Argentina sweeps Chile and will play its qualification against Japan

The Pumas ate the Condores alive (59-5), Saturday September 30, at the Beaujoire stadium, in Nantes. In this one-sided match, the celeste and white scored eight tries. For his hundredth cape with the Argentine selection, fly-half Nicolas Sanchez (34 years old) delivered a masterclass. The fly-half – who announced his departure from Brive in June – achieved a 100% kick, netting six conversions and a penalty. With 139 points on the clock, he becomes the Pumas’ top scorer in the World Cup.

Under bright sunshine and summer temperatures, Beaujoire was almost full for this match (34,000 spectators for 37,000 seats). The outcome of this “Andean derby” left little room for doubt because the two teams do not box in the same category. They have already faced each other 36 times and Chile has never beaten its neighbor.

To face the Condores, Argentinian coach Michael Cheika had left most of his usual starters to rest. Ranked 9^e world nation, Argentina is one of the outsiders of the World Cup, while the Chileans (22^are) discover this competition. In fact, after their defeats against Japan, Samoa and England, the Condores were already eliminated even before kick-off.

Offensive festival

In this meeting, the suspense did not last long. Visibly tired, the Chileans lost too much in their first three matches to hope to compete. From 8^e minute, Nicolas Sanchez scored the first try of the match at the end of the line, in a school action. After two more tries scored following mauls, Argentina returned to the locker room with a 24-point lead (24-0).

If the condor is an endangered animal in the Andes, it was also endangered in defense in the second half, which allowed the Argentines to achieve an offensive festival. At the 46^e minute, full-back Martin Bogado tore the defensive curtain of the Rouge et Bleu to score the fourth try, synonymous with an offensive bonus. In a similar action, winger Rodrigo Isgro then broke through full axis to flatten between the posts. Four minutes later, flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez Samso scored from the winger position.

Eight minutes from the end, the men of Pablo Lemoine, the Uruguayan coach of the Chilean team, however managed to save the honor. After a maul following a touch, replacement hooker Tomas Dussaillant scored hard. A short-lived joy, because, after Nicolas Sanchez came out to the ovations of the public, the Pumas took control of the game to score two additional tries.

Despite the magnitude of the score, the Argentines did not remove all doubts about their true level. Today’s match provided little insight, since it was mainly their substitutes who played it, and Chile is perhaps the weakest team in the tournament.

Capable of achieving a 100% conquest against the Samoans (no touches or scrums lost on their engagement), the Pumas can be undisciplined, especially when they are heckled in the rucks. Because of their numerous faults, they were punished (10-27), on September 9, by the English, although reduced to fourteen.

The men of Michael Cheika, the Australian coach of Argentina, can nevertheless rely on a few certainties. In addition to the quality of their conquest, they stand out for their mastery of carried balls. Physically, the team seems solid. Fly-half Nicolas Sanchez is a reliable conductor and scorer.

Rendezvous with Japan

After this success, the Pumas can now calmly prepare to face Japan. The usual starters of the Argentina team will return to Nantes on October 8 in a decisive match for qualification for the quarter-finals.

In group D, second place will, in fact, be played out between the two countries (two victories each). First place already seems promised to England (three victories in three matches). On Thursday, the country of the Rising Sun had difficulty getting the better of the Samoa Islands (28-22).

“We are hungry to reach the quarters, declared Michael Cheika at a press conference. Japan is a great team, quarter-finalist of the last World Cup, a level that we failed to reach in 2019.

In the event of qualification, Argentina would meet Wales in the quarterfinals, currently first in Group C ahead of Fiji, for a meeting which promises to be very open. A clash between Red Dragons and Pumas would be a great poster, but the latter will first have to get rid of the Cherry Blossoms.