Ireland host Argentina in Dublin on Friday evening as Round 4 of the Nations Championship gets underway. Both teams will be looking to make a strong start to their November campaign, with Ireland still firmly in contention for a place in the final.
Ireland vs Argentina, Friday 6th November, Aviva Stadium, Dublin, KO 22:10 (South African time)
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees: Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (England)
Weather Forecast – Dublin
Ireland
Ireland are fourth in the Northern Hemisphere standings with 10 points from two wins and one defeat. They are just two points behind leaders France, so there is still plenty to play for in the race to reach the final.
Their July campaign started with a narrow 33–31 victory over Australia in Sydney before they beat Japan 36–20 in Newcastle. They then came up against New Zealand in Auckland, where the All Blacks ran out 40–21 winners.
Ireland will be pleased to return to Dublin, where they have won their last four meetings with Argentina. Their most recent encounter was in November 2024, when Ireland edged a tight game 22–19.
Ireland are 16/1 to win the Nations Championship
Nations Championship Results and Fixtures:
R1 Australia (a) WON 33–31
R2 Japan (a) WON 36–20
R3 New Zealand (a) LOST 21–40
R4 Argentina (h) – 6 November
R5 Fiji (h) – To come
R6 South Africa (h) – To come
Argentina
Argentina are fourth in the Southern Hemisphere standings with seven points, having won one of their opening three matches.
Los Pumas started with a 47–38 defeat to Scotland in Córdoba before bouncing back to beat Wales 35–21 in San Juan. They finished the July window with a 31–24 defeat to England.
Argentina have been competitive in all three matches, scoring 97 points and conceding 99, but they will need to start turning close games into victories if they are to improve their position in the standings.
Their last victory over Ireland came in the 2015 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, when they won 43–20 in Cardiff. Since then, Ireland have won four consecutive meetings.
Argentina are 200/1 to win the title.
Nations Championship Results and Fixtures:
R1 Scotland (h) LOST 38–47
R2 Wales (h) WON 35–21
R3 England (h) LOST 24–31
R4 Ireland (a) – 6 November
R5 Italy (a) – To come
R6 France (a) – To come
Recent Head to Head
Nov 2024 – International – Dublin – IRELAND 22–19 Argentina
Nov 2021 – International – Dublin – IRELAND 53–7 Argentina
Nov 2018 – International – Dublin – IRELAND 28–17 Argentina
Nov 2017 – International – Dublin – IRELAND 28–19 Argentina
Oct 2015 – Rugby World Cup – Cardiff – Ireland 20–43 ARGENTINA
Team News
Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Mack Hansen, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Sam Illo, 19 James Ryan, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Bundee Aki
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallía, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Justo Piccardo, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Matteo Carreras, 10 Tomás Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo García, 8 Pablo Matera, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martín González, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Moreno, 2 Julián Montoya (captain), 1 Boris Wenger.
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Efraín Elias, 20 Juan Martín Scelzo, 21 Símon Benítez Cruz, 22 Gerónimo Prisciantelli, 23 Lucio Cinti
The Betting
Betting as at 5 November 2026
Ireland -9.5 points
Argentina +9.5 points
Betting Angle
Bet: Ireland v Argentina
Posted 05 November 22h21
Bet: 2.5 units (1–5), Argentina +9.5 points at 0.93/1 at World Sports Betting
There's been money for Argentina this week, with their handicap shortening from +12.5 to +9.5, and I think the money is spot on.
Argentina have named a powerful side that looks like it means business in Dublin. Ireland are also fielding a strong team, but I have a feeling they're going to be pushed all the way by the visitors.
The total points line is currently 53.5, but I don't have any firm views on that market at this stage.
Follow our Nations Championship Week 4 blog for betting related news and tips throughout the week
See what other punters fancy and have your say in the Nations Championship Round 4 discussion thread
Disclaimer: Betting odds and handicaps are correct at the time of writing but may change. Punters should check the latest prices, team news, weather conditions and relevant form before placing their bets.