Ireland are back at the Aviva Stadium for the first time in eight months as they renew rivalries with Argentina, who are now led by new head coach Mario Ledesma and first-time captain Pablo Matera.
2018 GUINNESS SERIES MATCH: Saturday, November 10
IRELAND v ARGENTINA, Aviva Stadium, 6.30pm (live RTE Two/www.rte.ie/live (ROI only)/Channel 4/RTE Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
Want to watch Ireland around the world? Here’s a list of the match broadcasters – please make sure you check local listings to see what time the game is shown and if it is screened live.
Ireland – RTE
Northern Ireland – Channel 4
UK – Channel 4
Argentina – ESPN SUR (covering all of South America)
New Zealand – Sky
USA – ESPN
Canada – DAZN
Australia – beIN Sports
France – beIN Sports
Germany, Austria, Switzerland – DAZN
Scandinavia – Viasat
Balkans – Arena
Japan – DAZN
Middle East & Africa – beIN Sports
South Africa & Sub-Saharan Africa – SuperSport
Asia – Rugby Pass (online)
Caribbean – ESPN
Team News: The Ireland team to play Argentina at a sold-out Aviva Stadium in this evening’s GUINNESS Series opener has been named. Hooker Rory Best returns to captain the team for the 27th time.
Best missed out on Ireland’s summer tour to Australia due to a hamstring injury and was not part of the squad that travelled to Chicago last week. He is flanked by Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong as the starting front row from March’s Grand Slam-clinching win over England is reunited.
Backs Jordan Larmour, Bundee Aki and Jacob Stockdale are the only players retained from the Stateside victory over Italy, with head coach Joe Schmidt making 12 personnel changes for the opening match of the 2018 GUINNESS Series.
It is the same starting pack that lined out in last November’s 28-19 triumph over Argentina. The second row pairing sees Iain Henderson and James Ryan team up together for the fifth time, while the fit-again Sean O’Brien comes in at openside for his first international appearance in twelve months.
Munster duo Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander complete the back row, Connacht’s Kieran Marmion comes in to partner World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Jonathan Sexton at half-back, and former provincial team-mates Aki and Robbie Henshaw will man the midfield.
Following his hat-trick exploits last Saturday, the 21-year-old Larmour holds onto the number 15 jersey with regular full-back Rob Kearney back in full training today (Thursday) after a shoulder injury. It will be Larmour’s first start for Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.
Ten years on from his debut at full-back, Keith Earls wins his 71st cap on the right wing with Stockdale, the 2018 Six Nations Player of the Championship, on the opposite flank. Between them, the selected back-three have scored 24 tries in Ireland’s last 20 Tests, stretching back to November 2016.
For tonight’s Test match, which will be broadcast live on RTÉ Two and Channel 4, the replacements bench features seven players who got game-time against Italy, including try scorers Sean Cronin and Luke McGrath, while flanker Dan Leavy is back to full fitness after two starts for Leinster in the last fortnight.
Meanwhile, flanker Pablo Matera will captain Argentina for the first time when they kick off their European tour against Grand Slam champions Ireland in Dublin.
Former hooker Mario Ledesma, who took the coaching reins in August after replacing Daniel Hourcade,makes five personnel changes to the team that lost 45-34 to Australia five weeks ago. The Pumas won two Rugby Championship games for the first time this year, defeating both South Africa (32-19) and Australia (23-19).
Bautista Delguy, who has scored four tries in his last seven appearances, replaces Matias Moroni on the right wing with Tomas Cubelli restored at scrum half. Guido Petti switches from the second row to openside, and Matias Alemanno pairs up with Tomás Lavanini in the engine room.
Hooker Agustin Creevy, the most experienced member of the squad with 80 caps, has been succeeded as captain by 25-year-old blindside Matera. Props Santiago Garcia Botta and Santiago Medrano complete the changes in an all-Jaguares starting XV.
