Ireland v Argentina Sunday 2.30pm (Live on RTE 2)

JOE looks ahead to the final match of the November series when Ireland take on Argentina at the Aviva Stadium.

By Conor Heneghan

After all that’s transpired for the Irish rugby team over the last month, a win over Argentina and a 50 per cent record would be a pretty satisfactory end to the November series.

Prior to the South African game, optimistic supporters would have been hoping for three wins from four and to give the All-Blacks an almighty fright and although that hasn’t exactly been the case, Declan Kidney’s men have at least showed signs that they have the ability to play the game he is trying to develop, a game more in tune with the demands of modern rugby, which is reassuring given the monumental year that lies ahead.

Unfortunately, because of the gruelling nature of last weekend’s defeat to New Zealand, Kidney has been robbed of some of his front line players for a game that was never going to be an easy encounter given the nature of the opposition.

Let's get physical

Although Argentina’s clashes with almost every team are usually frighteningly physical, brutal encounters, their meetings with Ireland tend to be even harder, thanks in part to a contemptuous edge that has developed because of the sides’ increased familiarity with each other in recent years, probably best illustrated by Felipe Contepomi’s rivalry with the entire Munster team and Ronan O’Gara in particular.

In terms of selection, though, Ireland haven’t been overly weakened by the withdrawal of Kearney, Fitzgerald and Best - Geordan Murphy and Andrew Trimble are more than adequate replacements at the back, while Sean Cronin was outstanding when introduced against the All Blacks, even if his lineout throwing was a little off the mark.

Peter Stringer will make his 95th appearance for Ireland on Sunday.

Despite an improvement from Eoin Reddan last Saturday, Peter Stringer is entirely deserving of a start at scrum half and although he has developed an almost telepathic understanding with Ronan O’Gara over the years, his partnership with Sexton has serious potential. The nature of Sunday’s game may mean that the half back pairing mightn’t have as many opportunities as they would like to get the back line moving, but now is the time to see if the combination can work rather than at the Six Nations or prior to the World Cup next year.

Up front, it is a tad disappointing that Devin Toner hasn’t been given a chance to start after encouraging displays against Samoa and New Zealand. Buckley, meanwhile, has been given yet another chance to prove that he is a viable first choice at this level, although it is at the expense of Tom Court who hasn’t done an awful lot wrong this month.

This could get ugly

Despite the absence of the mercurial Juan Martin Hernandez, Argentina still look pretty formidable and retain 12 survivors from the side that lost 15-9 to France last weekend in a tryless game that by all accounts wasn’t easy on the eye, but which was ravaged by poor conditions.

Contepomi will pull the strings as he faces up to plenty of his old Leinster colleagues, but it is up front, as always, where the Pumas' strength is greatest. The front row of Roncero, Ledesma and Scelzo are a formidable bunch, while Juan Fernandez Lobbe is an impressive operator in the back-row.

Last weekend’s defeat to the All Blacks, although it ended in defeat, was a fantastic exhibition of rugby, something which is unlikely to be repeated on Sunday at the Aviva Stadium. Still, Declan Kidney and Ireland won’t care less if they can come out of it with a win, something that looks eminently achievable and would put us in good stead going into 2011.

Teams:

Ireland: Geordan Murphy; Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll, Gordon D'Arcy, Andrew Trimble; Jonathan Sexton, Peter Stringer; Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Tony Buckley; Donncha O'Callaghan, Mick O'Driscoll; Stephen Ferris, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip.

Replacements: Damien Varley, Tom Court, Devin Toner, Denis Leamy, Eoin Reddan, Ronan O'Gara, Keith Earls.

Argentina: Martin Rodriguez; Horacio Agulla, Gonzalo Tiesi, Marcelo Bosch, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino; Felipe Contepomi (captain), Nicolas Vergallo; Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma, Martin Scelzo; Mariano Galarza, Patricio Albacete; Genaro Fessia, Julio Farias Cabello, Juan Fernandez Lobbe.

Replacements: Agustin Creevy, Marcos Ayerza, Juan Figallo, Santiago Guzman, Alvaro Galindo, Alfredo Lalanne, Lucas Borges.

Odds:

Ireland 1/3, Argentina 11/5, Draw 22/1

JOE Prediction: Ireland to win by less than ten points.