Cool heads see mature Ireland through

THOSE who complained that this World Cup lacked drama got their answer yesterday. It is typical of the Irish that they should provide it.

In a game of poor quality, Ireland got the result they craved.

The win ensures Ireland have achieved their primary objective of reaching the quarter-finals. The reaction of the players at the final whistle reflected the mood relief more than celebration.

The difference between yesterday and Lens in 1999 was that Ireland kept their heads in the last 10 minutes of the game.

The pressure on the Irish coming into yesterday's pool A clash in Adelaide was very much reflected in their first half performance.

When Eddie O'Sullivan named his team in midweek, it was clear he picked a side to negate the Argentine strength up front. The worry was Ireland's expansive game, which has served them so well in recent times, would be sacrificed. That is exactly what happened.

The frustrating aspect of this game was that it should never have been this close.

Argentina, despite their forward strength had very little to offer behind the scrum. It was clear their capacity to score tries was extremely limited.

Out-half, Gonzala Quesada was selected primarily for his place kicking ability. While he delivered on that front, his general play was very poor.

Ireland's fundamental mistake was attempting to play Argentina at their own game. Throughout this tournament Denis Hickie has been in the form of his life. Yet he was starved of the ball in the first half. When he did receive possession, he created havoc.

Beforehand, Ireland had identified the Argentine lineout as a weakness.

However, the introduction of Federico Mendez at hooker had the desired effect and Ireland were unable to impose any pressure on Argentina in that key facet in the first half.

As a result the Pumas were able to launch their powerful maul and put Ireland in defensive mode.

Ireland's try, which proved decisive, resulted form a mix up in the Argentine lineout. Keith Wood did extremely well in putting Alan Quinlan into space to score against the run of play.

How unfortunate Quinlan should dislocate his shoulder in the act of scoring. Inexplicably, Ireland lost concentration at this stage and only for two outstanding pieces of defensive work from Shane Horgan, we would have been in deep trouble.

Given Argentina's strength in the scrum, Ireland were fortunate 17 minutes had elapsed before the first confrontation of this nature.

How ironic, given the efforts to get John Hayes back into the side that he was off the field with a blood injury for the first two scrums.

With Reggie Corrigan once again forced to switch to tight head, Ireland were in all sorts of difficulties.

The key moment of the game was the introduction of Ronan O'Gara and Marcus Horan on the 55th minute.

People have questioned O'Gara's temperament under pressure. Given that his first clearance kick resulted in Argentine full back Ignacio Corleto scoring a magnificent drop goal, that temperament was certainly going to be tested.

Within minutes the sceptics would have their answer. Awarded a difficult penalty opportunity 10 yards in from touch, O'Gara dissected the posts to restore Ireland's one point lead.

More significantly, the pace of Ireland's attack improved. Kevin Maggs, who had been starved of possession for the majority of the game, made severe inroads into the Argentine defence.

Significantly at this stage also, both Paul O'Connell and Malcolm O'Kelly managed to pilfer a number of Argentine throws when the Pumas were struggling to get a stronghold in Ireland's territory.

In the build up to this game, I felt Ireland's experience could be crucial. In the end, it was the difference between the two sides.

Argentina didn't know how to win. Four years ago in similar circumstances, Ireland panicked under pressure. On this occasion, they held their heads.

While Eddie O'Sullivan will be happy to accept the result, he will be hugely disappointed with the Irish performance given the level of preparation.

At least Ireland are still in the competition. Four years ago in Lens they would have settled for that.