ARGENTINA COACH DANIEL Hourcade has named his final 31-man squad for the World Cup following yesterday’s 26-12 defeat to South Africa in Buenos Aires.
With Ireland potentially meeting the Pumas at the quarter-final stages of the World Cup in October, the make-up of their playing group will be of great interest to Joe Schmidt and his coaching staff.
If Ireland top Pool D and Argentina finish as runners-up to New Zealand in Pool C, Schmidt’s men would face the Pumas in the Millennium Stadium on 18 October for their last-eight knock-out tie.
Hourcade has not sprung any major surprises with his 31-man group, although there are a number of players who will bring back nasty World Cup memories for Irish fans.
Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, Juan Martín Hernández and Horacio Agulla all started the Pumas’ 30-15 win over Ireland in the 2007 World Cup pool stages, although the remainder of the squad features some exciting new blood.
Of the Irishmen involved on that day in Paris, Eoin Reddan, Paul O’Connell, Gordon D’Arcy, Rory Best and Isaac Boss are currently in Ireland’s training squad.
21-year-old fullback/wing Santiago Cordero is an emerging talent for the Pumas, while 130kg lock Tomás Lavanini is already an established part of the XV at the age of 22.
Captain Agustín Creevy is a world-class hooker whose ability at the breakdown is well known, while the likes of Marcos Ayerza, Manuel Leguizamón, Juan Imhoff, Nicolás Sánchez and scrum-half pair Tomás Cubelli and Martín Landajo are all strong international players.
Argentina make up Pool C of the World Cup with the Kiwis, Tonga, Georgia and Namibia.
Hourcade’s men lost at home to the Springboks yesterday, a week after their shock victory against the South Africans in Durban in the final round of the Rugby Championship.
