Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The latest chapter will be written in one of rugby’s great rivalries on Friday. Ireland will have home advantage against Argentina in a Nations Championship match between two of the very best men’s national teams in the world.
The fixture is the first of three home matches for Ireland this month and it is Argentina’s first of three touring matches in Europe. Both Ireland and Argentina will compete in a fourth fixture on Finals Weekend to close out November in London against yet-to-be-determined opposition.
As part of the Nations Championship, Ireland toured Australia and New Zealand in July. The Irish defeated Australia 33-31 and Japan 36-20 before losing 40-21 to New Zealand. The second match was surrounded by controversy after Ireland politicked to play in neutral Newcastle, Australia to avoid traveling to Japan. France and Italy had the same tours but played in Japan.
Argentina’s July series was not successful. Felipe Contepomi’s team opened with a 47-38 defeat against Scotland in Córdoba. The performance was criticized for the defense leaking seven tries. An improved showing unfolded seven days later in San Juan as Los Pumas defeated Wales 35-21. The team started poorly against England next but this was largely forgotten as the contest was marred by a controversial finish with Argentina losing 31-24 in Santiago del Estero.
The arrival of the Nations Championship meant there were no traditional Tier 1 tours in July 2026. Argentina was due to host a three match series against Ireland in July 2026. It would have been Ireland’s first tour, and test match, in Argentina since 2014.
As a result, Friday’s match in Dublin will be the second of just two meetings between Ireland and Argentina in between Rugby World Cups 2023 and 2027. The teams famously clashed in elimination matches at Rugby World Cups 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015.
| FORM GUIDE |
Current World Ranking: 3 (88.08 points)
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 5 | France | Loss | 14–36 | Stade de France (Paris, FR) |
| February 14 | Italy | Win | 20–13 | Lansdowne Road (Dublin, IE) |
| February 21 | England | Win | 42–21 | Twickenham Stadium (London, GB-ENG) |
| March 6 | Wales | Win | 27–17 | Lansdowne Road (Dublin, IE) |
| March 14 | Scotland | Win | 43–21 | Lansdowne Road (Dublin, IE) |
| July 4 | Australia | Win | 33–31 | Sydney Football Stadium (Sydney, AU) |
| July 11 | Japan | Win | 36–20 | Newcastle Intl (Newcastle, AU) |
| July 18 | New Zealand | Loss | 21–40 | Eden Park (Auckland, NZ) |
Current World Ranking: 8 (82.24 points)
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 4 | Scotland | Loss | 38–47 | Estadio Mario Kempes (Córdoba, AR) |
| July 11 | Wales | Win | 35–21 | Estadio del Bicentenario (San Juan, AR) |
| July 18 | England | Loss | 24–31 | Estadio Único (Santiago del Estero, AR) |
| August 8 | South Africa | Loss | 10–17 | Estadio José Amalfitani (Buenos Aires, AR) |
| August 27 | Australia | Loss | 21–27 | Estadio 23 de Agosto (San Salvador de Jujuy, AR) |
| September 5 | Australia | Draw | 28–28 | Estadio Malvinas Argentinas (Mendoza, AR) |
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Andrew Porter | Tom O’Toole |
| 5 | Tadhg Beirne | James Ryan |
| 6 | Ryan Baird | Tadhg Beirne |
| 7 | Nick Timoney | Josh van der Flier |
| 8 | Sean Jansen | Jack Conan |
| 9 | Craig Casey | Jamison Gibson-Park |
| 11 | Mack Hansen | Jimmy O’Brien |
| 13 | Robbie Henshaw | Garry Ringrose |
|
IN | OUT |
| 2 | Julián Montoya | Ignacio Ruiz |
| 3 | Francisco Moreno | Pedro Delgado |
| 5 | Pedro Rubiolo | Franco Molina |
| 6 | Juan Martín González | Pablo Matera |
| 7 | Marcos Kremer | Guido Petti |
| 8 | Pablo Matera | Joaquín Moro |
| 9 | Gonzalo García | Simón Benítez Cruz |
| 10 | Tomás Albornoz | Nicolás Roger |
| 11 | Mateo Carreras | Ignacio Mendy |
| 12 | Santiago Chocobares | Faustino Sánchez Valarolo |
| 13 | Justo Piccardo | Lucio Cinti |
| 14 | Bautista Delguy | Rodrigo Isgró |
| 15 | Juan Cruz Mallía | Santiago Carreras |
| MOST CAPS |
– T Furlong (88), R Henshaw (85), J Ryan (83), J van der Flier (81), T Beirne (73), A Porter (79), B Aki (73).
– P Matera (127), J Montoya (120), G Petti (104), M Kremer (83), JM González (51), JC Mallía (51).
| LEAST CAPS |
– S Ilio (1), S Jansen (2), R Baloucoune (9), N Timoney (14), S Frawley (15), S Prendergast (17).
– JM Scelzo (2), F Moreno (3), L Oviedo (3), E Elías (6), G Prisciantelli (6), B Wenger (11), J Piccardo (13)
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Jack Conan (FL), Caelan Doris (N8), Jack Crowley (FH), G Ringrose (CE), Jimmy O’Brien (WI).
– Thomas Gallo (LH), Ignacio Ruiz (HK), Santiago Grondona (FL), Joaquín Oviedo (N8), Santiago Carreras (FB)
| NOTES |
- International competition between Ireland and Argentina dates back to 1952.
- Ireland are undefeated at home against Argentina.
- Los Pumas defeated the British & Irish Lions 28-24 in Dublin in 2025.
- Algorithms give Ireland a 67% chance of winning, projecting a 6 point winning margin.
