'Good teams bounce back' - Andy Farrell calls for a reaction against Pumas

Andy Farrell insists he will get a reaction out of his Ireland squad, as they look to get their Autumn Nations Series campaign back on track against Argentina on Friday.

The 23-13 defeat to New Zealand at Aviva Stadium was a first at home since February 2021, ending a 19-game winning run in Dublin, but overall it's a third defeat in their last five games, spanning back to their loss against England in March.

There have been common threads across each of those defeats; poor discipline, a creaking setpiece and an attack that has looked somewhat jaded and predictable.

With three games still to come this month, there is more than enough time for Ireland to find their flow again, and Farrell believes their showing against the All Blacks hasn’t been a true reflection of them as a team.

"You don’t become a bad side in one game do you?" the Ireland coach said, when asked if he was worried about the way his team are trending.

"Not at all [worried], I said I was excited about the game, about how we prepared and how we trained, and sometimes – most of the time for us – that transfers. Today it didn’t.

While Farrell (above) is right in saying a good team doesn’t become bad overnight, there is enough evidence in 2024 to show that Ireland are in the midst of a delayed World Cup hangover.

While they demolished France and Italy to start the Six Nations, they’ve gone through the motions since, at times looking excellent but at other times below average.

Composure has been an issue. Ireland’s recent trend of ill-discipline continued against New Zealand on Friday, losing the penalty count 13-5, and giving up 18 points through penalties alone, and the Ireland head coach says his side contributed to their own downfall by compounding errors with more