Ireland will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to New Zealand last weekend, however they face an Argentina side coming off the back of a win against Italy and who will be looking to make a statement against Ireland on Friday night.
We look at the match from a betting angle and share our plays.
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Ireland
Ireland had a disappointing match last weekend, conceding too many penalties and allowing New Zealand to go ahead early. They managed to come back to grab the lead but ended up losing 13-23. They also lost their number 1 ranking and will be out to show that last week it was a case of rust and not a team in decline.
Ireland starting lineup
15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Sam Prendergast, 23 Jamie Osborne
Ireland have only made one change to their starting lineup with Robbie Henshaw coming in for Bundee Aki at inside centre. The bench sees 3 changes as Thomas Clarkson, Craig Casey and Sam Prendergast come in.
Argentina
Argentina are coming off the back of a brilliant performance against Italy in Rome where they managed to win 18-50. They also had a successful Rugby Championship where they managed to beat all three sides in the tournament once, something they had never achieved before
Argentina starting lineup
- Juan Cruz Mallia, 14. Rodrigo Isgro, 13. Lucio Cinti, 12. Matias Moroni, 11. Bautista Delguy, 10. Tomas Albornoz, 9. Gonzalo Bertranou, 8. Joaquin Oviedo, 7. Juan Martin Gonzalez, 6. Pablo Matera, 5. Pedro Rubiolo, 4. Gudio Petti, 3. Joel Sclavi, 2. Julian Montoya (c), 1. Thomas Gallo.
Replacements: 16. Ignacio Ruiz, 17. Ignacio Calles, 18. Francisco Gomez Kodela, 19. Franco Molina, 20. Santiago Grondona, 21. Gonzalo Garcia, 22. Santiago Carreras, 23, Justo Piccardo.
Argentina have made four changes in their starting lineup.
Head-to-head
Ireland have beaten Argentina in four out of five matches between the two sides. The last time Argentina won was in the 2015 World Cup where they beat Ireland 43-20. The most recent fixture between the two sides was in 2021 where Ireland won 53-7 at home.
Betting and Verdict
Ireland are favorites to win and are trading at 1.20 while the bookies have Argentina at 6.00 and the draw at 34.00.
The handicap at the time of writing is Ireland [-12.5] at 1.95.
The last time Ireland lost back-to-back test matches was in the 2021 Six Nations. Their ability to bounce back after a loss has been showcased over the last three years and I believe they will be able to do the same this weekend, winning not only the game but also the handicap.
Suggested Bet: Handicap, Ireland [-12.5] at 1.95.
The Ireland v Argentina fixture is one that often accumulates a large number of points with the most recent fixture having 60 points scored in the match. Argentina’s recent matches have also been high scoring, with their fixture against Italy having 68 points scored in the match. The weather looks good and I expect a far more open game than what we saw against New Zealand.
Suggested Bet: Total number of points over 52.5 at 2.15.
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Note: All prices correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
