Wales punished after fast start as Argentina claim convincing win

Nation.Cymru staff/agencies

Steve Tandy’s Wales suffered their first defeat of the Nations Championship as Argentina recovered from conceding an early try to claim a deserved 35-21 victory in San Juan.

Wales made the perfect start when captain Dewi Lake crashed over after just four minutes, with Sam Costelow adding the conversion, but the visitors were unable to maintain that momentum as the Pumas gradually took control.

Argentina responded almost immediately, Joaquin Oviedo finishing off a sweeping attack two minutes later before Tomas Albornoz levelled the scores. From that point the hosts never trailed again.

The Pumas moved ahead through Justo Piccardo after a moment of brilliance from Bautista Delguy, who gathered a high ball and produced a superb offload to create the opportunity.

Wales thought they had hit back when Jac Morgan forced his way over, only for the try to be ruled out after a lengthy TMO review for a ruck infringement.

The disappointment was short-lived as Rhys Carre powered over from close range, with Costelow converting to make it 14-14 midway through the first half.

That proved to be Wales’ last sustained spell of pressure before the interval.

Argentina seized control with two tries in quick succession. Marcos Kremer crashed over from close range before Santiago Carreras finished a flowing move after sustained pressure to give the hosts a commanding 28-14 lead at half-time.

The Pumas tightened their grip shortly after the restart when Piccardo broke clear and found supporting number eight Oviedo, who crossed for his second try of the evening.

Battle

Wales continued to battle and were rewarded 13 minutes from time when replacement prop Ben Warren found space to score his first Test try, with Costelow maintaining his perfect record from the tee.

But Argentina were rarely troubled in the closing stages, controlling possession and territory to comfortably see out the match and bounce back from last week’s defeat to Scotland.

For Wales, the defeat came after last weekend’s victory over Fiji and ended hopes of a first win in Argentina since 2018. There were still milestones to celebrate, with Ryan Elias earning his 50th Test cap and Kane James making his international debut, but the visitors were ultimately outplayed by a sharper, more clinical Pumas side.