THERE WAS A change of tempo at the Aviva Stadium last night, with the powers that be appearing to react to the criticism of last week’s atmosphere (or lack thereof) by refreshing their playlist. Out were the usual pre-game songs and in came a fresh soundtrack, with tunes from Fontaines DC, the Stone Roses and the Beastie Boys among the more up-beat selection.
“You stick around, I’ll make it worth your while.”
Gone too was the usual U2 slot. The teams normally enter the pitch just as the iconic intro of Where The Streets Have No Name rises to it’s peak, but last night Bono and the boys were ditched in favour of Fatboy Slim’s Right Here Right Now. If it was placed as a subtle suggestion that this should feel like the only place to be on a November night in Dublin, to see small pockets of empty seats was jarring. Unusually for a Test game of such billing, touts were trying to shift tickets outside the ground – a task made all the more difficult by the fact a chunk were still available on Ticketmaster.
Those who had secured their seat came expecting a response to last Friday’s defeat to New Zealand. Andy Farrell admitted some of his squad were ‘lucky enough’ to make the cut again and for the players in that bracket, last night must have felt a long time coming.
Ireland stand for the anthems. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
It was no surprise then to see Ireland throw themselves into the game. Two early tries were squeezed inside the opening five minutes, Jack Crowley skipping over before Mack Hansen bundled his way through in the corner.
Crowley was central to Ireland’s early impetus and looked determined to erase the memory of last week, attacking the line and lifting his aggression. With only two minutes on the clock the Munster out-half had been cracked high by Pumas centre Matías Moroni. The crowd groaned but Crowley sprang back to his feet. Too much to be getting on with.
That play developed into a breakaway Argentina try crossed off for an Ireland penalty, with Moroni yellow-carded. Ireland’s lineout was clean and after hard carries from Rónan Kelleher and Andrew Porter the ball was shifted out to Crowley who smartly cut inside Thomas Gallo and Lucio Cinti.
This was more like it; confident, clever play from an out-half who knows the competition is sizzling below him. It’s not long since Crowley was the player with itchy feet on the bench. He was clearly frustrated as Ciarán Frawley took his place for the final quarter against the All Blacks and was fully aware of the hype surrounding Sam Prendergast this week, with the Leinster player waiting in the wings for a Test debut.
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Crowley met the rising pressure with an assured display, before he was part of a collective fall-off.
From minutes five to 20 Ireland failed to put more points on the board, with a disallowed Tadhg Beirne try the closest they came. In the moments between, Argentina tacked on two penalties.
It made Crowley’s next contribution all the more impressive. With time and space opening up in his favour, he sent a lovely drop goal through the posts at the Havelock Square End and met the roar of the crowd with a pump of his fist. He likes that patch of the grass.
A smattering of smart Crowley plays began to add up, including a beautifully-measured restart dropped into Hugo Keenan’s arms.
Prendergast replaced Crowley with 18 minutes to play. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Earning a 22-9 lead by half-time, Ireland looked well-placed to drive one in the second 40 but instead their game hit a slump.
For the second week running Ireland’s much-lauded attack suddenly looked slow and predictable. Ball-carriers were swallowed up and collisions lost up front will perhaps be the most pressing concern. Even when Ireland did piece phases together, movement around the ball was limited. Passes felt telegraphed and shoveled along while Ireland’s discipline slipped again, the end tally of 13 penalties conceded the same number which proved so problematic seven days previously.
It all came together to extend an open invite for Argentina to really make a game of it. Juan Cruz Mallía’s wonderful solo score cut the gap to six and the mood changed.
Farrell felt his players began to force things against New Zealand and may have had similar thoughts when Crowley clipped a chip out of play shortly after the Mallía try.
Ireland had lost their rhythm. It wasn’t all Crowley’s fault – far from it – but as the conductor your role is always magnified. He conceded a penalty for an early tackle on Tomás Albornoz and following a smart, weaving move with James Lowe in midfield, a grubber that bounced out of touch proved his last action and ensured his excellent opening 40 was blemished by second-half frustrations.
“Some real good stuff actually,” was Farrell’s immediate summation of Crowley’s contribution.
“And then some bits that you’d obviously like to tidy up like everyone else. You [media] always ask a question about an individual and I have to answer the question, but at the same time it’s a team game. He either does some good stuff and some bad stuff, so it’s not just Jack.”
Farrell’s men needed a spark and with 18 minutes left to play Crowley made his exit as Prendergast took the spotlight. The TV director decided this was a good time to put Frawley on the big screen, the Skerries man smiling as his Leinster teammate settled into his first minutes as an international player.
Crowley impressed on debut. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
The wirey Prendergast needs polishing and more meat on the bones but the potential is undeniable and he pitched in with some lovely touches. A fired pass into Lowe’s torso was unluckily knocked-on by the winger. Prendergast then backed himself with a charge at the corner when the pass out the back to Lowe was, perhaps, the better option.
Ireland looked energised but the door remained bolted as they thumped away.
Prendergast cleverly delayed a pass out to Lowe inside the 40 and Hansen went racing out wide before the excellent Jamie Osborne slipped through a tackle down the middle. The surge was killed with a penalty against Joe McCarthy.
Instead it was Argentina who finished on top and Felipe Contepomi’s men left Dublin feeling a shot at history had slipped. As the crowds filed out Prendergast soaked up the experience with his teammates.
“I thought he was excellent,” Farrell said.
“I thought he was really composed, playing your first cap in that type of position, that type of situation, I thought he was really composed. He played at a nice tempo at the line and started to make things happen. That just shows what type of character he’s got.”
Prendergast passed his audition on another mixed night for Ireland. It should see him take the reins from the start when Fiji come to town.
