Two of those encounters resulted in landmark Argentina victories that helped in their quest to join rugby's elite and earn a place in the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship.
Pumas coach Daniel Hourcade, an admirer of Australian rugby in particular, said he preferred Ireland to France as quarter-final opponents because they are the European side that most resemble the southern hemisphere powers and play a game with which he has greater familiarity.
“They are the rivals from the north who most play like the teams of the south and showed it with their recent results, especially winning the last two Six Nations in great manner,” Hourcade said.
Wing Horacio Agulla, one of five survivors from the Pumas' 30-15 victory over the Irish at the 2007 tournament, believes that a repeat is on the cards if Argentina stick to the new attacking game that has seen them score 22 tries in their four pool matches.
“The only chance we have of winning is respecting our playing system,” Agulla said. “If we do, we’re dangerous. I have a lot of confidence that we’ll be able to do it.”
For that, Argentina must beat Ireland for the first time since that 2007 win in Paris, having lost five test matches played since, three in Ireland and two at home last year.
The World Cup rivalry began with a Pumas victory in a playoff for a quarter-final berth in the French city of Lens at the 1999 tournament, scoring the only try and then withstanding a nine-minute onslaught on their own line to win 28-24.
(Editing by David Goodman)
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