The following is a preview with betting tips for the 2015 Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash between Ireland and Argentina. More details, including team sheets, will be added as they become available.
Note that the majority of this content is sourced from our 2015 Rugby World Cup Form Guides, Previews & Tips page.
Ireland vs. Argentina
Stage: Quarter-finals
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
October 18, 2015
Kick-off at 11:00 PM
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Ireland squad: 1. Cian Healy, 2. Rory Best, 3. Mike Ross, 4. Devin Toner, 5. Iain Henderson, 6. Jordi Murphy, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Jamie Heaslip (captain), 9. Conor Murray, 10. Jonathan Sexton, 11. Dave Kearney, 12. Robbie henshaw, 13. Keith Earls, 14. Tommy Bowe, 15. Rob Kerney. Replacements: 16. Richardt Strauss, 17. Jack McGrath, 18. Nathan White, 19. Donnacha Ryan, 20. Rhys Ruddock, 21. Eoin Reddan, 22. Ian Madigan, 23. Luke Fitzgerald
Argentina squad: 1. Marcos Ayerza, 2. Agustin Creevy (captain), 3. Ramiro Herrera, 4. Guido Petti, 5. Tomas Lavanini, 6. Pablo Matera, 7. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 8. Leonardo Senatore, 9. Martin Landajo, 10. Nicolas Sanchez, 11. Juan Imhoff, 12. Juan Martin Hernandez, 13. Matias Moroni, 14. Santiago Cordero, 15. Joaquin Tuculet. Replacements: 16. Julian Montoya, 17. Lucas Noguera, 18. Juan Pablo Orlandi, 19. Matias Alemanno, 20. Facundo Isa , 21. Tomas Cubelli , 22. Jeronimo De La Fuente, 23. Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino
Preview: Ireland beat France 24-9 in their final Pool match to avoid a quarter-final encounter with New Zealand, but the win came at a cost, with captain Paul O'Connell, Johnny Sexton, and Peter O'Mahony suffering injuries. O'Connell and O'Mahony have been ruled out of the World Cup while Sexton has been unable to train this week. Ireland are also without Jared Payne (foot) and Sean O'Brien (suspension).
Ireland have a strong record against Argentina, winning all five matches since 2008, however Los Pumas have looked strong in the Pool stage, losing by just 10 points to New Zealand before thrashing their other three opponents, two of whom by bigger margins than the All Blacks did. Prior to the World Cup Argentina fielded under-strength teams for much of the Rugby Championship, but did manage their first ever win over South Africa and they did so on South African soil. Of the four quarter-final fixtures this certainly has the biggest chance of an upset.
Betting: Argentina are a bit of a dark horse in my opinion. I would back Argentina at the line. Another option is to back both Ireland 1-12 at 2.69 (Pinnacle Sports) and Argentina 1-12 at 3.50 (Sportsbet).
Betting tip: back Argentina +3.5 in the Line market at 1.95 (Ladbrokes)
| Selection |  |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland Argentina |
1.58 2.56 |
1.57 2.62 |
1.55 2.50 |
1.55 2.60 |
| Ireland Argentina |
(-3.5) 1.97 (+3.5) 1.93 |
(-4.0) 2.00 (+4.0) 2.00 |
(-4.0) 1.91 (+4.0) 1.91 |
(-4.0) 1.90 (+4.0) 1.90 |
Form Guide: Ireland
| Date (y-m-d) | Fixture | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-10-12 | France vs. Ireland | Win | 9-24 |
| 2015-10-05 | Ireland vs. Italy | Win | 16-9 |
| 2015-09-28 | Ireland vs. Romania | Win | 44-10 |
| 2015-09-19 | Ireland vs. Canada | Win | 50-7 |
| 2015-09-05 | England vs. Ireland | Loss | 21-13 |
| 2015-08-29 | Ireland vs. Wales | Loss | 10-16 |
| 2015-08-15 | Ireland vs. Scotland | Win | 28-22 |
| 2015-08-08 | Wales vs. Ireland | Win | 21-35 |
Form Guide: Argentina
| Date (y-m-d) | Fixture | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-10-11 | Argentina vs. Namibia | Win | 64-19 |
| 2015-10-04 | Argentina vs. Tonga | Win | 45-16 |
| 2015-09-26 | Argentina vs. Georgia | Win | 54-9 |
| 2015-09-21 | New Zealand vs. Argentina | Loss | 26-16 |
| 2015-08-15 | Argentina vs. South Africa | Loss | 12-26 |
| 2015-08-08 | South Africa vs. Argentina | Win | 25-37 |
| 2015-07-25 | Argentina vs. Australia | Loss | 9-34 |
| 2015-07-17 | New Zealand vs. Argentina | Loss | 39-18 |
H2H Guide: Ireland vs. Argentina
| Date (y-m-d) | Fixture | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-06-14 | Argentina vs. Ireland | 17-23 |
| 2014-06-07 | Argentina vs. Ireland | 17-29 |
| 2012-11-24 | Ireland vs. Argentina | 46-24 |
| 2010-11-28 | Ireland vs. Argentina | 29-9 |
| 2008-11-22 | Ireland vs. Argentina | 17-3 |
Note: only league games are included. The above does not include preseason and cup fixtures.
Value Guides:
| Team | Market | Last 6 | Last 12 | Last 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | H2H | $-1.25 | $-1.13 | $2.71 |
| Argentina | H2H | $6.70 | $10.62 | $4.62 |
The above figures represent the net profit from wagering $1.00 on the associated selection each game.