by Our Sports Desk

Paul O’Connell moved his teammates to tears with his pre-match battle-cry against France but Chris Henry said yesterday that the absent skipper can still inspire Ireland’s emotional fire against Argentina.

Ulster flanker Henry revealed he shed a tear at O’Connell’s tub-thumping rhetoric ahead of Sunday’s superlative 24-9 victory over France at the Millennium Stadium.

And now the battling loose-forward believes few words will be required for Ireland to psych themselves up for Sunday’s World Cup quarter-final against the Pumas.

O’Connell’s World Cup and Test career are at an end after Ireland confirmed the 35-year-old requires surgery to repair his torn hamstring, but Henry backed Ireland to cope without their talisman and also knee injury victim Peter O’Mahony.

“The team talk does write itself ultimately this week,” said Henry waiting in the wings to start Sunday’s quarter-final.

“There’s a lot at stake and Jamie (Heaslip) speaks really well, but I don’t think it’s going to need too much speaking.

“Everyone’s very, very focused, you can see it in the way people are floating around the place at the moment.

“Having that extra 24 hours was a big pushing factor and I think we’re going to need that rest.

“Not too many words will be needed.

“The bus journey into the Millennium Stadium last week before France was crazy.

“The noise when we were warming up, the roar when big tackles or breaks were made, the atmosphere was phenomenal and we’ve no doubts it will be there and thereabouts again this week.

“Paul and Pete set the tone for what followed on the pitch last week and hopefully that’s some small solace for them.

“They were playing unbelievably and that’s the heartbreaking thing.

“And if we can use that as any extra motivation, if it can give us just 1 per cent more in terms of performance, then we’ll try.”