Honour In Defeat For Ireland Development

An Argentine side that contained no less than 13 internationals in their starting line-up beat an Ireland Development XV 24-12 in a wet and windy Donnybrook yesterday evening.
However it is a tribute to the home team that the visitor’s clinching try didn’t arrive until minutes from the end of a tough physical encounter. And while there was little quibble about the merits of their victory – they outscored the Irish four tries to nil – Argentina might have been turned over if the Irish, on occasion had been a little tidier.

Ireland led 12-7 thanks to the accurate boot of Mark McHugh, after 27 minutes before hesitation on a kick ahead allowed Hernan Senillosa through for a try that Juan Fernandez Miranda converted brilliantly into the wind, for a 14-12 interval lead.

As might have been expected the Argentinians attempted to turn the screw in the opening minutes of the second half laying siege to the Irish line. An early flurry was resisted by stout Irish defence and when their line eventually fell it was again as a result of untidy play. Scott Young and Brian O’Riordan failed to deal with the loose ball and the Pumas swept through, moved it quickly left for Martin Gaitan to charge over under the posts unopposed.

Ireland were reduced to fourteen when Donncha O’Callaghan was sin-binned in the 15th minute – a decision even the Argentines seemed surprised by – but the Irish defended heroically and were still very much in touch when the Munster lock returned. And then they applied their own pressure. They very well might have changed the final scoreline had McHugh’s penalty seven minutes from time, gone over, and although they conceded a fourth try to replacement Mauricio Reggiardo, minutes later, they ended the game camped in the visitor’s 22 with the tourists reduced to desperate defence in order to deny the Irish.

Ireland Development XV. S Young (Ballymena); T Robinson (Buccaneers), G Duffy (Galwegians), D Quinlan (Blackrock), M Lawlor (Shannon); M McHugh (St Mary’s), B O’Riordan (UCD); S Best (Belfast Harlequins), P Shields (Ballymena, capt), P Bracken (Galwegians); D O’Callaghan (Cork Constitution), A Kearney (Dungannon); A McCullen (Lansdowne), D Dillon (UCD), J O’Connor (Galwegians).

Replacements: J Fitzpatrick (Dungannon) for O’Connor 24-34 mins;
S Moore (UCD) for Young 50 mins;
N McMillan (Ballymena) for O’Connor 50 mins;
Fitzpatrick for Bracken 56 mins;
D Browne (Galwegians) for Kearney 65 mins;
J Flannery (Galwegians) for Shields 70 mins;
J McWeeney (St Mary’s) for Lawlor 71 mins;
K Campbell (Dungannon) for Robinson 73 mins.

Argentina. B Stortoni; JM Nuqez Piossek, M Gaitan, M Contepomi, H Senillosa; J de la Cruz Fernandez Miranda; N Fernandez Miranda (captain); M Selzo, JJ Villar, S Gonzalez Bonorino; P Albacete, P Sporleder; M Durand, I Fernandez Lobbe, M Schusterman.

Replacements: R Alvarez for Fernandez Lobbe half-time;
J Fernandez for Gaitan 57 mins;
M Reggiardo for Bonorino 75 mins.

Referee: H Watkins (Wales).

Yellow cards: S Best (Ireland) 24-34 mins;
P Albacete (Argentina) 26-36 mins;
D O’Callaghan (Ireland) 55-65 mins.