AS FAR AS auditions go, this may not quite have been the night Iain Henderson wanted seven days out from the All Blacks, but that’s not to say the Ulster second row didn’t front up in typically combative fashion.
Ireland’s struggles at the lineout, and indeed at the restart, only served to heighten Devin Toner’s worth as he sat on the bench, but Henderson’s influence grew as the game wore on.
Henderson misjudges a restart. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO
There were a number of lineout malfunctions that wasted strong scoring opportunities against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium, most notably in the first period when James Ryan uncharacteristically fumbled a transfer from Henderson while his calling was far from faultless.
While Ireland enjoyed huge dominance at the scrum, Mario Ledesma’s decision to field three second rows by deploying Guido Petti at openside flanker caused the hosts disruption and frustration.
“I don’t know if the lineout was too bad,” Henderson said post-match, when asked what went wrong.
“They got good aerial pressure on and selected a second row playing back row for that reason. We won quite a few balls off them and put a bit of pressure on towards the tail of our lineout.
“They’re a good team and we know that’s where they put pressure on teams. I thought our maul when we get it set went well and I thought maybe a few calls could have gone our way, but I’m just glad to get the win in the end.”
Joe Schmidt’s side stuttered for large periods of the November Test, the hosts unable to impose their game on the Pumas and although they outscored Ledesma’s side three tries to one and pulled clear for an 11-point win, huge improvements are required.
“The Argentinians brought what we assumed they’d bring,” the 26-year-old continued.
“There were a few things that probably didn’t quite go the way we wanted it to. We expected that to happen with the way they play. They’re very disruptive and if you don’t play off the cuff of them a wee bit, the way they play, you’re not going to get the rewards you’re looking for.”
Although Henderson’s otherwise excellent display was pockmarked by those lineout struggles and uncertainty under consecutive restarts, the Ulster lock showed huge physicality throughout his 57-minute performance, driving carriers back while making 11 tackles.
On the ball, his ability to get past multiple opposition forwards ensured there was front foot ball for Ireland, before he was replaced by Toner.