Wallace tips Pumas to sink Scots

Ireland flanker David Wallace has tipped their World Cup conquerors Argentina to end Scotland's interest in the competition as well.

The Pumas will meet the Scots in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

"They would have been seen as probably the third team in our group at the outset," Wallace told BBC Sport.

"But after beating France and ourselves they have a huge momentum behind them. They are going to be very difficult to beat. Scotland will find it very hard."

Wallace, one of the few players to emerge in credit from Sunday's defeat, was struggling to come to terms with Ireland's demise before the knock-out stages.

After a third Triple Crown in four years last season, they were considered the Home Nations' best hope of reaching the latter stages of the tournament.

But after opening with a lacklustre victory over Namibia, the Irish were fortunate to scrape past Georgia and were well beaten by both France and Argentina.

"I can't say why we didn't play to our potential," Wallace added. "I wish I knew to be honest.

"We have not performed as we would have hoped, and the way the public would have hoped.

"It's a very disappointing end to a disappointing World Cup, there's no getting away from that.

"We thought we could salvage something and qualify, even though it was always going to be a very difficult task.

"At one stage it looked as though we were maybe going to do it after the second try (scored by Geordan Murphy after 47 minutes, to reduce the deficit to 21-15).

"We were still in a position to attain our goal and get the tries we needed, but unfortunately it didn't happen.

"Argentina played their game very well, kept us pinned in our own half and fed off our mistakes.

"We went out with the mind-set of just trying to win the game, but I suppose the four tries was in the back of our minds.

"Maybe we did force the game a little bit too much at times when we should have consolidated a bit more."

Despite being 31 Wallace was playing in his first World Cup and he is one of half-a-dozen players in the current squad unlikely to be around come the next tournament.

Wing Denis Hickie was playing his last Test before retirement against Argentina, while the likes of Malcolm O'Kelly, John Hayes and Alan Quinlan may join him in the near future.

"It's hard to say so soon after the game if there will be a new approach," Wallace added.

"There will be a lot said about change but I don't know if that is the right thing. It is hard to know where we go from here but we will certainly have to have a re-think very soon."

Source: BBC Sport