Trailing for most of the match, the Pumas showed themselves more powerful to win this first quarter-final (29-17) in Marseille. They will challenge New Zealand or Ireland in the half.
At the end of a breathtaking match failing to reach technical heights, Argentina overthrew Wales, undefeated in the competition until then, to secure their qualification for the semi-finals of the World Cup (29- 17), Saturday October 14 in Marseille.
Manhandled for a good part of the match by the catchy and more exciting Welsh, the Pumas won through wear and tear, thanks to a pack of dominating forwards. Without being brilliant or giving a clear impression of superiority, the Argentines offer their ardent supporters a third world semi-final, against New Zealand or Ireland, on Friday.
What feelings could have been mixed up in Nicolas Sanchez’s head? After his interception on a desperate Welsh pass, the opener galloped 50 meters towards the sacrosanct goal to definitively ensure the Argentine victory (78th, 26-17). This Top 14 adventurer, who passed through Bordeaux-Bègles, the Stade Français or Brive, had not yet completed his fantastic ride when the thousands of Pumas supporters went wild. They screamed, danced and even thanked the heavens, definitely making their evening go from tense to irrational. It was far from won after their disappointment against England (10-27) at the beginning of September in the same Vélodrome.
The Welsh have cracked
The Argentines have dreamed of this happy ending for a long time without really forcing their destiny. In a match that had been locked down for a long time, they did not offer anything other than summary tussle, where collisions are king and where moving the ball to the wing seems as incongruous as undertaking a crossing of the Andes on foot. More inspired, the Welsh scored first, on a combination in the axis concluded by the opener Dan Biggar (14th, 0-7). They also took the lead at the end of a gloomy first act with a choppy tempo (6-10).
Even cornered in their camp, dominated on impacts and joined by the score, they showed their effectiveness by finding, through scrum half Tomos Williams, a flaw in a naive Argentine defense coming out of a ruck (57th, 12-17 ). But this test, on one of their rare incursions into the opposing camp, was followed by an outrageous territorial domination of the Argentines. Each percussion crushed the Welsh structure a little more, finally forced to break after yet another level charge from Sclavi.
Before besieging the opposing line, the Argentines benefited from a helping hand from referee Karl Dickson – who came on after Jaco Peyper’s injury –, strangely lax in the face of a shoulder charge from Guido Petti (65th) in Nick Tompkins’ face, without the slightest sanction. Transcended by this test and definitely physically superior, they could nevertheless have cracked on a last desperate dive from winger Louis Rees-Zammit (75th), pushed a few centimeters into touch by Matias Moroni. The “Bombonera” of Marseille then exulted, three minutes before freeing themselves for good.
For the third time in its history, Argentina opens the doors to the final four in the world.