Ireland can conquer depleted Pumas

As Declan Kidney said as emphatically this week as his soft Irish lilt allows, Ireland understands the significance of this weekend’s Test match against Argentina

How could it be otherwise? The Pumas have managed to burn themselves into the soul of Irish rugby, like a mouth ulcer that keeps re-occurring. Painful it has been, too, whatever the location: Lens, Paris?anywhere.

Logic and Argentine rugby is best kept apart. How is it that a player like hooker Mario Ledesma, about 38 when someone last counted, can still keep delivering at this level? How can they not suffer from the loss of the hugely influential Augustin Pichot at half-back? How they can make up this weekend for the absence of the highly influential Felipe Contepomi, their talismanic goal kicker?

In normal teams, all those factors would have a significant, considerable bearing. But you are wary about making too much of them when it comes to the Pumas. They greet adversity like an old friend, putting a consoling arm around its shoulder and walking off together, laughing and joking.

Teams have been dismissing the Pumas for years and paying the price. Their wonderful displays at the 2007 Rugby World Cup represented the zenith of Argentine rugby.

Yet the fact remains, this is not the same Pumas side that beat France and Ireland in Paris 12 months ago and finished third in the World Cup. Pichot is a huge loss, likewise Contepomi. And I don’t care which country you play for, that side is going to feel the draught if you remove two highly influential players of that ilk.

Perhaps what Ireland have to do above all else at Croke Park, and this may not be easy, is to go out and play what is in front of them, not what is in their minds. Kidney alluded to the Pumas’ 63-9 defeat by South Africa in Johannesburg in August and said that after half an hour, the Pumas were leading 9-0. Yes they were, but the writing was on the wall even by then for their traditionally famed scrummage was on the ropes. That intimidating forward ascendancy had gone AWOL that day. Once South Africa started playing, it became a procession.

Yes, the Pumas were out of their season, just playing a meaningless one-off match. They will be much more switched on this weekend and with Juan-Martin Hernandez at fly half, anything is possible. He is among the best No.10s in the world, probably only behind Dan Carter and level with Matt Giteau in quality and importance.

But Hernandez cannot do it all. He can’t ruck, hook for the ball, stiffen the scrum at tight head and win possession at the breakdown. Others have to do all those things and it remains to be seen firstly, whether Ireland let them and secondly, whether they have the quality to subdue the home side.

Ireland were hugely disappointing against New Zealand last week, blown away by the power, precision and execution of the All Blacks. They badly need a performance to wash away those memories and I see no reason why they shouldn’t give one. They have enough scavengers up front to secure decent ball and Ronan O’Gara will want to banish memories of his poor performance against the New Zealanders with a far more commanding display.

Outside him, Ireland have the likes of Brian O’Driscoll, Luke Fitzgerald, the recalled Geordan Murphy, Rob Kearney and Tommy Bowe to utilise ball in their hands. It should be enough to get them home if they don’t allow past memories of dark days against the Pumas to infect their minds.

In Test rugby, you must play what is in front of you; nothing else counts. Ireland need to have that fact firmly in their minds at Croke Park on Saturday afternoon.