Ireland vs Argentina - RWC 2015 Quarter-Final Prediction

Argentina can win this. No Irish fan should think this is a straightforward match, not by any means. In Los Pumas, Ireland come up against the top point scorers of the pool stages, even though they were in the same group as New Zealand, a team they pushed very hard. Now, Ireland do have a few injury worries that we will go into later, but even a fully fit side would struggle against a side with the form of the Argentinians, who beat South Africa in the Rugby Championship leading into this World Cup.

The trademark, powerful Argentinian scrum still exists, but now there is a worryingly good, expansive game to accompany it, and Imhoff and Sanchez have been vital in this regard, they will need to perform well on Sunday to give the Argentinians a chance. Elsewhere in this Argentinian side, look for Fernandez Lobbe, Tuculet and Cordero to shine and surprise many viewers, with Fernandew Lobbe performing in what could well be his last game for Argentina, I expect a passionate performance as always from the man.

Now Ireland will not be able to field their full-strength side due to the stupidity of O'Brien and the unfortunate injuries to O'Connell and O'Mahony in the game against France. We will find out today if Sexton will be able to play, and whilst he is one of the best fly-halves in the world, the way tha tMadigan performed against France will please the Irish greatly. They will also be pleased to see the return of Iain Henderson, who should never have been dropped, and the back row looks as if it will consist of Jordi Murphy at 6, Chris Henry at 7 and Jamie Heaslip at 8. Not bad, but not ideal.

Sadly, we have seen the last of Paul O'Connell in international rugby. What a hero, talisman and legend he is. A massive loss for the Irish on the pitch, but he will certainly be just as involved off the pitch as he always has been, inspiring the players and lending his experience to those who need it. He will know better than any that Argentina should not be underestimated, having been knocked out in the pool stages by them in 2007. He will send the warning out to the boys in green and ensure they are as fired up as they can be.

However, the way this World Cup has gone so far, with all its thrills and spills, I can see the Argentinians building on their momentum for another 2007-like competition. It will be tight, and the Argentinians will excite no matter how the Irish come at them, and I get the feeling that Schmidt's side will taste a very bitter defeat here. It is always going to be diffcult to compete with the leading points scorers, they inherently have a confidence that the Irish do not right now, the Argentinians know they can score points against anyone. They showed it against New Zealand, and will show it again against the Irish.

Prediction: Argentina by 4