Ireland face a second shut-out

RUGBY:The ill feeling is simmering below the surface and relations between Argentina and Ireland worsened yesterday when Ireland were denied access to today's venue for the second Test, the Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires, at less than 24 hours notice.

This is in contravention of International Rugby regulations, and the Irish management will duly make their complaints, but more pertinently for the ill-prepared Jeremy Staunton, in his first Test start at outhalf, and the other kickers in the team, it is particularly inconvenient.

O'Sullivan commented yesterday that this had never happened to Ireland in his 67-match reign, 31 of which have been away from home, with another five at neutral venues.

It's worth pointing out that the Pumas had no access to the ground either, and that Marcelo Loffreda is also reputedly fuming. The posts won't be set up until today, and while O'Sullivan understands the difficulties caused by Velez Sarsfield hosting a football match at 4.15 local time yesterday against Nueva Chicago, he observed: "They must have known there was going to be a soccer match before 4.30 yesterday. It couldn't have come to light at 4.0. So I find it amazing at this level that we're getting a bombshell like this at half four. It seems as if we're not their favourite country to host," added O'Sullivan, following leaked, second-hand claims from the Pumas camp that they'd identified 70 incidents of foul play by Ireland in last week's first Test. "That's asinine in my view," said O'Sullivan.

The vibes from the Pumas camp darkly suggest their pack won't allow themselves to be put on the back foot as much as last week, and the sense is growing that the hosts are whipping up quite a storm for the 50,000 capacity venue. In any event, with the return of Rimas Alvarez at lock, while allowing for Federico Todeschini replacing Felipe Contepomi, and more cohesiveness from last week up front, it looks like Los Pumas will be giving Ireland a more physically searching and structured examination than in Santa Fe.

The preparations cannot be ideal for Staunton, and to a lesser degree, a weary Geordan Murphy and the other kickers on what O'Sullivan has been told is a very tight pitch.

With the Heineken European Cup final contingent included from the start, as well as a few Munster forwards on a mission, this Ireland side could be a little harder than last week's and on paper, could possibly prove to be more talented, but by the same token, they are also a good deal more callow at this level. The players at seven, eight, nine, ten, 12 and 13 are all starting their first Tests in those shirts.

Jerry Flannery and Malcolm O'Kelly had big games last week, contributing hugely to a mightily effective performance in the air, both at lineouts and restarts. Frankie Sheahan's darts and Alan Quinlan's selection shouldn't upset Ireland too much, but they'll do well to scale the heights of Santa Fe.

Quinlan, Shane Jennings, Stephen Ferris (who won't shirk the physical stuff) and Eoin Reddan all have the ability to have big games, and at least Staunton has a Churchill Cup game under his belt after a six-week lay-off with a broken hand.

Captain Simon Best has been at pains to underline the perils of falling off mentally in the last game of an end-of-season tour. But a holiday-mode mentality will hardly apply with a World Cup in the offing.

Most of all, this still remains a trial for World Cup squad places, and the likes of Mick O'Driscoll, Jennings, Ferris, Brian Carney and Gavin Duffy can play their way into the squad for France, as well, obviously, as Geordan Murphy, Reddan and the frontrow.

O'Sullivan has identified the need for a repeat of last week's forward effort, improved discipline and more accuracy in the backs as the platform for a strong performance, admitting that four failed set-piece moves unhinged their hopes a week ago. Nonetheless, once again there is a distinctly makeshift and unproven look to the 10-12-13 axis.

To put this team's task in context, Ireland have only won once (55 years ago) in six games in Argentina, and with such an unproven core at this level, one cannot tell how much certain individuals will be afflicted by nerves. There also remains a nagging suspicion that Los Pumas have their dander up.

BETTING (Paddy Powers): 4/7 Argentina, 22/1 Draw, 7/5 Ireland. Handicap odds (=Ireland +4pts) 10/11 Argentina, 22/1 Draw, 10/11 Ireland.

Forecast: Argentina to win.