Schmidt to recall big guns to take down Pumas
JOE SCHMIDT will face Argentina at Aviva Stadium on Saturday with the same players that started in the impressive victory over South Africa earlier this month. Such a major vote of confidence in that line-up will be confirmed this afternoon at Carton House when the coach names his XV as he targets a November win against the Pumas two years after they eliminated Ireland at the 2015 World Cup. His much-changed midseries selection against Fiji last Saturday highlighted this ambition, Schmidt giving a rare weekend off to nine of those who started in the record-breaking dismissal of the Boks. Only two players, Devin Toner and Andrew Conway, were kept in the side to face the Fijians, with four more only used from the bench in Cian Healy, Tadgh Furlong, CJ Stander and Robbie Henshaw. That experienced bench impact was important in claiming a shaky 23-20 win over the Pacific island minnows and the quartet will now all be included from the start as Schmidt attempts to take Ireland’s current run of wins to seven. The main Ireland rejig will come in the replacements as
Ian Keatley, the penaltykicking match-winner versus Fiji, will provide the out-half back-up to Johnny Sexton following Joey Carbery’s injury-enforced absence with a fractured wrist. Saturday’s Aviva Stadium sell-out is a milestone fixture for the coach as it is his 50th game of his four years in charge. Just 14 matches have been lost on his watch, but it is clear from his continuous reference to it that the defeat in Cardiff to the Pumas has rankled the most with the Kiwi. ‘We know Argentina pretty well. The disappointment that we suffered last time at their hands, we’d love to rectify that,’ he admitted at the start of the month. IRELAND (probable v Argentina): R Kearney; A Conway, R Henshaw, B Aki, J Stockdale; J Sexton, C Murray; C Healy, R Best (c), T Furlong, I Henderson, D Toner, P O’Mahony, S O’Brien, CJ Stander.
Replacements: R Herring, D Kilcoyne, Jo Ryan, Ja Ryan, R Ruddock, K Marmion, I Keatley, D Sweetnam.