Keenan runs riot at the Aviva
Ireland opened their autumn with six tries and a bonus point. Hugo Keenan scored three of them in a 42-12 Nations Championship win over Argentina on Friday night in Dublin, and he was named player of the match. Dan Sheehan, Sam Prendergast and replacement Ronan Kelleher added the others.
Argentina struck first. Mateo Carreras leapt to gather a Tomas Albornoz kick-pass in the 10th minute, beating Craig Casey for the opening try. Ireland replied within five minutes when Robert Baloucoune broke, Mack Hansen offloaded and Keenan finished. Sheehan went over in the 25th and Keenan added a second in the 30th, leaving Ireland 21-5 up after Prendergast’s conversions.
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Turnovers and cards decide it
The visitors lost Justo Piccardo to the sin-bin before the break, and Ireland came out sharply. Prendergast sold a dummy to Marcos Kremer and raced in from deep for a fourth try inside two minutes of the restart. Carreras scored his second in the 46th, but Keenan completed his treble in the 50th after Tadhg Beirne won a breakdown penalty deep in Argentine territory.
Ryan Baird kept stealing lineouts, and replacement lock Efrain Elias was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle on Keenan. From the next lineout, Ireland drove a maul and Kelleher finished it for a sixth try. Kelleher’s own lineout throwing was the main reason the margin was not bigger.
What Farrell and Keenan said
Andy Farrell was pleased with the result but wants more ruthlessness. Keenan, back in a green shirt at the Aviva for the first time in 21 months, called the tries walk-ins and said the team had room to improve. Ireland host Fiji on November 14 and South Africa a week later, while Argentina travel to Italy in Genoa on the same Saturday as the Fiji game.
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