A WELL-REHEARSED play put the Irish back three into a promising position, then they worked their magic. 

Fullback Hugo Keenan finished Ireland’s first try of a pleasing night against Argentina, dotting down after skilful, athletic contributions from wings Robert Baloucoune and Mack Hansen to create the opening.

It all started with an Irish lineout on the right-hand side 38 metres from Argentina’s try line.

This was an evening when the Irish strikes from set-piece were crisp and accurate, with passes in front of receivers and everyone in the right place. 

In this instance, the Irish pack mauled initially before scrum-half Craig Casey released the ball behind decoy-running centre Stuart McCloskey. From there, out-half Sam Prendergast ran a slick loop play around Robbie Henshaw, whose deft no-look pass under pressure shouldn’t be underestimated.

After receiving the return ball from Henshaw, Prendergast squared up briefly as he threatened to carry himself, before releasing Baloucoune on his outside shoulder.

There are few players who run cross-pitch as dangerously as Baloucoune. Young rugby players are often instructed to run straight upfield as much as possible, but Baloucoune’s pace and long stride mean he can induce panic while accelerating from right to left. 

So it was that Baloucoune strode to the outside of opposite number Bautista Delguy, scorching around him and then finally squaring up, therefore forcing Pumas fullback Juan Cruz Mallía to turn in and tackle him.

Baloucoune stretched his right arm in behind Mallía and offloaded powerfully to Hansen.

Hansen now had a hint of space to work with, but no open field. His solution to Delguy chasing back out onto him in desperation, while Tomás Albornoz closed across from the far side of the backfield, was typically creative.

The Connacht man, who can comfortably play in any back three slot, took the tackle from Delguy and as Albornoz and Matteo Carreras closed in on what they presumed would be a breakdown, Hansen lifted the ball overhead and threw a basketball-style offload inside, again generating notable power.

Mack Hansen on the move for Ireland. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

Lying in wait was Keenan, who had initially run a convincing decoy line just outside Henshaw, which sat down Pumas centre Santiago Chocobares in midfield, in turn buying Prendergast more time on the ball.

Keenan continued upfield after his first involvement and got his reward as the flashes of offloading brilliance from Baloucoune and Hansen teed up the first of the fullback’s three tries.

This was an exciting illustration of what this back three can offer. A planned lineout strike play created and preserved space where Baloucoune and Hansen’s athleticism and intuitive attacking skills could flourish, resulting in a brilliant try sealed by the accurate, diligent Keenan.

The scintillating nature of the offloading was somewhat uncharacteristic for an Irish side, and it’s all the more exciting for that reason.

There were other flourishes from the Irish back three, and Farrell will be looking forward to seeing them go again, whether that’s against Fiji next weekend or when South Africa come to town the following weekend.

Farrell confirmed post-match that Baloucoune had come off in the second half with an unspecified injury concern, while Hansen took a blow to the ankle but finished the game. It remains to be seen if there are any lingering effects on that front. 

This back three of Hansen, Baloucoune and Keenan had actually played together before, and it was against the Springboks back in 2022. Ireland won 19-16 that day, with Hansen scoring one of the Irish tries. Perhaps that’s a good omen.

For now, Farrell was delighted with this outing for a back three he has been excited about getting onto the pitch.

“I thought the back three was outstanding,” said Farrell.

“I mean, Hugo Keenan, it’s 22 months since he played here [at the Aviva Stadium for Ireland]. He didn’t even remember what side of the pitch we warmed up on, which is a bit of an insult. But wow, he was immense, wasn’t he?

“Same with Mack and Rob, the pace that he put onto the ball, he was a threat every time he got his hands on the ball, offloading the ball, good in the air, etc. So delighted with the back three.”

Hugo Keenan was player of the match. Nick Elliott / INPHO Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO

Aside from combining well with Hansen and Baloucoune, fullback Keenan was excellent in nearly all aspects of the game. Ireland lost a few aerial contests in the first half, but had some big wins too. They will want to hit a peak in that area against the Springboks.

Keenan’s finish for his second try was lethal, with Ireland striking off a Ryan Baird lineout steal.

Initially, Andrew Porter and Nick Timoney reacted well to the bouncing ball. From there, a string of slick passes from Casey, McCloskey, Prendergast and Hansen got the ball into Keenan’s hands.

He burst through Carreras’ tackle attempt and beyond Marcos Kremer, slalomed inside Tomás Albornoz and surged over the line despite Albornoz hanging off him and Pablo Matera trying to get a grip on him.

More slick Irish handling – this time from Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy and Baird – teed up Keenan’s third score in the second half.

The fact that Ireland’s back three were so heavily involved was as enjoyable as anything.

Keenan was the top ball-carrier in the game with 16, while Hansen was second on 14 and Baloucoune wasn’t far behind with 10. On a night when Ireland made 15 linebreaks, Keenan and Hansen had four each. 

Everyone is looking forward to seeing this trio going again for Ireland.