Ireland seek flourish against Argentina after All Blacks upset

Ireland came into Sunday's final autumn test riding the kind of momentum that doesn't come often in rugby. The previous week's victory over New Zealand—a result that still felt improbable in the retelling—had shifted something in the room. Now, facing Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on November 21st, the Irish team had a chance to close out the November series with another statement. The question was whether they could sustain it.

Andy Farrell made four changes to his backline while keeping the forward pack intact—the eight men who had dismantled the All Blacks the week before. It was a calculated move: trust the men who had proven themselves, refresh the attacking shape. Robert Baloucoune, winning only his second cap, came onto the right wing in place of Andrew Conway. The half-back pairing shifted entirely to Munster, with Conor Murray and Joey Carbery replacing the injured Leinster duo of Jamison Gibson-Park and Johnny Sexton. Robbie Henshaw, returning from a foot injury that had sidelined him since the Lions tour in the summer, slotted in at center for Bundee Aki. Farrell spoke about Baloucoune with the careful optimism of a coach who sees potential but knows the player is still writing his story. "He's a quiet type," Farrell said, "gets about his business that way. But the potential is there for all to see. I love the way he's unorthodox in his play." The coach noted Baloucoune's speed, his decision-making, his underrated defensive reads, his composure under the high ball. If Ireland could get front-foot ball, Farrell suggested, there would be space for him to operate.

Argentina arrived with their own adjustments. Mario Ledesma, the head coach, recalled Guido Petti and Santiago Grondona to the pack, bringing three changes overall. The reshuffle rippled through the forward unit: Marcos Kremer moved into the back row alongside Grondona, while Pablo Matera shifted from blindside flanker to number eight for what would be his 80th Test. In the backline, Lucio Cinti came in on the left wing, pushing Mateo Carreras to the right. It was the kind of surgical tinkering that suggested Ledesma was trying to solve a specific problem—or perhaps create one for Ireland to solve.

The bookmakers had already made their judgment. Ireland sat at 1/8 favorites, a massive gap. Argentina was 7/1. The draw, for what it was worth, sat at 25/1. The odds reflected not just recent form but the weight of expectation: Ireland were supposed to win this one, and win it convincingly.

Pundits were already parsing what the week ahead would demand. Ruaidhri O'Connor noted that Argentina's card had been marked—the referee would be watching for the aggression that defined their rugby. But he also saw Ireland's front row—Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong—as capable of dominating any engagement. The real test would be whether the pack could maintain that dominance while the backline found rhythm with new faces. Brendan Fanning, meanwhile, was crediting Stuart Lancaster, Leinster's director of rugby, with a quiet role in Ireland's recent turn. "Men in green are playing like men in blue," he wrote, noting that Leinster's contingent was leading the charge for their country. In a rugby system as small as Ireland's, those connections mattered.

Kick-off was set for 2:15 p.m. on Sunday. RTÉ 2 would carry the match from 1:30 p.m., with Channel Four starting their coverage at 1:45 p.m. The stage was set for Ireland to either build something real from their All Blacks upset or to discover that last week's victory was a high-water mark, not a turning point. The answer would come in ninety minutes.