All you need to know ahead of tonight’s game

All you need to know ahead of tonight's game
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Ireland will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they take on Argentina in the Aviva Stadium on Friday night.

Andy Farrell’s side started the November series with a 23-13 defeat to New Zealand, in a very disappointing performance.

Several handling errors, combined with a number of penalties given away, meant Ireland were their own worst enemies at times.

As Ireland look for an immediate response, here is all you need to know ahead of the game.

When is Ireland v Argentina?

Ireland v Argentina kicks off at 8:10pm at the Aviva Stadium.

Where can I watch the game?

Ireland v Argentina will be shown live on Virgin Media One, with coverage beginning at 7:30pm.

Form Guide

Ireland’s loss to New Zealand was their third defeat in their last five games. While there is no shame in losing to the All Blacks, South Africa and England, the way in which Ireland lost last week will be a concern.

Ireland gave New Zealand far too many chances to close out the game with penalties, while showing little in attack. After Josh Van Der Flier scored their only try, they never looked like scoring again.

They won’t panic yet, but winning the final three games of the year is a must.

For Argentina, they have had an impressive 2024 under Felipe Contepomi, who was a fan favourite as a player and a coach at Leinster.

After finishing second in the Rugby Championship, Argentina started their European tour with a 50-18 win over Italy.

Team News

Andy Farrell makes one change to the starting 15, with Robbie Henshaw coming in for Bundee Aki, who dropes out of the squad.

Henshaw partners Garry Ringrose in the centre, as Farrell resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes.

On the bench, there could be debuts for Leinster duo Tom Clarkson and Sam Prendergast.

After injuries to Tadhg Furlong and Tom O’Toole, Clarkson will provide the cover at prop.

Following his disappointing display after coming off the bench last Friday, Ciarán Frawley has been taken out of the squad, with highly rated prospect Prendergast getting his opportunity.

Elsewhere on the bench, Craig Casey comes in for Conor Murray, while Ryan Baird comes in for Iain Henderson.

Ireland: Hugo Keenan (Leinster); Mack Hansen (Connacht), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), James Lowe (Leinster); Jack Crowley (Munster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Andrew Porter (Leinster), Rónan Kelleher (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht); Joe McCarthy (Leinster), James Ryan (Leinster); Tadhg Beirne (Munster); Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster, capt).

Replacements: Rob Herring (Ulster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Ryan Baird (Leinster); Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Craig Casey (Munster), Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Jamie Osborne (Leinster).

Argentina: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.

Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Picardo.



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