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The Argentina XV battled past Canada in Langford to win the 2019 Americas Rugby Championship (ARC). The 39-23 win sees the Argentina XV on 20 points with one round left to play and gives the team their second title in four years of the ARC.
The match was a quintessential game of two halves. The Argentina XV were dominant in the first but not in the second. It took less than half a minute of play for the Argentina XV to open the scoring. A charged down box-tick from Jamie MacKenzie saw Tomás Cubilla crossing to shock the hosts.
Domingo Miotti slotted a perfectly directed kick from outwide. It fell short though making it a 5-0 lead. Canada responded through fullback Ciaran Hearn who landed his first of two opening half penalties.
The second kick from Hearn made it an 8-6 scoreline after 24 minutes. It would, nonetheless, be Canada’s final score of the opening half.
The star of the first half was Cubilla. He would score a second try but before then team mate Matías Osadczuk would break through from a set-piece move to underline his credentials as a potential player for Super Rugby.
Miotti found target for both tries to give the Argentina XV a commanding 22-6 advantage at the interval. It not only saw the Argentina XV well ahead but the visitors were also well and truly on top.
The second half saw a vastly improved Canada come firing out of the dressing room. Ten minutes in saw the men in red scoring. Forcing his way over from close range was Kyle Baillie and fly half Gordon McRorie added the extras.
Eight minutes later and Canada turned the game on its head with a spectacular counter attacking try. The 99 meter effort saw a superb break from Nick Blevins and the pace of Andrew Coe to provide support and ultimately out sprint the Argentina XV to score.
McRorie’s conversion of Coe’s try made it a 22-20 scoreline and the Argentina XV were rattled. The Argentina XV would nervously fight back, firstly looking to gain back three points through a Miotti penalty. He would find his target but McRorie would immediately cancel it out.
Eventually the Argentina XV would regain their superiority. It resulted in two tries to seal the result. Scoring was former Leicester Tigers and Jaguares scrum-half Felipe Ezcurra. From one meter out he spotted an opportunity and pounced. Minutes from full-time a penalty try would be awarded to confirm the bonus point and 2019 ARC title.
The ARC will conclude next weekend. The Argentina XV are to play on the road at the Estadio Santiago Bueras in Maipú, Chile. A win will see an historic first ARC Grand Slam for the Argentina XV.
SCORING
CANADA 23
Tries – K. Baillie (50’), A. Coe (56’)
Cons – G. McRorie 2/2 (51’, 57’)
Pens – C. Hearn 2/3 (11’, 23’), G. McRorie 1/1 (65’)
Yellow cards – N. Penny (77’)
ARGENTINA 39
Tries – T. Cubilla 2 (1’, 39’), M. Osadczuk (33’), F. Ezcurra (68’), Penalty try (79’)
Cons – D. Miotti 2/3 (34’, 40’), M. Roger 1/1 (69’)
Pens – D. Miotti 2/2 (17’, 63’)
TEAMS
CANADA
1 Hubert Buydens (17 Noah Barker 69’), 2 Benoît Pifféro (16 Jordan Olsen 61’), 3 Cole Keith (18 Ryan Kotlewski 69’), 4 Conor Keys (19 Josh Larsen 61’), 5 Kyle Baillie, 6 Justin Blanchet, 7 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 8 Dustin Dobravsky (20 Nakai Penny 69’), 9 Jamie Mackenzie (21 Will Percillier 61’), 10 Gordon McRorie, 11 Kainoa Lloyd, 12 Ciaran Hearn (23 Doug Fraser HT), 13 Nick Blevins, 14 Andrew Coe (22 Patrick Parfrey 73’), 15 Theo Sauder
ARGENTINA XV
1 Nicolás Solveyra (17 Javier Corvalán 69’), 2 Diego Fortuny (16 José Luis González 77’), 3 Martín Fernández Segurotti (18 Joaquín Lerche 69’), 4 Carlos Repetto (19 Lucas Santa Cruz 64’), 5 Jerónimo Ureta, 6 Francisco Gorrissen, 7 Lautaro Bavaro (capt.), 8 Santiago Portillo (20 Nicolás Sbrocco 64’), 9 Felipe Ezcurra (21 Gregorio del Prete 69’), 10 Domingo Miotti (22 Martín Roger 65’), 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Lucas Mensa, 13 Tomás Cubilla (23 Teo Castiglioni 75’), 14 Matías Osadczuk, 15 Facundo Cordero
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Derek Summers (USAR)
Assistants: Chris Assmus (RC) & Harry Mason (RC)
TMO: Andrew Hosie (RC)
