Result and ranking achieved: Now what about consistency?
An Irish team in a crucial game with pressure on to perform responded with a performance of sheer class and attacking bliss.
Four tries in the opening 30 minutes and seven in total from a side that only managed two in their previous five tests, demonstrated what this newly constructed side is capable of.
The ramifications of this result should help the squad for some time but the immediate significance will become clear on December 3 when the pool draw for the 2015 World Cup is completed. With Argentina now level with Samoa, a heavy defeat to Wales next weekend might see both teams stay in the second tier while the Welsh drop to ninth. While Saturday’s win for Ireland is to be commended, there is now a one in four chance we could end up in a pool of death with one of the big SANZAR nations along with Argentina, Samoa or Wales. Now that would be cruel in the extreme given the way Ireland handled the Pumas.
Of equal significance for the future development of this evolving group of players is the fact they delivered without the talismanic presence of Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell.
When players of that stature are on board it is easy for others to step back. The real bonus from this autumn series, apart from securing that all important tier two status, is the emergence of new leaders in Jonny Sexton, Donnacha Ryan, Peter O’Mahony and Jamie Heaslip and unearthing exciting new talent in Craig Gilroy, Simon Zebo, Iain Henderson, Luke Marshall and Dave Kilcoyne.
When one factors in that Sean O’Brien, Stephen Ferris, Rob Kearney, Rory Best and O’Driscoll are all expected back in time for the opening Six Nations clash against Wales, Declan Kidney will not only be spoiled for choice but offered the bonus of serious impact off the bench. As for O’Connell, we can only wait, hope and see.
Of even more importance is the requirement to build on this excellent attacking show and banish the dreadful inconsistency that has dogged this squad for far too long.
On Saturday a star was born in Gilroy. In a fairyland week, registering a hat-trick of tries against Fiji in addition to a new three-year contract with Ulster, his opening try after 11 minutes of his international debut lit up the Aviva. His feet are electric and his ability to beat the first tackler is reminiscent of Jason Robinson at his best.
In a season that started with him unable to secure a starting slot in Ulster’s Heineken Cup side, what odds at this stage that he doesn’t end up with the Lions in Australia?
The foundation for this display was forged up front where the Irish forward unit were quite magnificent. As I suspected, this Argentine scrum was not as destructive as the unit that performed in the Rugby Championship and Ireland had the will and confidence to expose it.
One outstanding effort which dismantled the Argentine scrum three minutes into the second-half resulting in a penalty which Sexton converted, signalled the end of the game as a contest. Ireland were equally efficient out of touch from the moment Ryan pilfered the visitors very first throw and as a direct result of a well thought out kicking strategy, Argentina were offered only seven line outs in the game. With 71% of possession in that opening half, Ireland’s clinical execution had the crowd in raptures.
This game was a tactical triumph for Declan Kidney and his coaching ticket. They clearly had their homework done and delivered on all fronts. Anthony Foley has been a revelation since his appointment as defence coach, conceding a single try in the entire November series until those two annoying concessions to Leonardi and Fernandez Lobbe in the final three minutes when concentration was on the wain.
Shorn of his double-jobbing duties, Les Kiss has also benefited from only having to work on Ireland’s attacking strategy and the result on Saturday was the most creative and inventive display we have seen under this coaching ticket.
The work rate of Gilroy, Zebo and Tommy Bowe, who accounted for four tries between them, was sublime with Zebo given a licence to roam and Gilroy used brilliantly off lineouts as a trail runner operating off the shoulder of Sexton.
Given that Saturday was Argentina’s 12th test since June, one would have expected a far more cohesive performance but 10 of the side, including seven of the pack, started all three November tests on successive Saturdays leaving them with little left in the tank.
In turn, Kidney’s decision to rest up some key personnel for the Fijian game paid dividends with Ireland dictating the pace and tempo of the game from start to finish. At one stage it looked as if they were capable of scoring at will and exposed a frail Argentine defence.
Even without the ball, Ireland were effective. The ability of Bowe and Keith Earls to react to what was happening in front of them when shooting out of the defensive line to smother two certain Argentine tries offered further evidence of the growing maturity and a willingness of individuals to take responsibility at key moments.
The lessons of the South African game were well and truly absorbed and Ireland were far more effective at the breakdown with O’Mahony, Heaslip and Chris Henry completely outplaying the highly-rated Argentine breakaway unit.
After this, the Six Nations can’t come quickly enough and the players return to their provinces with confidence and a feel-good factor that can only boost the prospects of their respective sides for the pivotal back-to-back Heineken cup clashes to come. Over the next few weeks the IRFU begin the process of trying to shift a new tranche of 10-year tickets to a public demanding more value for money than their counterparts of a decade ago.
The scintillating pace and attacking zest shown by the new kids, whose careers have the capacity to extend the duration of the new debentures, may just convince a new-found fan club to part with their hard earned cash.
