Hugo Keenan scored a hat-trick to lead Ireland to a 42-12 victory against Argentina in the Nations Championship on Saturday. The full-back secured all three of his tries before the start of the final quarter.
,It was Keenan’s first appearance at the Aviva Stadium in 21 months after an injury layoff stretching back to the 2025 Six Nations. He spoke about his long absence following the six-try win.
,“It’s been 21 months since I played here in green,” he told reporters. “It’s been tough watching the lads, so it’s great to be out here, and like the rest of the lads, good to be able to do it justice. They were three walk-ins to be honest. I’ll take anything that comes.”
,The match was viewed by many as a potential preview of a World Cup knockout fixture in a year’s time. Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi has recently brought in Mario Ledesma and Shaun Edwards to oversee the scrum and defence respectively.
,Despite the heavy defeat, Argentina started brightly. Mateo Carreras opened the scoring when he leapt above Craig Casey to collect a crosskick from Tomás Albornoz after 11 minutes.
,Carreras scored a second try for the visitors in the second half. Those scores represented the entirety of Argentina’s attacking output.
,Ireland held a 21-5 lead at half-time, though coach Andy Farrell wanted a more clinical edge from his side. Farrell said his team failed to fully capitalise while Argentina suffered injuries and a yellow card before the break.
,Sam Prendergast extended Ireland’s advantage in the second half with a clean break and a turn of speed to score a game-settling try. Rónan Kelleher also crossed the whitewash as the hosts dominated territory.
,“We can double down now on a great victory and see how we can improve and how we can get better, and our new standards, and all that,” Farrell said after the match. “It’s a good place to be. We dominated on territory but our ability to be able to convert wasn’t where it needs to be at times.”
