The joy of the Argentines after Sanchez’s last try. CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP
Argentina ended up defeating Wales (29-17) in the second half to open the doors to the semi-finals.
Prince William, present at the Marseille Vélodrome, went through all the emotions. Already because Wales lost to the Pumas (29-17) for the first quarter-final of the World Cup. But also because the meeting gave rise to many twists and turns. The Welsh flocking was the first to crumble. Some backs found themselves with only one number on their backs while scrum-half Gareth Davies had… no more numbers. Then the match was marked by the injury of the main referee, Jaco Peyper, replaced by Karl Dickson. The scuffle between the two teams at the end of the first period also contributed to the entertainment of the match.
But on the pitch, the Argentines did the job. The Welsh had however found the first breach thanks to Biggar (15th) before experiencing a slump at the start of the second half. Tomos Williams scored his team’s second try but Sclavi, in force, then Sanchez on an interception, sealed the fate of the match. Michael Cheika’s men are therefore the first to qualify for the last four and will face the winner of the Ireland-New Zealand match this Saturday evening (9 p.m.).
Welsh serene in the first half
Caught up in the atmosphere of this match despite their experience in the World Cup finals, the Argentinians missed their start. The Welsh played without complexes, in line with the very good matches played in the group stage. Following several good movements, Biggar scored the first try of the match (15th). After passing back inside to North, the fly-half followed the run of his scrum-half Gareth Davies to plant the first banderilla.
Despite a failure a few minutes later, the Toulon opener allowed his team to make the break with a penalty against the posts (21st). Annoyed, the Argentines still reacted at the end of the first period and scored two penalties thanks to the boot of Boffelli (39th, 40th).
The Argentinian bench made the difference
With good momentum, the Pumas made a successful start to the second half by adding three new points. The Leek XV was even surprised a few minutes later with a new long-range penalty from Boffelli, following a good scratch from Gonzalez. And yet, despite very weak weather, the Welsh found the fault thanks to Tomos Williams.
The replacement scrum half dropped close to a ruck (57th) and gave his team the advantage. After a long period of domination, the Argentinians reacted thanks to a strong try from Rochelais Joel Sclavi (68th). At the end of a breathtaking crossover and despite a final dangerous action from Rees-Zammit stopped a few centimeters from the goal, the Pumas scored one last try and one last penalty by Nicolas Sanchez. They therefore join the last four of the World Cup.
