Second half Argentina blitz sinks Canada

The Argentina XV took one step closer to claiming the 2016 Americas Rugby Championship title as they conquered Canada by a 54-21 score at Duendes Rugby Club on Sunday. A blistering second half performance saw them score 27 unanswered points to take the spoils over their exhausted visitors.

The match couldn’t have got off to a worse start for Canada, as they were blasted in the first scrum and from the resulting lineout Santiago Iglesias Valdez was driven over the line. Soon after it was a near-repeat. A scrum penalty put them under pressure in their end. This time they stuffed the drive but Juan Pablo Estellés wriggled through three defenders to reach the line for a second try. Pedro Mercerat’s conversion made it a dozen to none with only 10 minutes on the clock.

A determined Canada got one back before the game ran away from them. After winning possession back from the kickoff they moved it wide and Ray Barkwill’s quick hands put Dan Moor into space. The winger took his opposite on the outside before smashing through Marcos Bollini’s cover attempt to score a great try, with Andrew Ferguson’s conversion bring them back to within one score.

Another scrum penalty, much to the frustration of captain Hubert Buydens, allowed Mercerat to take three points, and then a cheeky chip from from the fullback was regathered to spark a sweeping counterattack try finished off in the corner by Juan Manuel Leguizamón. The score stretched to 20-7 and Argentina were threatening to run away with it. Canada, however, had other ideas.

Within a handful of minutes Kyle Baillie burst clear through the line and executed the 2-on-1 to perfection to put Ferguson in under the sticks. The scrumhalf converted his own, and not long after he was seeing double. Canada drove to within a metre of the line and Ferguson spotted a gap on the post, sniping through to score his second and give his country an improbable lead only a minute before the break.

Unfortunately that minute did not go as planned. Argentina secured possession and after multiple phases space opened up on the left flank for winger Franco Cuaranta to skate in untouched to regain the lead. Mercerat added the extras and Argentina took a six point lead into the intermission after a thrilling opening forty minutes.

The searing heat in Rosario took its toll in the second half, as did continual problems at the set piece for Canada. Mercerat kicked a penalty goal and when the Canadian scrum repeatedly buckled under pressure, referee Joaquín Montes had no option but award the penalty try, sending Buydens to the sin bin in the process. Argentina exploited the man advantage and a try to replacement winger Lucas González Amorosino soon after all but ended the contest as the energy visibly drained from the Canadian defense. Estellés and Leguizamón each added their second scores late in the match to bring up the half-century and wrap up an impressive performance from the home side.

Canada will take heart from their first half effort and from the performances of the likes of Baillie, Ferguson, and scavenging flanker Alistair Clark. If they can shore up the scrum and acclimatize to the head during the week a second place finish is still on offer. Argentina meanwhile are in pole position to win the Championship. A win of any kind over Brazil will be enough, though they will surely want to wrap up the tournament in style.

ARGENTINA XV 54
Tries – S. Iglesias Valdez (2), J. Estellés 2 (9, 78), J. Leguizamón 2 (28, 76), F. Cuaranta (40), Penalty try (53), L. González Amorosino (58)
Cons – P. Mercerat 4 (10, 40, 54, 76)
Pens – P. Mercerat 2 (20, 43)

CANADA 21
Tries – D. Moor (12), Ferguson 2 (32, 38)
Cons – A. Ferguson 3 (13, 33, 39)
Yellow cards – H. Buydens (53)

ARGENTINA XV
1 F. Gigena (R. Tejerizo 61) 2 S. Iglesias Valdez (capt.) (A. Zapata 69) 3 E. Pieretto (E. Bello 67) 4 P. Ortega 5 I. Larrague (M. Kremer 50) 6 J. Leguizamón 7 L. Bavaro 8 S. Portillo (J. Deheza 56) 9 M. Bollini (L. Bazán 59) 10 J. González (J. Novillo 69) 11 F. Cuaranta (L. González Amorosino 44) 12 T. Granella 13 J. Cappiello 14 J. Estellés 15 P. Mercerat

CANADA
1 H. Buydens (capt.) (R. Brouwer 63) 2 R. Barkwill (E. Howard 67) 3 D. Sears-Duru (R. Kotlewski HT) 4 K. Baillie 5 C. Pierce 6 L. Rumball (R. Brouwer 56-63) 7 A. Clark 8 C. Panga (M. Hamson 44) 9 A. Ferguson (J. Robinson 70) 10 P. Parfrey 11 D. Maguire (B. Johnson 59) 12 N. Blevins 13 P. Mackenzie 14 D. Moor 15 B. Staller (B. Johnson HT-50) (G. Bowd 67)

Not used: A. Mascott

Referee: J. Montes (URU)
Assistants: M. Rivera (UAR) & A. Sutton (UAR)

Attendance: 3,000