Two sides with a colourful Rugby World Cup history clash in Cardiff on Sunday when Ireland take on Argentina.The South Americans have twice dumped the reigning Six Nations champions out of the tournament, once in the repechage round of the 1999 tournament and again in the group stage of 2007, when they went on to finish third.In between, Ireland beat the Pumas in Australia in 2003 but still went no further than the last eight, where they were hammered by France.But there is more to this meeting than another chapter in each sides intertwined tournament narrative.A deeper look at the progress of Ireland and Argentina shows, beyond all doubt that, since the game turned professional after the 1995 World Cup, these are the two countries to have made the biggest strides.IrelandIn the first three World Cups, Irelands only achievement of note was that agonizing defeat in the quarters to Australia in 1991.They were a team built less on a structure than a reliance on mayhem back then, embodied by that famous charge towards glory by Gordon Hamilton that sparked chaos inside Lansdowne Road.Australia composed themselves and regained the lead before the final whistle, and the romance of the day they almost toppled the Wallabies remained Irelands fondest World Cup memory until they turned the tables on them in the pool stages 20 years later.That win in 2011 that saw them top their World Cup pool for the first time, has been accompanied by a cabinet overflowing with Triple Crowns and Six Nations trophies since the dawn of the 21stcentury.Irish rugby produced two Lions captains of the three appointed in the first decade of the 2000s, as well as one of the greatest players of all time in Brian ODriscoll.Their provinces have scooped Pro 12 titles and European trophies like a child delving for the Pic n Mix, and when the big guns of the Southern Hemisphere visit Dublin each autumn, they now often leave empty-handed, as well as sore-headed.Of all the sides who tried to halt New Zealands march toward a perfect record in 2013, it was the Irish who so very nearly did it.Looking back to the days before professionalism, the success of Irish rugby witnessed in the last 15 years could not have been predicted.So, how have they done it'The provincial systemThe Irish Rugby Football Union(IRFU) restructured the way sport worked once the game turned pro and brought in the provincial system, whereby national-team players were centrally contracted and played for their provinces in what is now the Pro 12 and European competition.Greater control could be exerted over how much rugby they played, while Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht were also given license to bring in quality overseas talent. The effects were quickly evident when Ulster won the Heineken Cup in 1998.Munster and Leinster went on to claim five more European crowns between them, with a bedrock of homegrown talent supplemented by the likes of Doug Howlett, Stan Wright, Rocky Elsom and even an Argentinian star in the shape of Felipe Contepomi.The knock-on effectThe success of this newly funded, powerful provincial model rubbed off on the national team. Irelands results in the 1980s and 1990s were miserable. Three titles in those decades tells its own story.But since then, they won three Triple Crowns between 2004 and 2007 as well as a first Grand Slam since 1948 in 2009. In the first half of the following decade, back-to-back championships have been secured.Despite their best pool performance in 2011, defeat in the quarter-finals to Wales still ranked as a disappointing end to the last World Cup, and the IRFU acted to ensure they continued to increase the strength of the national side.They decided to limit the number of non-Irish eligible players in each of the four provincial sides to just one, per RTE.This has seen fewer big names playing for the Irish sides as they flock to France, where there is no salary cap and no such restriction.But the last two Six Nations triumphs suggest its working. Where previously the retirement of Brian ODriscoll and long-term injuries to players such as Sean OBrien and Cian Healy would have been too much to bear, there was enough depth to cope, a result of more Irish players being exposed to the highest level below the international arena.The futureIrish rugby essentially grasped professionalism in the way England failed to. They took ownership of their players through the provincial system, and the results have been there for all to see.Clive Woodward was required to fight tooth and nail for the time he needed with his players, and the schism between the clubs, who pay the players, and the English RFU, who essentially borrow them, has never been closed.A series of strategic documents has mapped this progress for Irish Rugby, the latest of which straddles 2013 to 2017 and is entitled From Grassroots to International Success; One Island, One Passion, One Goal.Within it, the section named Plan Ireland deals with the national team and highlights the importance of its success to the whole of the sport, stating that 80 per cent of its funding coming from matches played by Joe Schmidts side. That underlines why the IRFU has taken such care to ensure players eligible to play for Ireland are the ones getting game time for the four provinces. It also targets a victory in the Champions Cup, a Six Nations title, two of which have been secured in the time frame, and semi-final place in the 2015 World Cup. The skewed playing field of European club rugby may preclude the Champions Cup ambition from being achieved. As for the World Cup' Ireland stand on the brink of ticking another of their boxes.ArgentinaIt took a little longer for major success to come the Pumas way after the game turned professional, but their standing now compared to the mid-1990s is light years away.They set a new high-water mark in the 1999 tournament where they reached the last eight, and they almost toppled Ireland again in 2003, losing 15-16 to exit at the pool stages.That year, the Pumas were one of the smaller nations cursed by a schedule that saw them play all four matches inside two weeks.Two years later, they were invited to act as cannon fodder for the Lions before they departed for New Zealand, and a depleted side shocked the famous touring team with a 25-25 draw.The achievements of 1999 were surpassed by an astonishing performance in 2007.One night in ParisA side stocked with talented individuals littered across Europes top clubs came together to topple hosts France on opening night, before slaying an imploding Irish team to reach the quarter-finals.There, they conquered Scotland and were only undone in the semi-finals by an experienced South African team. They blitzed France for a second time in the bronze-medal match.2007 was the Pumas' watershed moment and, to a large extent, it was the catalyst for the changes they have undergone since.The fallout from FranceWorld Rugby, (then the IRB) ruled the South Americans must have more regular matches against the top-ranked sides, and in 2012 they were welcomed into the Tri Nations, which became the Rugby Championship.Two seasons of defeats and one draw against the mighty Southern Hemisphere giants followed, but then victory at home to Australia in 2014 stopped the rot. They followed that with a win in South Africas back yard in the 2015 edition and also beat France in Paris before the World Cup.Professionalism is also coming to Argentinian rugby, with a number of their stars leaving their European clubs to sign for the new side that will enter the Super Rugby competition next year.This should have further plusses for the national team with so many current first-choice Pumas making the move and exponentially boosting the time theyll spend together.The futureIt was reported that the UAR had lobbied the 2013 Lions to visit their shores for three Tests before going to Australia, which reveals the extent of the ambition to grow the sport in Argentina.Rugby cannot grow unless the number of teams capable of contesting the latter stages of the World Cup increases. Since the late 90s, Argentina have proved they are the next candidate to join that group.
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