Eight starters from last November’s 28-19 defeat to Ireland in Dublin are included – Emiliano Boffelli, Ramiro Moyano, Nicolás Sanchez, García Botta, Creevy, Alemanno, Lavanini and new skipper Matera – and there are two new caps on the bench in forwards Lucio Sordoni and Rodrigo Bruni.
IRELAND: Jordan Larmour (St. Mary’s College/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), Jacob Stockdale (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Queen’s University/Ulster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster).
Replacements: Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster), Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster), Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Munster), Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster).
ARGENTINA: Emiliano Boffelli (Jaguares); Bautista Delguy (Jaguares), Matias Orlando (Jaguares), Jerónimo de la Fuente (Jaguares), Ramiro Moyano (Jaguares); Nicolás Sánchez (Jaguares), Tomás Cubelli (Jaguares); Santiago García Botta (Jaguares), Agustin Creevy (Jaguares), Santiago Medrano (Jaguares), Matías Alemanno (Jaguares), Tomás Lavanini (Jaguares), Pablo Matera (Jaguares) (capt), Guido Petti (Jaguares), Javier Ortega Desio (Jaguares).
Replacements: Julián Montoya (Jaguares), Juan Pablo Zeiss (Jaguares), Lucio Sordoni (Club Atlético del Rosario), Rodrigo Bruni (Club San Luis), Tomás Lezana (Jaguares), Gonzalo Bertranou (Jaguares), Joaquin Diaz Bonilla (Jaguares), Matías Moroni (Jaguares).
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Ludovic Cayre (France)
Television Match Official: David Grashoff (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ireland to win: 1/12; Draw: 40/1; Argentina to win: 7/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Joe Schmidt (Ireland) – “Where we are right now, it will tell us a lot and I think regardless of what happens in the next 10 days, everything is a benchmark. In particular, this is our first southern Hemisphere game of this series and you saw in Australia (in June), the way that southern Hemisphere rugby is played is worth a fair bit of freedom.
“The Argentines would probably be a little bit more combative at the ruck than some of the other teams. So we’re going to have to really be on our mettle otherwise guys like (Agustin) Creevy and (Pablo) Matera will get on that ball very quickly.
“Some guys really impressed last week – and it’s up to this week’s group to really keep those guys at bay. The players are incredibly excited about what’s coming up and they’re nervous about Argentina and how good they are. So there’s a bit of anxiety floating around which is not necessarily the worst thing.”
Sean O’Brien (Ireland) – “Playing for your country is the pinnacle. Every chance you get to pull on the green jersey is a special one. I’ve an opportunity to wear it this week and I have to do a good job of it. I can’t keep saying, ‘oh, I missed out on this, I missed out on that’. I have to look forward.
“Obviously, you have mixed emotions when there’s stuff that happened, like last year. But you’re so happy for the lads, the effort they’ve put in. It means everything. When the national anthem comes on, you think of family, friends, people who’ve helped you in good times and bad times – all of the setbacks you’ve had and to get back again.
“There’s a good bit of emotion tied to the whole thing. Over the last year, I realised how important it is to enjoy every opportunity you get. It’s making the most of the time you have. That’s probably the thing I’ve been telling myself, to make sure you go out and do your best every time. That probably makes it even more special. You’re doing it for a reason, to be successful.”
Pre-Match Links –
Head-To-Head: Ireland v Argentina
In Pics: Ireland Training Ahead Of GUINNESS Series Opener
Irish Rugby TV: Rory Best – Ireland v Argentina Captain’s Run Preview
Irish Rugby TV: Simon Easterby Previews Ireland’s Showdown With Pumas
Recent Meetings –
2014: Summer Tour First Test: Argentina 17 Ireland 29, Estadio Centenario, Resistencia
2014: Summer Tour Second Test: Argentina 17 Ireland 23, Estadio José Fierro, Tucumán
2015: Rugby World Cup Quarter-Final: Ireland 20 Argentina 43, Millennium Stadium
2018: GUINNESS Series: Ireland 28 Argentina 19, Aviva Stadium
Support Ireland on www.irishrugby.ie/facebook or search #IREvARG, #TeamOfUs and #ShouldertoShoulder on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.
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