Ireland Deliver

Ireland completed their autumn international schedule on a wet, miserable afternoon with a highly commendable 16-7 victory over Argentina at Lansdowne Road. And despite the closeness of the final score-line it was a victory that was never really in doubt from the time the teams went into the sanctuary of their dressing-romm for the half-time break with the home side leading 10-7. They had taken the lead in the 21st minute when Girvan Dempsey followed up a Brian O’Driscoll up-and-under and collected the ball after Ignacio Corleto had spilled it forward. O’Gara converted but Irish celebrations had hardly abated before the Pumas were level.

Dempsey and Shane Horgan wastched as the ball barely went over the touchline inside their 22 but Diego Albanese reacted quickly to pop the ball up to Rolando Martin and the wing forward ran in upopposed to socre to the left of the posts.

Seven minutes from the break O’Gara kicked a penalty for a narrow half time lead and two more like scores from the Munster out-half were enough to give Ireland their sixth consecutive win.