Special envoys to Marseille
FAVORITES
And here we are again, Argentina in the semi-final of a Rugby World Cup! Picked by a try from Dan Biggar in the first quarter of an hour, the Pumas showed a remarkable state of mind to gradually return to this meeting and finally eliminate Wales (17-29). Even when Tomos Williams broke through the defense and scored a try shortly before the hour mark (57th), the South American selection never gave up. A forward try from Joel Sclavi (68th) allowed him to take the lead, before the incredible interception by Nicolas Sanchez (77th) delivered the blow. The famous Argentinian grinta!
Substitute at kick-off, the experienced Pumas fly-half (34 years old, 102 caps) scored the winning try by intercepting a poorly executed transmission by Sam Costelow (77th). Adored by the Argentine public, acclaimed by the Vélodrome when he came into play in place of Santiago Carreras, the man with four World Cups contested is still essential to his team. And continues to write his legend every week spent in the selection. To our delight.
As during each Leek XV meeting in this World Cup, Welsh supporters came in large numbers to support their team. But the Argentines were not to be outdone. As the match progressed, they gradually raised their voices, until they gained the upper hand over the red wave. Flags, scarves, striped jerseys, the Vélodrome stadium has gradually become sky blue and white. Colors appreciated here in Marseille.
After an hour of poor play and marked by hand faults and missed tackles, we had to wait until the very end of the match to know the fate of the match. And the Vélodrome stadium was finally able to vibrate this Saturday. After a succession of penalties, the Argentinians took the lead thanks to a try from Joël Sclavi in the 68th minute. The Welsh were on the verge of coming back from an action by Louis Rees-Zammit, caught at the last minute in the corner of the Argentinian goal. Then came the famous melee in the 78th minute, with the bad pass from substitute fly-half Sam Costelow, directly into the arm of Nicolas Sanchez who crucified the thousands of Welsh supporters present on site. It’s hard to imagine the winner of the evening worrying the other semi-finalist, as the Irish and the All Blacks offer better rugby, but he will at least have been able to offer his supporters a crazy night. And rugby is not an exact science, so why not imagine a new miracle!
CLAW STRIKES
Author of a muscular clearance on Nick Tompkins in the Welsh camp (64th), on the shoulder and directly on the head, the second row of the UBB miraculously escaped the card. Worse, the referee Karl Dickson did not deign to return the penalty and Argentina was able to benefit from a penalty five meters from the XV du Poireau in-goal. Meanwhile, Tompkins went out on concussion protocol… The Pumas scored a try four minutes later after several minutes of play (68th). The controversy risks swelling.
Dan Biggar’s international adventure therefore ends with a quarter-final. After a strong start to the match, with 10 points scored by the opener in ten minutes, the Welsh conceded 12 points in thirty minutes. Biggar was the symbol of this discomfiture. For his last match in the red jersey, he let a ball slip away on a return just before half-time, then missed his clearance and exposed himself to a big try opportunity from the Latins. The action resulted in a penalty against the posts after a delayed tackle by Josh Adams, allowing the Argentines to return to the locker room with a cost of only four points. The first minutes of the second half were a copy and paste of the end of the last twenty of the first, with the Welsh being rough and penalized twice. We thought the match was completely reversed, but an Argentine mistake in the 55th allowed the Welshman to return to the opposing camp and score after 30 minutes of drought… An insufficient comeback.
He could have been the hero of the match. With 132 meters covered, he created danger with all his ball catches. The Welsh wonderkid was inches away from sending his team to the semi-finals for the third time in a row. But his dive crashed into the touchline… A few minutes before, his direct kick into a dead ball had cost his partners dearly. He conceded a scrum at the entrance to his 22 meters. The Argentines insisted in force, chaining penalties to end up scoring the decisive try (68th). Perhaps helped by the referee’s decision in the 64th minute on Guido Petti’s dangerous clearance. But the initial fault lies with the Welsh winger.
His tenure was a big surprise. The veteran (34 years old, 90 caps) was recalled by Michael Cheika to bring all his experience to this crucial match. The other scrum halves, Gonzalo Bertranou and Lautaro Bazan Velez, were eager to continue. Especially since Argentina was the team that got the balls out of the rucks the fastest in the competition. Tomas Cubelli tried to inject dynamism, but he was too often messy in his distribution of the game and was at fault on the first Welsh try. Only five small matches played this year with Biarritz Olympique due to injury. This is undoubtedly not unrelated to his hesitations.
What wasted opportunities for the Welsh! No less than three touches lost in the first half, including two in the opposing 22 meters, which could have allowed Dan Biggar’s partners to increase the score. In a match marked by approximations with 22 hand faults on both sides! This weakness cost the Reds dearly. Especially since the scrum, too, was found wanting on several occasions. Penalized on the ground, the Welsh gradually lost control of the game, giving too many opportunities to the Argentines who weren’t asking for so many!
