Sean Farrell reports from Millennium Stadium
IRELAND WILL PLAY Argentina in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final next Sunday after victory in today’s final Pool D match against France.
The 24 -9 win means Ireland top the pool with four wins out of four and 18 points and face the Pool C runners-up.
Though on paper the Pumas are the weaker of the teams emerging from Pool C, Daniel Hourcade’s side have been in impressive form in this tournament.
The benefits of playing regular top class Tests in the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship clearly showed in the way they were able to push the All Blacks close in the opening fixture before running in 11 tries in matches against Georgia and Tonga, before closing out the pool against Namibia today.
The two meeting revives memories of a bitter past between the two nations, a bitterness that was born from hard-fought World Cup scraps.
Argentina got the better of Ireland in 1999 and again in 2007 to cap off two awful campaigns for the men in green. In Eddie O’Sullivan’s first tournament in charge, however, Ireland did manage to carve out a narrow win thanks to an Alan Quinlan try that caused the Munster man to dislocate his shoulder.
Before heading to Cardiff for the Pool D decider, the Ireland camp maintained that the identity of the quarter-final opponent wasn’t important. What they wanted was an extra day to prepare for the knock-out fixture.
“The biggest reason for winning the pool is to have that extra day before we have to play again,” head coach Joe Schmidt said on Friday.
“Playing the All Blacks after a six-day turnaround when they have had an eight day turnaround would be tough.
“The draw is the draw and, to be honest, we have had a pretty good draw. That extra day just allows a bit more breathing space in terms of being that little bit better prepared and recovered.”
Fullback Rob Kearney added: “That one day is massive. It just gives you that extra day to prepare and recovery, get your own clarity.
“In the grand scheme 24 hours is quite a lot and it’s a great prize for the pool winners.”
Quarter-finals
(kick-off 4pm unless stated)
Saturday 17 October
South Africa v Wales, Twickenham
New Zealand v France , 8pm Millennium Stadium
Sunday 18 October
Ireland v Argentina, 1pm Millennium Stadium
Australia v Scotland, Twickenham
Semi-finals
Saturday 24 October
South Africa / Wales V New Zealand / France , Twickenham
Sunday 24 October
Ireland or Argentina V Australia / Scotland, Twickenham
