Ireland dominated Argentina 42-12 with a six-try bonus-point victory in the Nations Championship at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, November 6, 2026, according to The Guardian. Full-back Hugo Keenan scored a hat-trick in a statement performance that secured the win, though head coach Andy Farrell warned his side must become more ruthless.
Keenan’s Hat-Trick Powers Ireland
Hugo Keenan was the standout performer for Ireland, scoring three tries and earning the player-of-the-match award. His first try came after a flowing team move from right to left, which began with scrum-half Craig Casey winning a turnover penalty and culminated in a pass from Mack Hansen sending Keenan racing across the try line.
Keenan, who had not played at the Aviva Stadium since the 2025 Six Nations due to injury, expressed his delight to be back. It’s been 21 months since I played here in green,
he said. 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 [the tries] were three walk-ins to be honest. I’ll take anything that comes.
His second try was a more powerful finish, as he danced past three defenders and pirouetted over the line. Keenan completed his hat-trick in the 50th minute, following quick hands from forwards Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, and Ryan Baird. Keenan described the tries as three walk-ins
but noted, You miss it. You miss it. It’s been 21 months since I’ve been here [Aviva Stadium] in green and it’s been tough watching on.
Pack Dominance Helped Ireland Control Game
The Irish pack was dominant throughout the match. Tadhg Beirne was influential in helping his side put manners on
an Argentina team that has struggled under head coach Felipe Contepomi. Argentina came out firing,
Beirne said of the Pumas’ early challenge. We weathered the storm and got into how we wanted to play the game.
Beirne praised the team tries, stating, What was pleasing about that was some of those tries were proper team tries and everyone was involved with them. That was the biggest takeaway from the game.
However, he also acknowledged that Ireland probably came away a little bit frustrated because we felt we didn’t capitalise on a lot of the territory at the end of the game and the chances we had.
Hooker Dan Sheehan, captaining the side in the absence of the injured Caelan Doris, scored Ireland’s second try from a lineout maul. Replacement hooker Ronan Kelleher added a sixth try from a dominant rolling maul in the second half, further highlighting the forward power.
Farrell Pleased but Seeks Ruthlessness
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell was pleased with the victory but emphasized that there is room for improvement. First and foremost, delighted to get the win and a good win at that. Six tries to two says a lot,
Farrell said. Delighted to get the season off with a big win but I think the first game, we will learn a lot from that.
Despite the dominant performance, Farrell pointed out a key area for development. 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,
he said. 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.
He added, How we can be a bit more ruthless [is a lesson to take], because that’s the team we want to be.
Argentina’s performance was hampered by yellow cards for centre Justo Piccardo and prop Efrain Elias, as well as an early head injury to captain Julian Montoya. Their only try came from wing Mateo Carreras in the 10th minute. We got a bonus-point win against a really tough Argentinian side, beating them by 30 points but not playing to our full potential,
Keenan acknowledged of the opposition.
Ireland moved to the top of the Northern Hemisphere standings in the Nations Championship with the win. They will next face Fiji in their second Nations Championship Test at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, November 14, at 8.10pm.
IRELAND PUT LOS PUMAS TO THE SWORD! A dominant performance from Ireland as they cruise to a convincing 42-12 victory over Argentina at the Aviva Stadium! Hugo Keenan steals the show with a brilliant hat-trick, while Dan Sheehan, Sam Prendergast and Rónan Kelleher also cross the… pic.twitter.com/j3bPbB3WKd
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