Full-back Hugo Keenan scored three tries as Ireland opened the home leg of the Nations Championship with an emphatic 42-12 win against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
Andy Farrell’s side rebounded from a summer-ending loss to New Zealand by scoring six tries in total, securing a bonus-point victory. Ireland led 21-5 at half-time before pulling away in the second half to top the northern hemisphere standings ahead of the remaining weekend fixtures.
Ireland Turn Around Early Deficit
Argentina took an early lead following a patient multi-phase attack when fly-half Tomas Albornoz kicked high to the corner, allowing winger Mateo Carreras to outjump Craig Casey and ground the opening try. Casey quickly responded by winning a key turnover penalty, putting Ireland on the front foot after their slow start.
Ireland capitalized from the subsequent line-out when Rob Baloucoune sliced through midfield and linked up with Mack Hansen, who set up Keenan for his first try. Open-side flanker Nick Timoney then forced a turnover from Albornoz before featuring in a set-piece move that saw captain Dan Sheehan cross for Ireland’s second score.
The host team extended their advantage further when Ryan Baird stole an Argentine line-out, allowing Hansen to feed Keenan for his second try of the match to build a 21-5 lead before the break.
Injury Concerns and Disciplinary Troubles
Argentina endured a difficult conclusion to the first half as outside centre Justo Piccardo was yellow-carded. Captain Julian Montoya and his replacement Leonel Oviedo both failed head injury assessments, forcing loose-head prop Boris Wenger to fill in at hooker. Ireland suffered their own setback when Sheehan left the field following a head injury assessment and did not return.
Shortly after the restart, fly-half Sam Prendergast darted through a gap in the Argentine defense to score his first international try and secure the bonus point. Although Carreras responded three minutes later with his second try following a run from Santiago Chocobares, Keenan answered by finishing a neat offload from Baird to complete his hat-trick.
Argentina’s discipline faltered again when Efrain Elias received a yellow card for a high tackle on Keenan. Ireland took advantage of the numerical superiority as Ronan Kelleher scored from a driving maul. Ireland tight-head prop Sam Illo was later sin-binned on the hour mark for driving early at a maul, but Argentina were unable to reduce the margin.
Farrell now faces a growing injury list ahead of upcoming fixtures, with Sean Jansen, Rob Baloucoune, Mack Hansen, and Josh van der Flier all sustaining knocks during the match alongside Sheehan’s head injury. Ireland will next host Fiji before facing world champions South Africa on November 21, while Argentina move on to face Italy and France following a third defeat in four matches.
