Ireland opened the home leg of their Nations Championship campaign with a dominant 42-12 bonus-point victory over Argentina at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Friday night. Full-back Hugo Keenan scored a hat-trick as Andy Farrell's side ran in six tries.
The hosts took control with a 21-5 half-time lead before closing out a comfortable win. Captain Dan Sheehan, fly-half Sam Prendergast, and replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher scored Ireland's other tries, while Prendergast kicked five conversions and Ciaran Frawley added another.
Argentina scored two tries through winger Mateo Carreras, with fly-half Tomas Albornoz adding a conversion. However, the visitors suffered from yellow cards to Justo Piccardo and Ephraim Elias, alongside several injuries that severely hampered their set-piece.
The victory maintains Ireland's unbeaten home record against Argentina, extending their streak to 12 consecutive wins in Dublin. It also marked a strong rebound for Andy Farrell's team following their 40-21 defeat against New Zealand in Auckland.
Argentina had taken an early lead in the 11th minute when Albornoz executed a precise crosskick to the corner. Carreras outjumped Ireland scrum-half Craig Casey to gather the ball and touch down for the opening score.
Ireland responded quickly after Casey won a turnover penalty to shift momentum back to the hosts. From the resulting line-out, Robert Baloucoune broke through midfield before offloading to Mack Hansen, who set up Keenan for Ireland's first try.
The hosts extended their advantage when open-side flanker Nick Timoney combined with Sheehan from a line-out move to send the captain over. Sheehan's effort capitalized on early pressure against Argentina's struggling set-piece.
Ireland added a third try before the break after lock Ryan Baird stole an opposition line-out. Hansen combined with Keenan once more to allow the full-back to touch down his second try of the match.
Argentina faced major structural difficulties late in the first half after outside centre Piccardo was sent to the sin-bin. Captain Julian Montoya and replacement Leonel Oviedo both left the pitch for head injury assessments, forcing loose-head prop Boris Wenger to cover at hooker.
Ireland also lost Sheehan to a head injury assessment before the interval. Despite the interruptions, the home side held a firm 16-point advantage heading into the dressing rooms.
Two minutes into the second half, Prendergast cut through a gap in the Argentine defence to score his first international try. The fly-half's score secured Ireland's bonus point after he shook off a wrist injury to start the match.
Argentina briefly reduced the deficit when Carreras scored his second try following a break by Santiago Chocobares. Albornoz converted the attempt to bring the Pumas back within 16 points.
Keenan completed his hat-trick shortly after, taking an offload from Baird to score his third try of the night. The score brought Keenan's Nations Championship tally to five tries following earlier efforts against Australia and New Zealand.
The full-back was making his first appearance in green at the Aviva Stadium in 21 months following an extended injury layoff. Keenan noted after the match that it had been tough watching his teammates while sidelined.
Ireland sealed their six-try display when Kelleher touched down from a rolling maul. The score followed a yellow card for Argentina's Elias, who was sin-binned for a high tackle on Keenan.
The closing quarter proved untidy as Ireland replacement tight-head prop Sam Illo was yellow-carded on the hour mark for driving early at a maul. Neither side managed to add further points in the final 20 minutes.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell expressed satisfaction with the victory while noting room for improvement. Farrell highlighted that his team dominated territory throughout the match but failed to convert all their scoring opportunities.
The result leaves Ireland at the top of the northern hemisphere standings ahead of the remaining weekend fixtures. Ireland host Fiji next week before welcoming world champions South Africa to Dublin on 21 November.
Argentina now travel to face Italy and France after suffering their third defeat in four matches. Coach Felipe Contepomi will look to fix discipline and defensive issues after recently adding Mario Ledesma and Shaun Edwards to his coaching staff.
Brief scores: Ireland 42 (21) – Tries: Hugo Keenan (3), Dan Sheehan, Sam Prendergast, Ronan Kelleher; Conversions: Sam Prendergast (5), Ciaran Frawley. Argentina 12 (5) – Tries: Mateo Carreras (2); Conversion: Tomas Albornoz.
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