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The Irish horror show has all but confirmed Argentina for the Pool of Death. Ireland’s 22-9 loss to Wales this evening has ramifications for the world rankings. Had the Irish defeated Wales then Argentina would have avoided a pool of death in Japan 2019.
Ireland’s inept performance has played into Wales’ hands. Had the Welsh lost they would have required a win over France in Paris to avoid falling to 9th. That position continues to be held by Argentina and little can now be done to change it.
France is ranked in 8th position. France have a match tomorrow against Italy in Rome, a match the visitors are expected to win. A victory by under 15 points would increase France’s ranking from 80.57 to 80.99 points. A win by 15 or more would give the French 81.21 points.
Wales’ home win over Ireland is to give them a ranking of 82.16 points. With Argentina sitting on 79.91 points the South Americans now need Italy to beat France. The alternative is for Wales to defeat France by 15 points in Paris.
The likelihood of Argentina avoiding a pool of death is all but zero now. While results in the Six Nations have not gone Los Pumas’ way. The real issue remains that the team failed to play well in 2016. The results in the Rugby Championship and in Europe in November ultimately saw Argentina plummet in the rankings. Daniel Hourcade’s non-selection of European-based players was a contributing factor.
