Ireland's home straight to World Cup starts with Pumas

Los Pumas - two words to strike fear into the heart of Ireland rugby fans.As they return to the Aviva Stadium in the Nations Championship on Friday night, it feels something of an anomaly that a team who have inflicted so much hurt on Ireland over the years have never beaten them in Dublin.Indeed, out of the 20 previous meetings between these two sides, Ireland have won 14. It is the nature of those handful of losses, however, that have so coloured this rivalry. Three times the sides have met at the World Cup. Three times Argentina have won and three times the result has heralded Ireland's early exit from the competition.With Ireland's first game of Australia 2027 now just under 11 months away, the sight of the blue and white hoops of their frequent tournament nemesis will certainly sharpen the mind. All the more so given that, should results go in accordance with seeding, the sides would meet at the quarter-final stage on Halloween night in Brisbane. As he announced his team selection on Wednesday afternoon, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell acknowledged his side are not presently "good enough to board the plane believing that 100%" they are ready to lift the Webb Ellis trophy for the first time.A year out from the World Cups of 2015, 2019 and 2023, Ireland had enjoyed banner seasons, and by this stage were eagerly anticipating the tournaments to come.While that has not been the case through 2026 to date, the head coach added that he is excited by the thought of the work still to do.If wider optimism around next year feels in short supply, it is because Ireland's issues have come to bear when playing the very best. Across the past two years, their only six defeats have come in the six games they have played against New Zealand, South Africa and France. All came via double-digit scores.As such, the eye has long been drawn to the visit of the Springboks to Dublin on 21 November, but there can be no looking past a dangerous Argentina fixture.The Pumas will be expected to provide a good yardstick for both the collective and a number of individuals in an intriguing selection. With Jack Crowley injured, Sam Prendergast has another opportunity to grab the 10 jersey. When the then 21-year-old made his debut in this fixture two years ago, it certainly felt like a selection with the future, and the 2027 World Cup, in mind.The Leinster player has had an uneven start to his Test career, and had lost his place in even his provincial 23 by the time of last season's Champions Cup final, but has the chance to lay down a real marker this month.Farrell has also put his faith in two regular bench options from the start. For all the talk of Prendergast's readiness to be Johnny Sexton's long-term successor at fly-half, the now assistant coach's role as the backline's cerebral fulcrum has already been assumed by Jamison Gibson-Park.Arguably Ireland's most important player during this World Cup cycle, the scrum-half missed the start of the season with a groin injury but was player of the match in his return against Munster at the Aviva Stadium. He will start this window on the bench with Craig Casey instead getting the nod. The 27-year-old will win his 31st cap on Friday but will be making just a second start against a side currently in the top eight of the world rankings. It is a similar story for Nick Timoney, preferred here to Josh van der Flier, who has become a trusted bench option over the past 12 months, but will get a start against this level of opposition for the first time.Without Caelan Doris and Jack Conan through injury, how the Ulster flanker, Sean Jansen and Ryan Baird fare against what is an abrasive Argentina back row should have a big impact on the game. While United Rugby Championship results for Irish sides this season have been poor - the provinces have combined for just six wins, three of them by Leinster - key players should at least be more battle-hardened than a year ago.Then, with so many coming off the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia last summer, most had only one game under their belt when looking so flat during their defeat by New Zealand in Chicago. Now, at least, many frontliners have featured in multiple club games before making the jump back to Test-level rugby.Argentina, however, certainly seem more primed than they have been for recent windows too. Head coach Felipe Contepomi has spoken of historic significance of chasing a first ever away win over Ireland, even if 12 of his matchday squad have recent fond memories of the Aviva Stadium from their win over the Lions there 17 months ago. The side have lost 12 of 18 Tests since that famous win, although Contepomi, like so many of his predecessors, has had difficulties with player availability as a southern hemisphere team whose squad is mainly based in the north. While there are absentees for this tour - most notably Bath's Santiago Carreras and Lyon prop Thomas Gallo - the 12 changes made from the 28-28 draw with Australia in September undoubtedly have strengthened a starting side with 750 caps' worth of Test experience.Coupled with the addition of Shaun Edwards and Mario Ledesma to Contepomi's coaching staff, Los Pumas feel more than capable of giving Ireland exactly the sort of challenge needed as the World Cup looms ever closer on the horizon.