Ireland failed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup for only the second time in their history on Sunday as they were beaten 30-15 by Pool D toppers Argentina in Paris.
WORLD CUP – POOL D: Sunday, September 30
IRELAND 15 ARGENTINA 30, Parc des Princes
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Brian O’Driscoll, Geordan Murphy; Con: Ronan O’Gara; Pen: Ronan O’Gara
Argentina: Tries: Lucas Borges, Horacio Agulla; Con: Felipe Contepomi; Pens: Felipe Contepomi 3; Drops: Juan Martin Hernandez 3
This was Argentina’s third win over Ireland this year, including their brace of summer tour successes, and richly deserved as Marcelo Loffreda’s men controlled most of the play in Paris and kept the Irish at arm’s length with some punishing goal-kicking.
Centre Felipe Contepomi, who was facing five of his Leinster team-mates, and mercurial out-half Juan Martin Hernandez kicked 20 points between them, with the latter’s trio of drop goals and nerveless handling and fielding helping him to outshine Ronan O’Gara.
The sides matched each other on try count, with captain Brian O’Driscoll and recalled full-back Geordan Murphy both touching down for Ireland.
But the men in green failed to score after Murphy’s 47th-minute try and Argentina’s better game management, stifling defence and ability to do the basics at pace and won an enviable amount of turnover ball saw the Pumas maintain their 100% record in the tournament.
For Ireland, the target of securing a bonus point win with a winning marging of eight points or more was beyond them. It was undoubtedly Ireland’s best performance of the 2007 World Cup, they kept themselves in the game up until the hour mark.
However, the Pumas, with key men Agustin Pichot, Hernandez and Contepomi pulling the stings behind a workhorse pack, gradually sucked the life out of the Irish and that “one big performance” that O’Driscoll had called for from his side was sadly nowhere to be seen.
Individually and collectively, this has been a World Cup to forget for Ireland’s players. A rapid decline in form has put question marks over the squad’s tournament preparations, training regime and the coaches at the helm.
The effort put in on the pitch was evident, but Ireland looked strangely stale over the past three weeks, with a lack of invention in the back-line, problems in the lineout and a horrible amount of handling errors adding to their woes. With not enough of their marquee players performing to their usual high standards, Eddie O’Sullivan’s charges were almost destined to falter in the so-called ‘Pool of Death’. The fact that they were left clinging on to the hope of scoring a miracle-like win over the Pumas only serves to highlight the recent downturn in fortunes.
With news of France’s nine-try 64-7 win over Georgia filtering through, Ireland knew before kick-off that they were left fighting for second spot in Pool D and a date with the All Blacks in the last-eight.
Hardly a prize to cherish, but to their credit, Ireland made a fiery start with O’Gara’s well-placed kick-off sending Argentina on the back foot. An O’Gara chip and chase sent David Wallace charging through the middle and another incision in the line from Eoin Reddan led to a third-minute penalty award.
Ireland pressed for the opening try as O’Gara was given the nod to kick the penalty to touch but the Pumas defended with gusto and were soon marching up-field.
Contepomi missed a ninth-minute penalty, awarded for not releasing on the deck, but the Argentina number 12 showed what an explosive talent he is just two minutes later, when out of nowhere, he almost kicked through to score under the posts. Sensing the danger, Denis Hickie had to use all of his pace to race in behind the posts and beat his Leinster team-mate to the ball.
Argentina were content to kick the ball back to Ireland, whose rather aimless kicking meant they struggled throughout for field position, however there were some encouraging moments for the Irish in the opening quarter-hour, most notably a muscular turnover from lock Paul O’Connell.
Rather ominously, a lineout catch and drive from the Pumas got them within five metres of the Irish try line and try number one arrived in the 17th-minute. The ensuing scrum saw the impressive Gonzalo Longo Elia break off the back, he found Agustin Pichot who offloaded for Lucas Borges to scamper over on the right, with the winger bumping off Wallace and avoiding the challenge of Hickie to score.
While Contepomi missed the conversion and O’Gara rifled over an Irish penalty after a concerted attack, Hernandez bolstered the Pumas’ lead to 8-3 with a sweetly-struck drop goal.
O’Gara had to come to Ireland’s rescue at the other end by side-footing the ball into touch after a Pichot kick had exposed the Irish down the right flank, with highly-rated full-back Ignacio Corleto leading the charge.
Argentina’s influence on the game was growing by the minute, but Ireland saw a chink of light in the 32nd-minute as O’Driscoll took full advantage of some sloppy defending to score to the left of the posts.
Ireland kicked a penalty to touch, Reddan fed O’Gara whose flat delivery allowed O’Driscoll to charge up and he skipped past Hernandez and a falling Manuel Contepomi to get clear and dive over past Horacio Agulla for the touchdown.
O’Gara’s conversion had Ireland in front for the first time, yet their advantage did not last long. Hernandez dropped back in the pocket to slam over a drop goal and close to half-time, the Pumas worked Agulla in for a seven-pointer in the left corner.
Hernandez was the creator as he launched a garryowen which he superbly collected and in one movement, the out-half slipped a delightful backhand pass for the supporting Rodrigo Roncero to bulldoze through and make five metres.
The Irish defence was stretched and numbers out wide led to Agulla beating the covering Denis Leamy to the line. Contepomi’s successful conversion, which bounced in off the right post, showed once again that luck was not on Ireland’s side at the Parc des Princes as O’Sullivan’s side turned around at the interval with an 18-10 deficit to overcome.
Ireland began the second half well with Hernandez’s restart being taken by O’Connell, who rose in terrific fashion, but the Irish were whistled up for pulling down a Pumas maul, three minutes in, and Contepomi fired his side into a 21-10 lead.
Ireland hit back with a move straight off the training ground. It was their best try of the tournament as quick set piece ball was ferried across from left to right and O’Gara, O’Driscoll, who straighthened the line superbly, and Wallace combined to set Murphy free for the right corner.
O’Gara narrowly failed to add the extras and from then on, the Pumas took the edge both physically and mentally. Ireland used their bench, pinning their hopes on the likes of Neil Best, Rory Best and Malcolm O’Kelly turning the screw up front, but the Argentinians just would not wilt.
Forward passes and further turnovers began to creep into Ireland’s game as they tried to force matters with time running out on them. A 62nd-minute offside at a ruck allowed Contepomi to boot his second penalty of the evening.
Five minutes later, the Leinster man repeated the trick after he was hit with a high tackle from Donncha O’Callaghan, who was perhaps fortunate to avoid a sin-binning.
Contepomi was in his element as he probed around the fringes as the Pumas chased another try. Ireland valiantly launched a series of surges up-field, with replacements Isaac Boss and Rory Best offering fresh legs, but they could not carve out any further scoring chances.
And fittingly it fell to that man Hernandez, who may yet lead Argentina to the promised land of a semi-final appearance and beyond, to ping a last-minute drop goal through the uprights and put the final nail in Ireland’s coffin.
So a brave effort from the men in green, however it has to be said that the two best teams, on current form, have qualified out of Pool D. Ireland are not in the World Cup’s last-eight for the first time since 1999. Our best wishes to both France and Argentina in the quarter-finals.
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