Penalty count cost us, not drop-goal, says Eddie

IT WAS A result that will, in the words of Irish captain Simon Best, “have no relevance” on what transpires in their World Cup Pool D match, but try telling that to the majority inside the richly atmospheric but non-hostile (except if you’re a visiting place kicker) stadium, who wildly celebrated Felipe Contepomi’s 81st minute drop goal.

As a squad and as a nation, a test win over a highly ranked country can only bolster the Argentineans’ confidence ahead of the World Cup, even if they are missing up to 25 players for these two tests.

It mattered to the five amateur club players on the Pumas side, who were pushing hard for inclusion in Marcelo Loffreda’s World Cup squad.