- Argentina are at their strongest thus far in 2026 with five front-line players making their first appearances of the year: Joel Sclavi, Pedro Rubiolo, Juan Martín González, Santiago Chocobares and Juan Cruz Mallía.
- Andrew Porter and Ryan Baird both overcame injuries to be fit for the Friday showdown.
- Out of character selections see regulars Jamison Gibson-Park and Josh van der Flier named as replacements for Ireland.
- New Zealander Sean Jansen earns his first test start for Ireland.
- Replacement Sam Illo will earn his first cap on Irish soil.
- Ireland’s 23-man line-up contains four players who were neither born nor raised on the island of Ireland. Sean Jansen, Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen arrived in Ireland as adult professional rugby players. Hansen last played for Ireland 12 months ago.
- Juan Martín Scelzo is the son of legendary Pumas prop Martín Scelzo, who famously helped Argentina defeat Ireland at both the 1999 and 2007 Rugby World Cups. Because his father spent a significant portion of his professional career playing in France for Narbonne, Clermont, and Agen, Juan Martín was born and raised there, though he regularly spent his winters growing up in Buenos Aires to stay connected to his Argentine roots.
- Argentine head coach Felipe Contepomi is a Leinster legend. From 2003-2009, he scored 1,225 points in 116 games, won a Celtic League title (2008), and earned his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
- All 23 of Ireland’s players play in Ireland for one of the four provincial United Rugby Championship (URC) teams (Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster).
- None of Argentina’s 23 players presently play in the URC. Gonzalo García, Tomás Albornoz and Gerónimo Prisciantelli are former URC players now playing in the French Top 14.
- Rookie Puma Francisco Moreno played Super Rugby Americas 2026 for Los Tarucas. He now plays in the England for Newcastle Red Bulls.
- World Rugby senior referee and RWC veteran Luke Pearce will take charge of a test match between Ireland and Argentina for the first time.
| PREDICTION |
Ireland plays a sophisticated, possession-heavy game built on rapid short passes and clinical ruck speed designed to exhaust defenses. Argentina plays an expansive transition game, blending traditional pack power with dangerous, chaotic counter-attacks. While Argentina’s physical firepower will challenge a resetting Irish half-back pairing early on, Ireland’s home cohesion and superior bench depth is expected to secure them a hard-fought victory in the final 20 minutes.
| LINE-UPS |
IRELAND
1 Andrew Porter, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Joe McCarthy, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 6 Ryan Baird, 7 Nick Timoney, 8 Sean Jansen, 9 Craig Casey, 10 Sam Prendergast, 11 Mack Hansen, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 15 Hugo Keenan
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Sam Illo, 19 James Ryan, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Bundee Aki
ARGENTINA
1 Boris Wenger, 2 Julián Montoya, 3 Francisco Moreno, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 6 Juan Martín González, 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Pablo Matera, 9 Gonzalo García, 10 Tomás Albornoz, 11 Mateo Carreras, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 13 Justo Piccardo, 14 Bautista Delguy, 15 Juan Cruz Mallía
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Efraín Elías, 20 Juan Martín Scelzo, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Gerónimo Prisciantelli, 23 Lucio Cinti
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Friday, November 06
Kickoff: 8:10pm (IE); 5:10pm (AR)
Venue: Lansdowne Road, Dublin (IE)
Broadcasts: ESPN, Disney + (AR)
Weather Forecast: 8°C at kick-off time (8:10pm), Cloudy, Wind E 3 mph.
| MATCH OFFICIALS |
Referee: Luke Pearce (GB-ENG)
Assistant Referees: Hollie Davidson (GB-SCO); Morne Ferreira (South Africa)
Television Match Official: Andrew Jackson (GB-ENG)
Split Screen/FPRO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
| HISTORY vs (1952-2024) |
2024-11-15 – Ireland 22-19 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2021-11-21 – Ireland 53-7 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2018-11-10 – Ireland 28-17 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2017-11-25 – Ireland 28-19 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2015-10-18 – Ireland 20-43 Argentina (Cardiff, GB-CYM) – RWC
2014-06-14 – Argentina 17-29 Ireland (Tucumán, AR)
2014-06-07 – Argentina 17-23 Ireland (Resistencia, AR)
2012-11-24 – Ireland 46-24 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2010-11-28 – Ireland 29-09 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2008-11-22 – Ireland 17-03 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2007-09-30 – Ireland 15-30 Argentina (Paris, FR)
2007-06-02 – Argentina 16-0 Ireland (Buenos Aires, AR)
2007-05-26 – Argentina 22-20 Ireland (Santa Fe, AR)
2004-11-27 – Ireland 21-19 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2003-10-26 – Ireland 16-15 Argentina (Adelaide, AU) – RWC
2002-11-23 – Ireland 16-7 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
2000-10-20 – Argentina 34-23 Ireland (Buenos Aires, AR)
1999-10-20 – Ireland 24-32 Argentina (Lens, FR) – RWC
1999-08-28 – Ireland 32-24 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
1990-10-27 – Ireland 20-18 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
1973-11-10 – Ireland 21-8 Argentina (Dublin, IE)
1970-09-20 – Argentina 6-3 Ireland (Buenos Aires, AR)
1970-09-13 – Argentina 8-3 Ireland (Buenos Aires, AR)
1952-08-31 – Argentina 0-6 Ireland (Buenos Aires, AR)
1952-08-24 – Argentina 3-3 Ireland (Buenos Aires, AR)
| HEAD TO HEAD vs |
Ireland Wins 16
Argentina Wins 8
Draws 1
