Pumas stun Ireland to make Semis

Americas rugby lives on in the World Cup as Argentina defeated a stunned Irish side 43-20 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The first and last quarters belonged to the Pumas, but there were some tense moments in the middle as Ireland very nearly dug their way out of a massive hole.

The fans were barely in their seats and Argentina were hot on the attack. A wide ball put Santiago Cordero in space and some trademark footwork tied in two defenders, in doing so opening up the right flank for Matías Moroni to breeze through for the opening try.

Cordero was at it again a few minutes later as the Pumas continued to probe the outside channels. Quick hands from Nicolás Sánchez put the right winger away, and this time he put boot to ball with an inch-perfect chip ahead for Juan Imhoff to gather and score just ahead of the dead ball line. Sánchez nailed his second conversion and added a penalty for good measure, and with just 13 minutes on the clock Ireland were already under the cosh.

The sad sight of Tommy Bowe being stretchered off with a leg injury only made things worse for Ireland, though Ramiro Herrera did his best to offer some consolation with a late shoulder charge on Keith Earls that earned him a 10 minute rest. Sánchez managed to slot a penalty with his team a man down, but Ireland got a try from a terrific Luke Fitzgerald break, and coupled with two successful kicks from Ian Madigan, the score was much less certain with only 10 points between the two sides at the break.

It was Fitzgerald who got things going for his side in the second half, bursting clean through a tackle and popping the ball into Jordi Murphy’s hands to give the men in green a colossal lift and bring the Irish faithful back into the game. Madigan’s conversion closed the gap to a mere three points, setting up an exciting final half hour.

Argentina’s expansive attack scheme continued to pay dividends, and Sánchez slotted two more penalties against one from Madigan to stretch the lead ever so slightly. Eventually the gaps out wide came again, and Joaquín Tuculet surged through the desperate tackle of Dave Kearney to score a critical try and all but end Irish hopes.

The semi-final dream came to a conclusive end on 72 minutes as Juan Fernández Lobbe ghosted through the line and found Imhoff streaking through on his right. A step and a fend later, and the left winger was off to the races for a magical score that secured Argentina’s spot in the semi-final. A final penalty from Sánchez was academic as the celebrations from Patagonia to Buenos Aires had already started.

IRELAND 20
Tries – L. Fitzgerald (26), J. Murphy (44)
Cons – I. Madigan 2 (27, 45)
Pens – I. Madigan 2 (20, 53)

ARGENTINA 43
Tries – M. Moroni (3), J. Imhoff 2 (10, 72), J. Tuculet (69)
Cons – N. Sánchez 4 (4, 10, 70, 73)
Pens – N. Sánchez 5 (13, 22, 51, 64, 77)

IRELAND
1 C. Healy (J. McGrath 51) 2 R. Best (R. Strauss 66) 3 M. Ross (N. White 51) 4 I. Henderson (D. Ryan 71) 5 D. Toner 6 J. Murphy (R. Ruddock 70) 7 C. Henry 8 J. Heaslip (capt.) 9 C. Murray (E. Reddan 70) 10 I. Madigan 11 D. Kearney 12 R. Henshaw 13 K. Earls 14 T. Bowe (L. Fitzgerald 13) 15 R. Kearney

ARGENTINA
1 M. Ayerza (L. Noguera Paz 67) 2 A. Creevy (capt.) (J. Montoya 55) 3 R. Herrera (J. Orlandi 72) 4 G. Petti (M. Alemanno 60) 5 T. Lavanini 6 P. Matera 7 J. Fernández Lobbe 8 L. Senatore (J. Orlandi 23-27) (F. Isa 50) 9 M. Landajo (T. Cubelli 52) 10 N. Sánchez 11 J. Imhoff 12 J. Hernández 13 M. Moroni (J. de la Fuente 68) 14 S. Cordero 15 J. Tuculet