Ireland Looking to Rebound Against Pumas After All Blacks Defeat

Currently, Ireland looking to rebound against Puma is one of the biggest upcoming incidents that fans are looking forward to. Ireland wants to prove a point after the All Blacks defeat, the New Zealand’s official rugby team. 

Ireland’s defeat last week, with 23-13 was not a very good show that helped the All Blacks with Ireland’s poor discipline, shaky lineout, weak handling, breakdown issues and zero impact off the bench.

Argentina is already in shape as they have been gaining in the tournament against some of the major teams. They took third place after upsetting South Africa in their last match. 

The Emerging Ireland coach explained what happened 

The Emerging Ireland coach Andy Farrell was shocked himself. But with another game in the pipeline, against Argentina’s Pumas, he says,

“You don’t become a bad side in one game. Pressure’s good. It’s what concentrates the mind, you see where your character’s at”.

He ensured that Ireland looking to rebound by winning all the games in the tournament. He explained that there is always the opposition who wants to bring the other team down. However, you never know, when Emerging Ireland might strike back hard.

Farrell is excited about the match, he said, since he is impressed by Contepomi’s “magnificent” job in the previous match. Farrell remarked that Pumas are a complete team and “an exciting brand of rugby”. 

He confessed that Pumas have all the strength and fighting spirit that could prove them dangerous. They show the cohesion that is needed in a winning team, he said. 

Ireland looking to rebound might not be enough

Still, the fans are not going to buy it. Previously, under Joe Schmidt and now with Andy Farrell, Emerging Ireland has not been performing up to the mark. Still, they are hopeful they might be able to strike the next match against Pumas.

Three defeats out of five games, and history repeating itself in a more frequent way than expected is a disaster. Emerging Ireland might want to re-think the ways rugby is played. There are hard questions now being asked from the team, for both their short-term and long-term strategies.

Despite the coach’s contentment about the next game and emphasising that a few defeats wouldn’t put Ireland in a tough place, it is still raising eyebrows that Ireland is seemingly persistent in its defeats.

The last five games have proved a disaster in the Summer and Autumn Nations Series, the annual rugby union tournament, particularly because of their weak defence that is giving the opponents a chance to make wild attacks on Emerging Ireland. 

What is Emerging Ireland up to?

In their previous two games, Emerging Ireland saw no victory over South Africa and New Zealand. Several of its players have been experiencing injuries, such as Shayne Bolton, Jack Boyle, Jordan Duggan and Tommy O’Brien. 

Left with no choice, the players were to be pulled out of the team as the replacements were to be made instantly. 

Dan Sheehan has been their major player, he is not available now for the Autumn series. He is also experiencing an injury. Moreover, Ronan Kelleher is not here with the team due to his ankle injury. 

Even if they had fully capped senior internationals in their squad, they might have been able to save their game and might not have been in hot waters. There is nothing wrong with giving the chance to younger and more robust players but having a depth of analysis of the game, which could only come with senior players, might be something that Emerging Ireland should capitalise on at present. 

The breakdown in communication caused the opposing team to take advantage and seize the ball.  

Pumas are all geared up

Argentina’s team, the Pumas, have been getting ready and aiming to slay Emerging Ireland in their next match. They have made an important change in the team; dropping their only Irish player Santiago Cordero and introducing Justo Piccardo.

Pumas coach Felipe Contepomi says Piccardo has “enormous potential”. Piccardo is a 23-year-old rugby player who had just made his debut for Los Pampas in Super Rugby Americas. 

Pumas is known to have a six-day turnaround after the team thrashed Italy 50-18 in Udine. Contepomi have made other fresh changes such as Guido Petti, Pablo Matera and Matias Moroni. 

Pumas coach, Felipe Contepomi has plans

The coach realised that Pumas had not beaten Ireland for the past nine years. It was last in the 2015 Rugby World Cup quarterfinals and afterwards, never became the winners against Ireland. 

Ireland and Argentina have been face-to-face before, at least 19 times. Their first encounter was in 1990. Ireland won 13 times against Argentina and this is what concerns Argentinian Pumas the most.

Ireland has been a force against them for the past several years, but since now, Emerging Ireland has not been as strong as before, Pumas are positive about their game after almost a decade against Ireland. 

The coach Contepomi has been in Ireland for a decade as a player and worked as a backline coach for Leinster till 2022. He felt that his inability to gain insight into Ireland’s work seemed to prove a downfall. 

The Pumas team, which has beaten South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in the past three months, now seems optimistic about its strength that the coach thinks Argentina’s Pumas would use against Ireland. He said that is their only opportunity to prove themselves against Emerging Ireland if they want to improve, especially when Ireland is already proving to be weak.

FAQs  

1. Why is this match significant for Ireland?

Ireland is looking to rebound after a disappointing 23-13 loss to New Zealand. The team aims to regain momentum and prove their strength in the tournament following a series of underwhelming performances.

2. How has Argentina performed recently?

Argentina’s Pumas are in excellent form, having secured third place in the tournament after defeating South Africa. They also achieved a dominant 50-18 victory over Italy in their last match.

3. What challenges is the Ireland team facing?

Emerging Ireland is struggling with:

• Poor discipline, shaky lineouts, and breakdown issues.
• Key injuries, including Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher.
• A lack of impact from their bench and senior players.

4. What changes have Argentina made to their squad?

The Pumas have introduced 23-year-old Justo Piccardo, replacing Santiago Cordero. They have also included experienced players like Guido Petti, Pablo Matera, and Matias Moroni to strengthen their team.

5. What is the historical record between Ireland and Argentina?

Ireland and Argentina have played 19 times since their first encounter in 1990. Ireland has won 13 of those matches. Argentina’s last victory was in the 2015 Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.