IRELAND V ARGENTINA:Ireland's number eight tells JOHN O'SULLIVANwhy losing 'nice' to the All Blacks was no consolation, and what he expects from Argentina on Sunday

THE CONDITION “paralysis by analysis” will never afflict Ireland number eight Jamie Heaslip because he retains the facility to operate on a short-term focus in terms of rugby. He prepares as assiduously as most team-mates for any given match but once it’s over he’s doesn’t pore over the footage or statistical flotsam and jetsam.

He’s no idea how many tackles he made in the New Zealand game, can’t deconstruct the Argentina scrum technique and his recall of previous games against the Pumas could be filed under general observations. In his own words he has “a memory like a goldfish” when it comes to rugby minutiae but it doesn’t hamper the quality of his performance on the pitch. He relishes a match situation.

His self-deprecating sense of humour though can’t camouflage his keen instincts on a pitch. He plays the game with a natural flair, borne of a sharp footballing intellect and a heads-up philosophy. The manner of the defeat to New Zealand offers only minor solace.

“I don’t like to play in the game that’s nice to watch but you lose. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of losing; I want to win. I don’t really know what else to say. I find more satisfaction in winning than losing. I will win a game any which way possible. That’s the way I was raised, anyway. People pat us on the back and say you did us proud but at the end of the day we lost.

“We aided them in that respect in making a few mistakes that they punished us for and that is the most frustrating thing from that game. They’re so clinical and precise with what they do. You just can’t make a mistake.

“They are not massively faster than anyone: you are always going to have fast blokes on teams; you are always going to have big guys, strong guys on teams. They’re so streetwise and clinical and that’s the thing that impressed me most.”

Sunday presents another challenge and while Ireland would love to maintain the tempo and rhythm of their patterns against the All Blacks the players know Argentina won’t facilitate that ambition. On the evidence of their 15-9 defeat by France, albeit in poor conditions, the Pumas will try to make it a more structured game, with particular emphasis on slowing down Irish ball at the breakdown.

Heaslip pointed out: “Yeah, they’re big boys. The thing about playing Argentina is that they close down a lot of your space, so the ability to go side to side or throw it about isn’t there as much as you’d want it to be in a game. You’ve got to go through them to earn the right to go around them. Against any team you’ve got to do that and none more so than Argentina.”

The match will provide a reunion of sorts for the Irish number eight and his former Leinster colleague Felipe Contepomi, who will captain the Pumas. Heaslip can’t keep a smile from his lips when he considers the upcoming duel. “I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye on him because in my experience even when he’s tackled he’s not out of the game – he can throw in an unbelievable offload or wriggle himself out of tackles the whole time. I’m really looking forward to it as I’ve only ever played against him once, I think, (Sante Fe, prior to the 2007 World Cup).

“I don’t know if people see it, but my experience of Felipe is that he’s an unbelievably passionate man in whatever team he plays for; he’s a very proud man. For someone like him he’s going to lead by example with regards to playing with passion and pride. He’s got that bit of Latin blood, that bit of heat in him, but there’s never a bad bone in him, that’s for sure.

“Maybe he’s learned some things. I’m not going to say he’s less wild or quietened down because he’s full of life as it is, but I’m sure he’s learned a couple of things along the way as anyone does.”

The priority for the Irish management is to encourage the players to replicate the patterns and continue to develop the style of play they unveiled in the New Zealand game. Heaslip is a little more pointed. It’s not how the team wins that matters most: a positive result will suffice.