Argentina 45 Wales 27
Argentina beat Wales 45-27 to win the second Test at the Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires, and take the series 2-0. Federico Tordeschini kicked thirty points to punish Welsh indiscipline in Buneos Aires and condemn them to their first Test series defeat in Argentina. Two long range tries in injury time helped to put a little bit of gloss on defeat for new Wales coach Gareth Jenkins, but for most of the game Wales were a very poor second.
Having got off to such a flying start in the first Test, when they scored two tries in the first 10 minutes, Wales found the Pumas ready to take them on at the running game. With Felipe Contepomi returning to their side their back line had an air of invention and authority it lacked in Puerto Madryn and the Leinster playmaker proved hugely influential. The home pack were also pumped up for the return game and, with the veteran hooker Mario Ledesma leading from the front on his 50th cap, they forced Wales onto the pack foot and into a very heavy defensive action in the first-half.
The prolific Federico Tordeschini opened the scoring after only four minutes with a 40 metre penalty that took him to a century of Test points and a minute later Wales’s new kid on the block, James Hook, missed from similar distance. After his dramatic entry onto the international stage the previous weekend, when he scored a try in the Welsh fight back that took them to within two points of their hosts, he learned a few harsh lessons on his first full start.
As well as that straightforward penalty miss, Hook had a clearance kick charged down by his opposite number Contepomi on the Welsh 22 that paved the way for the only try of the first period by Gonzalo Tiesi. That try came five minutes after the Ospresy lock Ian Evans had been sent to the sin-bin for killing the ball at a ruck in front of his posts. On that occasion, Tordeschini went for goal to claim three points rather than let his pack go for the pushover.
The Pumas had built up a 13 point lead in the opening quarter, so Jenkins wouldn’t have been too unhappy when his troops returned to the dressing room only 10 points behind at the break. Tordeschini bagged his third penalty, but Hook hit the mark with successful kicks on either side to give the tourists a glimmer of hope of saving the series, but those hopes turned to dust pretty quickly after the restart. With their forwards ruling the roost once again, sucking in the Welsh defenders with some well disciplined phase play, back row man Juan Fernandez Lobbe burst through on the inside of opposite number Gavin Thomas to race 20 metres to the post.
The conversion was a formality for Tordeschini and he hoisted his points tally to 16 with a fourth successive penalty soon after to take the Pumas 20 points clear. By the end of the game Tordeschini had grabbed 30 points, as well as playing a significant role in Tiesi’s second try, and Wales were well and truly beaten. Consolation tries from Gareth Delve, Shane Williams and Lee Byrne could do nothing to halt the Pumas making it four wins in their last five outings against Wales and enjoying a record win against them.
