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Juan Imhoff captained Racing 92 to a 14-8 victory over the Argentina XV today. The RWC 2011 and 2015 Pumas winger did so in the Rugby Summer Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia. The result sees the Top 14 club finishing the four team tournament as the only team to claim two victories. The Argentina XV were winless.
Racing 92 now return home to France to prepare for the Top 14 season. Imhoff will do so having to watch the Rugby Championship on television. The Argentina roster for the Southern Hemisphere competition will begin without the inclusion of players based in Europe, aside possibly from props.
Officially Argentina’s ‘next of XV’, the Argentina XV had a variety of players facing Racing 92. Some are close to the level of their counterparts at Los Jaguares while others are developmental players, who could becoming Super Rugby players in the future.
The mis-mashing of the selection has seen losses come inexplicably. Prior to facing Racing 92 today the Argentina XV lost to both the Georgia XV and Brazil. On both occasions the Argentina XV lost despite having been comfortably ahead.
Today in the rain in Tbilisi, the Argentina XV opened the scoring. Playing his first match at this level at fly half was Juan Cruz Mallía. The Jaguares fullback did so by landing a penalty.
The 3-0 scoreline would be the only time in the match in which the Argentina XV held a lead. Mallía would miss with a second attempt as the testing conditions made goal-kicking to be highly complicated.
Racing 92’s response came in the 31st minute. Following an advancing maul French test flanker Wenceslas Lauret went over for the game’s opening try. Scotland fly half Finn Russell added the extras to make it 7-3, the same scoreline at half time.
In the second half new recruit, Simon Zebo furthered the season to believe the value he will add to the French club. The Irishman scored his second try in the Rugby Summer Cup. With Russell converting the Top 14 side led 14-3.
As the second half unfolded the Argentina XV had their moments. But the weather meant the constant look to off-load was detrimental to the performance. Many players were guilty of passing when holding on would have been smarter.
Eventually a try would come with Argentina XV rookie, Facundo Cordero scoring in the 67th minute. He did so following Francisco Gorrisen attracting two defenders to send over Cordero unmarked. The conversion attempt fell short of the cross-bar and no further points would come from either side.
SCORERS
ARGENTINA XV
Try: Cordero
Penalty: Mallía
RACING 92
Try: Lauret, Zebo
Conversion: Russell (2)
Yellow Card: Imhoff
ARGENTINA XV
15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Leopoldo Herrera, 13 Santiago Resino, 12 Lucas Mensa, 11 Facundo Cordero, 10 Juan Cruz Mallía, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Santiago Portillo, 7 Lautaro Bavaro, 6 Rodrigo Bruni, 5 Ignacio Larrague, 4 Federico Gutiérrez, 3 Lucas Favre, 2 Diego Fortuny, 1 Franco Brarda
Replacements: 16 Agustín Maceiras, 17 Nicolás Leiva, 18 Marco Ciccioli, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Francisco Gorrisen, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Gastón Arias, 23 Julián Domínguez, 24 Santiago Grondona
RACING 92
15 Simon Zebo, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Olivier Klemenczak, 12 Henry Chavancy, 11 Juan Imhoff (capt.), 10 Finn Russell, 9 Teddy Iribaren, 8 Jordan Joseph, 7 Baptiste Chouzenoux, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Edwin Maka, 4 Boris Palu, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Ole Avei, 1 Eddy Ben Arous
Replacements: 16 Hissan Hamel, 17 Guram Gogichashvili, 18 Donnacha Ryan, 19 Esteban Abadie, 20 Xavier Chauveau, 21 Léonard Paris, 26 Antonie Claassen, 28 Ben Volavola
