Ireland registered their first ever Test win on Argentine soil and handed out three debuts in the process as they opened their summer tour with a 29-17 victory over the Pumas.
Joe Schmidt’s men achieved what the 2000 and 2007 Irish touring sides had failed to do as Chris Henry, man-of-the-match Jonathan Sexton and Andrew Trimble crossed for a try apiece in sunny Resistencia.
Henry scored from a lineout maul in response to a brilliant Manuel Montero effort, with two earlier Sexton penalties edging Ireland to a 11-10 half-time lead.
The visitors enjoyed a profitable third quarter as a wraparound move involving Luke Marshall put Sexton over and then Trimble ran in an intercept effort for his fifth try in seven Tests.
Sexton unfortunately had to limp off with a ‘tight quad muscle’, but Ireland remained on course despite a raft of personnel changes and the tough conditions – an unforgiving Estadio Centenario pitch and the sticky afternoon humidity.
Ian Madigan came on at out-half and kicked two penalties to make it 29-10, while Connacht pair Kieran Marmion and Rodney Ah You joined fellow debutant Robbie Diack on the pitch.
Credit to Argentina, they produced a strong finish as a raid downfield was rewarded by a converted try from flanker Tomas de la Vega.
The defensive errors, allied to the failure to convert chances particularly in the first half, will have frustrated the coaches but there was much to be encouraged by in this display as new-look Ireland finished as deserved 12-point winners.
Test newcomer Diack, donning the number 6 jersey, was heavily involved early on as he showed his jumping ability in the lineout and exerted a physical presence in the loose.
Ireland controlled possession without making much headway, that was until Darren Cave unlocked Argentina’s midfield with a thrilling eighth minute run over halfway and up to the 22. Conor Murray fed Diack who seemed to take the wrong option by driving onwards and not shipping the ball on with two men to his left.
The Pumas held out but coughed up a penalty which Sexton stuck over in the 10th minute, just reward for a bright opening spell from the tourists.
Jack McGrath, making his second start in green, won a scrum penalty against Argentina debutant Ramiro Herrera and Ireland established a promising position after Marshall linked with Sexton and Felix Jones’ accurate grubber kick saw the hosts concede a five-metre scrum.
Zebo threatened off set piece ball, however captain Paul O’Connell infringed at a subsequent ruck and Ireland had a real let-off in the very next phase. Centre Gabriel Ascarate took a quick tap and made good ground before his dangled kick towards the left corner just had too much on it for chasing winger Montero.
It was a glimpse of Argentina’s speed on the breakout but Ireland were more incisive off structured play and a midfield bust from Marshall led to Sexton doubling the lead with a second penalty in the 20th minute.
The Pumas then enjoyed a purple patch as the highly-rated Montero evaded Trimble’s clutches on the left and scrum half Murray had to react quickly to collect the Puma’s chip and mark it.
Argentine captain Martin Landajo cut past Henry to lead his side back into the 22. Zebo encroached offside as Landajo attempted to put the waiting Santiago Cordero over from a close-in scrum. The resulting penalty was lobbed over by Nicolas Sanchez for 6-3.
The home side suffered a setback minutes later when their number 8 Benjamin Macome was sin-binned for taking Trimble out in the air, but another eye-catching counter attack teed up Montero for a try in the 31st minute.
It all started with a fine high catch by full-back Joaquin Tuculet with Sanchez then stepping away from Marshall in midfield. He advanced to draw in Jones and pass for Montero who dashed away from Trimble and fended off Sexton’s last-ditch challenge to score in the left corner.
Sanchez added the extras from a difficult position to draw further cheers from the vocal home support and give the 14-man Pumas a sudden 10-6 buffer.
There was no panic from Ireland though, Zebo getting up to claim Sexton’s restart and a penalty against Tomas Lavanini just moments later saw O’Connell opt for the corner. The decision paid off as Rory Best found his skipper in the lineout and the maul – with Mike Ross, amongst others, providing the grunt – led to Henry plunging over for his second Test try.
Sexton’s conversion attempt missed on the near left side. Diack’s fifth lineout take of the half sent Ireland on the attack just before the break but they could not make the best of the situation despite a smart initial run into the 22 from Murray.
Just two minutes into the second half, Ireland were clinical in claiming their second try of the afternoon. Diack stole a Pumas lineout and a great rumble forward from number 8 Jordi Murphy, on his first start, got his side into scoring range.
Murray fed Sexton who, together with ball handler Marshall and decoy runner Cave, outfoxed the Argentine defence, allowing the number 10 to charge through a gap and crash over between two defenders for a classy try – his fifth in three games – that went unconverted.
Ireland had to absorb a good deal of pressure as Argentina attempted to reply, with Jeronimo de la Fuente going close, and the likes of Zebo, Cave and McGrath had to come up with some important defensive plays for the visitors.
The Irish scrum also consistently delivered, even under increasing pressure at set pieces five and ten metres out from their own line. It clearly frustrated the Pumas and there was further disappointment for the home fans when Sanchez’s high pass was gobbled up by Trimble who charged clean through from halfway for a 58th minute try that Sexton converted.
Now 23-10 in arrears, Daniel Hourcade’s charges were struggling to find answers as Sanchez missed a drop goal and a penalty attempt.
Reinforcements had come on for Ireland in the form of Marmion, Jamie Heaslip and Fergus McFadden, with the latter breaking onto a Sexton kick to propel the tourists forward once more.
Trimble knocked on in contact as Ireland pressed in the Argentine 22. The scrum came up trumps though in winning back possession and Cave, a busy presence in both defence and attack, almost capped his day with a try out wide on the left.
Heaslip and Madigan linked off the scrum before Zebo’s superb offload out of a tackle put Cave over near the corner flag. Despite a good grounding by the outside centre, replays showed that he had a foot in touch under pressure from the defending Tomas Cubelli who saved the Pumas from falling further behind.
Nonetheless, the lead was out to 19 points after Madigan strung together two quick penalties in the 68th and 71st minute with Heaslip replacing the departed O’Connell as captain.
With the likes of Ah You, Damien Varley, Dave Kilcoyne and Devin Toner all introduced up front, Ireland pressed on in search of a fourth try. Iain Henderson, with a fine engine for the second row, was prominent as a penalty was won to set up a catch and drive effort. The Irish were repelled and Marmion was just thwarted as he sniped for a try to mark his first cap.
Argentina’s defensive grit lifted the siege as Heaslip was hammered backwards in a tackle by Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias and the hosts won a relieving penalty.
A degree of sloppiness crept in as Ireland lost hard-won metres with Cordero creating space for himself and leading a charge that eventually saw de la Vega touch down from a close range ruck.
Gonzalez Iglesias added the 80th minute conversion for good measure, but Ireland were already out of sight as they drew first blood in the Admiral William Brown Cup series which concludes next Saturday in Tucumán.
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