Argentina 10-23 Ireland, 2nd Test
Schmidt joins O'Connell in demanding improvements
ESPN Staff
June 15, 2014
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Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt was pleased to achieve a second successive victory over Argentina, but admitted his team's performance was far from flawless.

Schmidt gave six players their Ireland debuts during the two-Test tour which will increase his options ahead of next year's World Cup, but he was not pleased with the quality of their display in the 23-17 win in Tucuman.

"We've achieved an opportunity where we broaden the group a little bit, we've found out a little bit about some of those players, some who've acquitted themselves really well and some others who've still got some work to do," Schmidt said.

"That's an achievement in itself. At the same time we know we have got a heck of a lot of work to do. There are some teams that will put us under a lot more pressure than that.

Schmidt's words echo those of captain Paul O'Connell, who called on his Ireland team-mates to pay more attention to detail after their 29-17 victory in the first Test last Saturday.

"I think, again our set-piece probably saved us," said Schmidt. "We put them under scrum pressure a few times when they had great platforms and when they did get that platform in the last play of the game we weren't able to defend it when they did get the ball in their hands, which is massively disappointing.

"I thought today we had a really experienced spine in the team and we probably should have offered a little bit more continuity and it's probably a disappointing performance by our standards."

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