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Crowley brings early tempo before Ireland lose their groove
THERE WAS A change of tempo at the Aviva Stadium last night, with the powers that be appearing to react to the criticism of last week’s atmosphere (or lack thereof) by refreshing their playlist. Out were the usual pre-game songs and in came a fresh soundtrack, with tunes from Fontaines DC, the Stone Roses and the Beastie Boys among the more up-beat selection.
“You stick around, I’ll make it worth your while.”
Gone too was the usual U2 slot. The teams normally enter the pitch just as the iconic intro of Where The Streets Have No Name rises to it’s peak, but last night Bono and the boys were ditched in favour of Fatboy Slim’s Right Here Right Now. If it was placed as a subtle suggestion that this should feel like the only place to be on a November night in Dublin, to see small pockets of empty seats was jarring. Unusually for a Test game of such billing, touts were trying to shift tickets outside the ground – a task made all the more difficult by the fact a chunk were still available on Ticketmaster.
Those who had secured their seat came expecting a response to last Friday’s defeat to New Zealand. Andy Farrell admitted some of his squad were ‘lucky enough’ to make the cut again and for the players in that bracket, last night must have felt a long time coming.
It was no surprise then to see Ireland throw themselves into the game. Two early tries were squeezed inside the opening five minutes, Jack Crowley skipping over before Mack Hansen bundled his way through in the corner.
Crowley was central to Ireland’s early impetus and looked determined to erase the memory of last week, attacking the line and lifting his aggression. With only two minutes on the clock the Munster out-half had been cracked high by Pumas centre Matías Moroni. The crowd groaned but Crowley sprang back to his feet. Too much to be getting on with.
That play developed into a breakaway Argentina try crossed off for an Ireland penalty, with Moroni yellow-carded. Ireland’s lineout was clean and after hard carries from Rónan Kelleher and Andrew Porter the ball was shifted out to Crowley who smartly cut inside Thomas Gallo and Lucio Cinti.
This was more like it; confident, clever play from an out-half who knows the competition is sizzling below him. It’s not long since Crowley was the player with itchy feet on the bench. He was clearly frustrated as Ciarán Frawley took his place for the final quarter against the All Blacks and was fully aware of the hype surrounding Sam Prendergast this week, with the Leinster player waiting in the wings for a Test debut.
Crowley met the rising pressure with an assured display, before he was part of a collective fall-off.
From minutes five to 20 Ireland failed to put more points on the board, with a disallowed Tadhg Beirne try the closest they came. In the moments between, Argentina tacked on two penalties.
It made Crowley’s next contribution all the more impressive. With time and space opening up in his favour, he sent a lovely drop goal through the posts at the Havelock Square End and met the roar of the crowd with a pump of his fist. He likes that patch of the grass.
A smattering of smart Crowley plays began to add up, including a beautifully-measured restart dropped into Hugo Keenan’s arms.
Earning a 22-9 lead by half-time, Ireland looked well-placed to drive one in the second 40 but instead their game hit a slump.
For the second week running Ireland’s much-lauded attack suddenly looked slow and predictable. Ball-carriers were swallowed up and collisions lost up front will perhaps be the most pressing concern. Even when Ireland did piece phases together, movement around the ball was limited. Passes felt telegraphed and shoveled along while Ireland’s discipline slipped again, the end tally of 13 penalties conceded the same number which proved so problematic seven days previously.
It all came together to extend an open invite for Argentina to really make a game of it. Juan Cruz Mallía’s wonderful solo score cut the gap to six and the mood changed.
Farrell felt his players began to force things against New Zealand and may have had similar thoughts when Crowley clipped a chip out of play shortly after the Mallía try.
Ireland had lost their rhythm. It wasn’t all Crowley’s fault – far from it – but as the conductor your role is always magnified. He conceded a penalty for an early tackle on Tomás Albornoz and following a smart, weaving move with James Lowe in midfield, a grubber that bounced out of touch proved his last action and ensured his excellent opening 40 was blemished by second-half frustrations.
“Some real good stuff actually,” was Farrell’s immediate summation of Crowley’s contribution.
“And then some bits that you’d obviously like to tidy up like everyone else. You [media] always ask a question about an individual and I have to answer the question, but at the same time it’s a team game. He either does some good stuff and some bad stuff, so it’s not just Jack.”
Farrell’s men needed a spark and with 18 minutes left to play Crowley made his exit as Prendergast took the spotlight. The TV director decided this was a good time to put Frawley on the big screen, the Skerries man smiling as his Leinster teammate settled into his first minutes as an international player.
The wirey Prendergast needs polishing and more meat on the bones but the potential is undeniable and he pitched in with some lovely touches. A fired pass into Lowe’s torso was unluckily knocked-on by the winger. Prendergast then backed himself with a charge at the corner when the pass out the back to Lowe was, perhaps, the better option.
Ireland looked energised but the door remained bolted as they thumped away.
Prendergast cleverly delayed a pass out to Lowe inside the 40 and Hansen went racing out wide before the excellent Jamie Osborne slipped through a tackle down the middle. The surge was killed with a penalty against Joe McCarthy.
Instead it was Argentina who finished on top and Felipe Contepomi’s men left Dublin feeling a shot at history had slipped. As the crowds filed out Prendergast soaked up the experience with his teammates.
“I thought he was excellent,” Farrell said.
“I thought he was really composed, playing your first cap in that type of position, that type of situation, I thought he was really composed. He played at a nice tempo at the line and started to make things happen. That just shows what type of character he’s got.”
Prendergast passed his audition on another mixed night for Ireland. It should see him take the reins from the start when Fiji come to town.
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