Ireland will be looking to fire a warning shot to the Southern Hemisphere powerhouses when they take on Argentina on Saturday the 10th of November.
Ireland will bring out their big guns this Saturday when their November campaign begins in earnest against Argentina. The hosts, who are currently ranked number two in the world, will be looking to lay down a marker with the all-conquering All Blacks coming to town the following week.
Ireland v Argentina
Saturday 10 November
Aviva Stadium
20:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Ireland 1/12
Draw 35/1
Argentina 6/1
Handicap
Ireland (-16.5) 9/10
Argentina (+16.6) 9/10
Ireland
There’s certainly a feel-good vibe floating around Irish rugby at the moment with their second strength side absolutely destroying an admittedly weakened Italian outfit in Chicago this past weekend. The 54-7 victory out at Soldier Field underlined just how healthy a position the Irish find themselves in heading into a World Cup year.
While understudies such as Joey Carbery and Josh van der Flier excelled last weekend, they will drop to the bench this week with season campaigners like Johhny Sexton and CJ Stander set to return to the fold.
It may be a different case for the star of the show in Chicago, Jordan Larmour. The talented young gun bagged a hattrick during the mammoth victory over Italy which surely has forced him into coach Joe Schmidt’s starting XV.
Argentina
While Argentina haven’t bee as prolific as their Irish counterparts when it comes to registering wins in 2018, they have played some fantastic rugby and registered victories over both South Africa and Australia during the Rugby Championship.
The Argentines have also played an exciting brand of rugby under new head coach Mario Ledesma, who is getting the best out of world-class pivot Nicolas Sanchez. The Jaguares ten will be the key cog in this Argentine machine during November, with his ability to spot a gap as well as put his outside backs in space crucial to Argentines cause.
Verdict: Ireland (-16.5) 9/10
While I can see Argentina giving a solid account of themselves during the opening stanza, Ireland’s superior bench should see the host to a victory in excess of ten points.
