Argentina 30 Ireland 15
KEY POINTS:
The final piece of the quarterfinals jigsaw was slotted into place this morning when Argentina secured top spot in Pool B. The Argentinians cavorted like children at the final whistle and their supporters waved blue and white shirts and towels in the stands and Argentina topped a World Cup pool for the first time in their history.
That means the All Blacks will play France in Cardiff, a horror scenario for organisers who would have pencilled in this match as their ideal final.
While there'll be tears and beers in Temple Bar and Cork they will be rejoicing in the bars of Johannesburg and Cape Town as this win gives South Africa the path of least resistance to the final.
They meet Fiji in the quarter-finals then, should they get the victory expected, the winner of the Argentina-Scotland quarter-final. Argentina have never experienced the cauldron of a World Cup semifinal while Scotland lost on their only trip there in 1991.
New Zealand, on the other hand, face a brutal three weeks of rugby if they want to break their 20-year hoodoo.
A quarter-final against France will be followed, if successful, with a semifinal against either Australia or England, then the final. With the lack of anything resembling a true test in their pool matches, New Zealanders have every right to feel a little nervous about that prospect.
It was always an improbable task for the Irish who needed to conjure four tries against a team that had yet to concede one at the tournament.
Ireland, with nothing to lose but more pride, started furiously while Los Pumas started nervously, as if afraid of what they might achieve. The men in green needed not just victory but four tries and set the tone early, turning down kickable opportunities as they opted instead to go for five-pointers.
However it was Argentina that crossed first, through nippy wing Lucas Borges.
Brian O'Driscoll scored soon after but Argentina's other wing, Horacio Agullo took them out to an eight-point halftime lead. O'Driscoll again raised Irish hopes early in the second half with a superb pass that eventually saw Geordan Murphy score.
However veteran second five-eighth Felipe Contepomi get banging over goals and Juan Martin Hernandez potted three drop goals to keep Ireland at bay.
Argentina (L. Borges, H. Agulla tries; F. Contepomi 3 pens con, J.M.Hernadez 3 dgs), Ireland (B. O'Driscoll, G. Murphy tries; R. O'Gara pen con). Ht: 18-10.
