Tasty, tense and tight

FOR Ireland’s World Cup hopefuls, Saturday’s first test against Argentina was a throw-back to Lions tours of a bygone era when teams were banished to various backwaters to promote the game and have their physical prowess tested by hostile natives both on and off the field.

Santa Fe was such a place.

To their credit, despite the agony of a last-gasp defeat this young and comparatively inexperienced Irish side displayed commendable courage and commitment. In the end they were undone by a man who knows more about Irish rugby than most opposition international players.