This is the sixth time the Irish Rugby team have played in the last eight of the World Cup. Ireland were among the quarter finalists in the inaugural tournament, back in 1987. 28 years later and we are still waiting to reach the semi finals. Ireland are the only the team left in the tournament who have yet to do it. That includes Argentina.
For many years the outcasts of International Rugby, Argentina beat Ireland in 1999 to reach the knock out stages for the first time and again in 2007 on their way to a third place finish. That result finally convinced the big three of the Southern Hemisphere to expand the Tri Nations to four.
Progress continued this year with a watershed victory over South Africa in Durban. A Super Rugby franchise will open in Buenos Aires in 2016. Right now though Argentina have an opportunity to knock the back to back Six Nations winners out of the World Cup.
The Pumas made things tough for New Zealand in their opening game, although the All Blacks looked well below their best throughout the pool stages. Comprehensive victories over Tonga, Namibia and Georgia followed meaning they have already scored 179 points, which is more than any other team.
The Pumas out half Nicolas Sanchez was top points scorer in the 2014 Rugby Championship. They are without the suspended Saracens centre Marcelo Bosch, so the relatively inexperienced Matías Moroni, who plays his club rugby in Argentina, joins Juan Martin Hernandez in the centre. With Santiago Cordero and Juan Imhoff on the wings they have talent to run riot in open play.
They are not the tallest of back lines, so could find things tough against Ireland's aerial assault. They will also be coming up against a very strong defence. Ireland have only conceded 35 points in the Pool stages, the lowest of any team along with Australia.
It may be a cliché but Argentina's scrum is as strong as ever. It was not troubled by the New Zealand. Ireland's forwards though head into this game on the back of meetings with Italian and French packs. Cian Healy, Rory Best and Mike Ross will no doubt have worked on the mistakes made against the Azzurri, to keep Jerome Garces on side. The French referee is back for this match.
The history of the Rugby World Cup is littered with stories of teams who perform heroics one week only to depart the tournament the next. Ireland's win over France was a Hollywood script, but everyone knows it will count for little if they lose this match. The squad have coped brilliantly with the loss of captain Paul O'Connell, playmaker Johnny Sexton and Peter O'Mahony. Acknowledging the personal loss but continuing to focus on the group goal.
That was not by chance but by the preparation that ensured replacements were on hand if the worst came pass. Joe Schmidt says he has not spent much time focusing on Argentina. Ireland's path towards the quarter final has been mapped out for so long it hard to imagine his game plan has not been honed.
Ireland didn't win back to back Six Nations Championships by chance and I think it will be a big upset is they fail to beat Argentina and reach the semi finals of this World Cup, the bare minimum that this group of Irish players expect.
