INTERNATIONAL RUGBY:DEFEATED AND deflated, just like the supporters who filed away from Croke Park on Saturday, the Ireland team will have to revive their spirits and steel themselves for the visit of their old foes from Argentina next Saturday.

It may not be as sexy a fixture, and those dastardly Pumas will provide an altogether different challenge, but, as had always appeared the likely scenario, it has now become a more significant game.

Ireland will cling on to eighth place in the IRB rankings when they are confirmed today, and their hold on a precious second tier seeding for the World Cup draw on December 1st, but only thanks to Scotland's failure to beat South Africa last Saturday in Murrayfield. Had the Scots won, and they had the goal-kicking chances and endgame field position to perhaps do so, they would have moved from ninth to eighth today.

As it is, on the presumption that Scotland beat Canada at home next week, Ireland must also beat Argentina to ensure they remain in eighth. A 13th loss in 19 matches, however, and Ireland will have a third tier seeding at the World Cup draw in London, which raises the prospect of being pitted in the same pool as one of the Southern Hemisphere big three and, say, England or France, in New Zealand in 2011.

Argentina have plenty to play for themselves, having regained fourth place ahead of England and a potential top tier seeding at the World Cup draw courtesy of their 22-14 win over Italy in Turin on Saturday and Australia's win over England in Twickenham.

So then, a ninth meeting with the Pumas in nine years could have a ripple effect for another three years. Argentina's convincing, 30-15 win at the World Cup just over a year ago not alone sent Ireland out of the tournament but was the Pumas' fifth win in those eight recent collisions.

They've lost a host of players from their golden generation, such as Agustin Pichot and Gonzalo Longo, but have shown distinct signs of a revival under Santiago Phelan - with Fabien Galthie on board as an assistant backs coach on their tour.

In losing 12-6 to France in Marseilles last Saturday week they showed they have retained their old spoiling obduracy and defensive resilience, and any team with the brilliance of Juan Martin Hernandez and Felipe Contepomi, the phenomenal work-rate of Patricio Albacete and a frontrow with Mario Ledesma and Rodrigo Roncero, will make any match competitive.

They also have issues with Ireland and are the nearest thing to Munster in an international context.

"It is a massive game," Ireland coach Declan Kidney was quick to remind us in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's 22-3 beating by the All Blacks which seemed to leave coach and players a little shell-shocked. He also acknowledged the next 24 hours would be crucial in reviving both mental and physical well-being.

Paul O'Connell and Rory Best are suffering from dead legs and decisions on both will not be made before tomorrow's team announcement, although that may be delayed until later in the week. Tenplayers have been added to the 22-man squad on duty against the All Blacks: Malcolm O'Kelly, Shane Horgan, Gavin Duffy, Ryan Caldwell, Geordan Murphy, Andrew Trimble, Bob Casey, Bernard Jackman, Mike Ross and Tom Court.

It seems likely the Irish management will look at the back three again, and consider moving Rob Kearney to fullback and recall Horgan to the wing, or recall Murphy. Then again, Hernandez and co continue to shamelessly kick the ball into the skies, so there might be an argument for retaining the safe hands of Girvan Dempsey.

Hooker and the balance of the backrow will also be looked at, as will be specialist cover at lock, perhaps in the shape of O'Kelly.

The disappointment at last Saturday's showing was borne out of a feeling that, as Kidney intimated, Ireland didn't really do themselves justice. "New Zealand played very well, but from our own side I think there's an awful lot more in us. We need to take a look at that first 30 minutes and how we played it, because we put ourselves under a lot of pressure."

Clearly the gameplan was designed to put pressure on the All Blacks, especially through the medium of territory and then the scoreboard. For the most part, though, the kicking game of Ronan O'Gara and the back three and the ensuing chase afforded the All Blacks' sizzling back three and Dan Carter ample time to counter. And, in any case, their counter-attacking game was inestimably better, helped, as is the rest of their running game, by their lines of running off the ball.

As could even be seen against Canada, this is an area of the Ireland's game which has to improve. And presumably tap penalties from their territory in the middle of the pitch was also not part of the gameplan.

"When top sides like that come here they try to silence the crowd by putting in a big effort from the start. We played a lot of the game in our half and that probably kept everybody a little bit quiet. But we had started to get people in behind a little and had it been three-all at half-time and we'd got out of jail then you never know," Kidney observed.

"But when you're playing the best side in the world they're the things your have to go after and look to improve. So we'll do that. The more often we play these guys the better we'll become."

"That was amazing," said man of the match Ali Williams in reference to the atmosphere. "Very passionate, very noisy. I mean, we couldn't even hear ourselves think sometimes. The crowd was getting in to me, telling me to call (the lineout).

"It was pretty special, and you can see what this ground means to the Irish people, and we just used that energy and directed it for our own personal reasons and for the team. It would definitely be one of the better grounds I've played in."

In silencing an initially raucous 82,000 crowd to a near funereal atmosphere, the All Blacks could reflect on a job well done.