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Los Pumitas played some good rugby with ball in hand against Australia on Sunday. However, the Junior Wallabies came out on top with a 40-36 victory. The result ends the u20 Rugby Championship for both teams. The tournament concludes later on in the day with South Africa hosting New Zealand.
The result was bitter-sweet for Los Pumitas. On the one hand, Argentina were vastly improved from their humbling loss against New Zealand. On the other hand, the improvement saw the South Americans still falling short of victory.
A competitive first-half at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth had the teams locked into a 19-19 scoreline at the break. This was so after Australia sprinted out to a 12-0 lead with Eamon Doyle and Xavier Rubens both scoring early tries.
Los Pumitas’ first try was one of two scored by Aquiles Vieyra. The winger from the Alumni club in Buenos Aires scored in the 16th minute. Australia hit-back smartly though N8 Toby Brial. With it the Junior Wallabies scored for the final time of the first-half, doing so on 21 minutes.
Argentina then won the second quarter by scoring two late tries. The first was a penalty try and the second a pushover try from a solid Pumitas scrum. N8 Agustín García Campos scored from the scrum. Radfael Benedit converted to level the scoring at 19-19.
The Argentines looked sharp on offense in the second-half but played as a team not coached well on defense. Fullback Pascal Senillosa slotted a drop-goal but the same player failed in a regulation tackle which enabled Australia to score in the corner. The Junior Wallabies also scored after a feeble tackle from hooker Tadeo Ledesma Arocena.
Ledesma Arocena made amends on full-time with a try of his own. The other Pumitas second-half try was scored by Vieyra. He touched down twice in the second-half only for the first to be cancelled by the TMO for a foot in touch.
With the u20 Championship now over both Argentina and Australia will turn their attention to the World Cup; the World Rugby u20 Championship. Italy will host the tournament which kicks-off on June 29. Argentina face France, Spain and Wales in Pool B while Australia are in Pool A alongside England, Scotland and South Africa. Los Pumitas will open their u20 Championship campaign against Wales in Verona.
| VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS |
| SCORING |
AUSTRALIA (40)
Try – E Doyle (4′) ; X Rubens (12′); T Brial (21′); S Wilcox (50′); E Langi (64′); Penalty Try (74′)
Con – S Harvey (5′, 22′, 51′, 65′); No Kick (74′)
YC – J Dillon (25′)
ARGENTINA (36)
Try – A Vieyra 2 (16′, 56′); Penalty Try (25′); A García Campos (37′); T Ledesma Arocena (80′)
Con – R Benedit (38′, 57′); No Kick (25′); R Fernández Miranda (80′)
DG – P Senillosa (42′)
YC – A García Campos (20′); F Benítez (74′)
| TEAMS |
AUSTRALIA
1 Trevor King, 2 Lipina Ata, 3 Kabele Ab-Cott, 4 Joseph Mangeldorf, 5 Eamon Doyle (capt.), 6 Charlie Brosnan, 7 Tom Robinson, 8 Toby Brial, 9 James Martens, 10 Joe Dillon, 11 Xavier Rubens, 12 Boston Fakafanua, 13 Liam Grover, 14 Shane Wilcox, 15 Sid Harvey
Replacements: 16 Charles O’Kane, 17 Nicholas Hill, 18 Edwin Langi, 19 Oliver Aylmer, 20 Beau Morrison, 21 Hwi Sharples, 22 Joey Fowler, 23 Cooper Watters
ARGENTINA
1 Diego Correa, 2 Tadeo Ledesma Arocena, 3 Vicente Vidal, 4 Valentino Freiria, 5 Alejandro Barrios, 6 Pampa Storey, 7 Tomás Duclos, 8 Agustín García Campos, 9 Félix Corleto, 10 Rafael Benedit, 11 Aquiles Vieyra, 12 Felipe Ledesma, 13 Pedro Coll, 14 Bautista Lescano, 15 Pascal Senillosa
Replacements: 16 Jerónimo Otaño, 17 Juan Ignacio Rodríguez, 18 Gael Galván, 19 Álvaro García Iandolino, 20 Franco Benítez, 21 Jerónimo Llorens Villanueva, 22 Ramón Fernández Miranda, 23 Martiniano Arrieta
