though.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

My heart says 'abolutely. Bring it, you colcannon munchers!'
My head say 'they are coming from a loss, we are coming from a win (they tend to bounce back, we tend to get confy), we're playing in Ire, and we've got quite a few players missing. What the **** are you expecting?'.

 

[AlRums]

My heart says 'abolutely. Bring it, you colcannon munchers!'
My head say 'they are coming from a loss, we are coming from a win (they tend to bounce back, we tend to get confy), we're playing in Ire, and we've got quite a few players missing. What the **** are you expecting?'.

I had to look up colcannon, never heard of it and two of my grandparents are Irish.

Actually sounds nice, just my taste.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

My heart says 'abolutely. Bring it, you colcannon munchers!'
My head say 'they are coming from a loss, we are coming from a win (they tend to bounce back, we tend to get confy), we're playing in Ire, and we've got quite a few players missing. What the **** are you expecting?'.

I would be surprised if we lose our Dublin record, it'd signify a massive and rapid decline, no offence to Argentina but we had made winning in Dublin a habit and can't make it normal. We are capable of that for sure and have done it a few times in the past but I think our mentality and toughness is improving even if still on the weaker side among top international sides.

Felipe is a nice acquisition for you, both generally and in terms of this game, he'll have insight on almost all of our players and worked within the system. Expecting another low scoring affair considering this and how smothering our defence can be.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

I would be surprised if we lose our Dublin record, it'd signify a massive and rapid decline, no offence to Argentina

Expecting another low scoring affair considering this and how smothering our defence can be.

Not sure about this one. I understand your logic but not sure i agree. We've been trying to be aggressive and throw everything but the sink. Even when it backfires spectacularly (like our last game against south africa). Look at these scores

+50 points (combined) in all of the above except for one game against Aus.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

View attachment 21521


Not sure about this one. I understand your logic but not sure i agree. We've been trying to be aggressive and throw everything but the sink. Even when it backfires spectacularly (like our last game against south africa). Look at these scores

View attachment 21522

+50 points (combined) in all of the above except for one game against Aus.

Yeah, it's an interesting contrast. Our last game with +50 points was France in Marseilles and tries have been, worringly, at a premium in our matches but defence isn't budging.

I'm hoping Crowley imposes himself a bit more on the game from our POV. He got rocked v England and has played scared since. Expecting the handling and rucking speed to be better than last week but that ones a bit of an unknown.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Love this. Would probably start a different 6 (Baird or Prendergast) with Ryan on the bench the only change I'd make.

 

[munstermuffin]

Love this. Would probably start a different 6 (Baird or Prendergast) with Ryan on the bench the only change I'd make.

I'm in between. Feel for afrawley in the sense he probably will find it hard get back up ladder. He is a good player but the 10 depth will change now. Prendegast is loved by Farrell and Co.
12 I am not sure should be Henshaw. I'd have preferred Osborne. And POM either starts or out of 23. Beirne I'd have had as lock, Ryan to bench and Baird or Prendergast to 6. But splitting hairs.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

I'm in between. Feel for afrawley in the sense he probably will find it hard get back up ladder. He is a good player but the 10 depth will change now. Prendegast is loved by Farrell and Co.
12 I am not sure should be Henshaw. I'd have preferred Osborne. And POM either starts or out of 23. Beirne I'd have had as lock, Ryan to bench and Baird or Prendergast to 6. But splitting hairs.

I think you have to drop a guy after a performance like last week. Can't do it to Henderson and not Frawley.

Henshaw has the credit in the bank, happy to see if he hits the ground running!

 

[ChicagoKid]

Ireland have a weak bench; if Argentina can survive the first 50 they have a shot here.

 

[Horacito]

I would be surprised if we lose our Dublin record, it'd signify a massive and rapid decline, no offence to Argentina but we had made winning in Dublin a habit and can't make it normal. We are capable of that for sure and have done it a few times in the past but I think our mentality and toughness is improving even if still on the weaker side among top international sides.

Felipe is a nice acquisition for you, both generally and in terms of this game, he'll have insight on almost all of our players and worked within the system. Expecting another low scoring affair considering this and how smothering our defence can be.

I don't think 2 bad matches constitute anything like a trend, and that's argentina's best hope

I think it'll be a very interesting test match if our boys can hold the discipline

heart says we can take this, brain says we will lose by +10