Andy Farrell praises Ryan Baird after Ireland defeat Argentina

Andy Farrell praised the return of several key players after Ireland launched their autumn campaign with a comprehensive victory over Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, though the head coach insisted his side must become more ruthless as they build toward future fixtures in the Nations Championship.

The fixture on Friday 6 November marked a triumphant return for full-back Hugo Keenan, who claimed a hat-trick of tries in his first Test match in Dublin since the 2025 Six Nations drubbing at the hands of France, according to source reporting. Keenan admitted after the match that he had shed a tear walking out of the tunnel before the anthems, reflecting on a tough journey back to the national squad.

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Alongside Keenan, Andrew Porter, Mack Hansen, and Ryan Baird all made their first test appearances since facing South Africa. While Farrell expressed delight with the entire returning quartet, he reserved special praise for Baird. According to reporting from Balls, Farrell described the Leinster forward as obsessed with set-piece details and noted his growing leadership within the defensive lineout.

The match saw Argentina strike first through a try by Mateo Carreras in the tenth minute following a cross-field kick from Tomás Albornoz. However, Ireland responded swiftly when Robert Baloucoune broke forward and Hansen supplied an inside offload for Keenan to score. Sam Prendergast added the conversion to give the hosts a lead they would not relinquish.

Further tries from Dan Sheehan and Keenan extended Ireland's advantage by half-time. Prendergast then crossed for his first international try shortly after the restart. Keenan completed his hat-trick in the fiftieth minute following passes from Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, and Baird, before Ronan Kelleher finished off a rolling maul five minutes later.

Despite the emphatic scoreline, Farrell told reporters that the story of the game involved missed opportunities.

"How we can be a little bit more ruthless, because that’s the team that we want to be"

Andy Farrell, Head Coach, via Taipei Times

Second row Tadhg Beirne echoed that sentiment, noting that the team left points behind during a scoreless final quarter where lost lineout possession halted their momentum.

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi pointed to individual errors and the difficulty of defending against a cohesive Irish side with limited preparation time.

"A more cohesive and slick team, the Irish, and we made a lot of individual errors"

Felipe Contepomi, Argentina Coach, via Taipei Times

Contepomi also expressed pride in his players' work rate.

Analysis from former Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray on the BBC Sport podcast highlighted the strong control shown by half-backs Craig Casey and Sam Prendergast. Murray also praised the squad's overall depth, observing that emerging players are intensifying competition across every position.

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Physical concerns emerged from the opening match of the series. Dan Sheehan failed a first-half head injury assessment, while Baloucoune and Sean Jansen picked up knocks during the encounter. Josh van der Flier and Hansen are also managing ankle issues ahead of the next fixture.

Ireland turn their attention to hosting Fiji on Saturday 14 November before concluding their autumn block against South Africa the following weekend.