Head coach Andy Farrell is hopeful stuttering Ireland are about to hit top form after conceding some of his players have lacked Test-level intensity during a “lethargic” start to the autumn.
The Six Nations champions scraped an unconvincing 22-19 win over Argentina on Friday evening following a deflating 23-13 defeat by New Zealand seven days earlier.
While Los Pumas and the All Blacks have been in regular Rugby Championship action in recent months, Ireland came into November having not played an international since their drawn summer series in South Africa.
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 15, 2024
Farrell is optimistic his rusty side will be at full throttle during upcoming Dublin appointments with Fiji and Australia.
“When you’re looking at two top sides that we’ve played in the first two weeks, it looks like we’re still trying to find our feet in the intensity of the full 80 minutes, for that top one per cent gain,” he said.
“Obviously New Zealand and Argentina have been playing those games for the last five months.
“It looks like our lads, some of them, are a little bit shy of that type of intensity.
“We looked lethargic and you could say that’s because of penalties given or losing the collision or whatever that may have been, but in general I think that the quality of opposition has been very strong in these first two games.
“Hopefully we’ll build it (intensity) through this month and we’ll see the best of it in the next two games.”
Ireland made a blistering start against Argentina thanks to tries from Jack Crowley and Mack Hansen inside seven minutes.
Joe McCarthy’s score, plus seven points from the boot of Crowley, moved the hosts 22-9 ahead at the break.
But home fans did not see another point from their team as Felipe Contepomi’s determined Pumas, who have defeated France, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa this year, battled back to come within a whisker of an upset at the Aviva Stadium.
Undisciplined Ireland have now conceded 54 points from penalties across their last three games after Argentina fly-half Tomas Albornoz landed four as part of 14-point haul to supplement Juan Cruz Mallia’s fine solo try.
In a chaotic encounter, both sides were twice temporarily reduced to 14 men as Ireland duo Finlay Bealham and McCarthy and Pumas pair Matias Moroni and Francisco Gomez Kodela each spent time in the sin bin.
“It’s something that we’ve been outstanding on over the last 10 years actually,” Farrell said of the penalty count.
“It’s not done out of players going out there to be ill-disciplined.
“It’s coming from the right place, if that may sound stupid. All they’re trying to do is do the right thing by their team
“They just need to be a little more patient individually and trust the team and what they’re about.”