TOMMY BOWE polarises opinion and his performance against Argentina at Croke Park on Saturday will simply fuel a debate where comments range from asinine sweeping generalisation to more modest pronunciations.

The 24-year-old scored his eighth try in his 18th appearance for Ireland, a decent strike-rate, and he was appreciably his team's most potent line-breaker in terms of yardage. Only the excellent David Wallace and similarly effective Stephen Ferris would even be on the same statistical page when it came to penetrative ball-carrying.

Bowe has been a stand-out player for the Ospreys in three positions this season - wing, fullback and centre - and at Croke Park there were glimpses of the sheer quality that has made him a virtual ever-present in one of the best backlines in European rugby.

His try yesterday may have been a facile run-in once Ronan O'Gara's pinpoint kick bounced perfectly but he and Brian O'Driscoll were the only Irish backs to carry ball into contact and maintain forward momentum. Bowe was also responsible for the home side's one emphatic line-break of the match, a clever arc that took him into the wide open spaces of Croke Park.

Faced with two defenders he explained: "I didn't notice anyone on the left but did notice two (Pumas) standing in front of me. I knew Wally (David Wallace) was supporting on the inside. I have been enjoying getting the ball in my hands this season. It's definitely the part of my game that I need to bring more to the forefront. I have been doing it for club over the last year but it was great to get a bit of ball and make a break or two. It's disappointing that we didn't finish more off."

Normally so resolute under the high ball, the Irish wing found the prevailing conditions at Croke Park very difficult to gauge. "There was something going on today. The ball was swirling all over the place. Normally I would feel very confident under the high ball. Both teams had a couple of drops so I've something to work on."

It was a stance shared by Ireland fullback Geordan Murphy, who was foot perfect under the high ball. The Leicester player explained: "They dropped a couple of high balls; the wind was swirling and made it difficult underneath it when the ball was kicked with any bit of height. It was certainly a bit hairy."

Bearding the Pumas has rarely been an enjoyable exercise for players or spectators. Bowe sighed: "Frustrating . . . as it always is against Argentina. They're a team that are not pretty to watch but very effective. Over the years we have played them so many times and that familiarity brings its own agenda. It's never going to be a (great) rugby spectacle, never pretty but we came out of it with a convincing enough win and we can move on from here; especially after last week's disappointment.

"Last week we built ourselves up as we genuinely thought that we were going to do a job on the All Blacks and we let ourselves down. This week was about proving to ourselves that we could beat a team that were close to the top of the IRB rankings and that we should be up there too.

"You have to play kick battles with them. Whoever lost their patience was going to lose yards. I think we spent a lot of time in their half which is something we aimed to do. We were happy largely apart from some ill-discipline in our own half that gave away soft penalties."

Murphy's unfussy excellence supported coach Declan Kidney's decision to recall the player. The way the afternoon panned out didn't come as a surprise to him. "The usual: a tough game, very physical. Argentina hadn't conceded a try and we knew we were going to have to work hard for it. The pack was tremendous. They took it up around the fringes and really put pressure on Argentina. The coaches had said that it wasn't going to be a day for flash stuff: more 4-4-2," he smiled using the soccer vernacular. "You have to match them physically and play territory."

Murphy was content to be back in the team aware that the debate over who should wear the number 15 jersey will continue to rage. "I think it is fantastic for the country. Obviously for me it would be great to be a shoo-in for the spot but the competition for the jersey means that you have to work hard and play well."