Argentina put their opening Nations Championship defeat to Scotland firmly behind them with a commanding 35-21 victory over Wales in San Juan. Number eight Joaquin Oviedo led the charge with two tries as the Pumas ran in five scores to overwhelm a Welsh side that had arrived in high spirits after back-to-back Test wins.
Pumas Respond After Early Welsh Promise
Wales made a bright start at the 25,000-capacity venue, with captain Dewi Lake driven over from a maul to open the scoring — a familiar tactic after Wales had executed similar plays against Fiji the previous weekend. However, Lake's afternoon would end prematurely as he later limped off injured.
Argentina quickly found their rhythm. A flowing attacking move involving Santiago Carreras and Mateo Carreras was briefly halted by Wales centre Eddie James, but Oviedo crashed over to level the scores. The home side grew in confidence, with Mateo Carreras and prop Tomas Rapetti shrugging off attempted tackles from Ellis Mee and James Botham before that particular attack broke down.
Argentina's dominance in the aerial battle proved telling. Bautista Delguy rose above fly-half Sam Costelow to collect an attacking kick, laying the platform for Montpellier centre Justo Piccardo to evade Eddie James' tackle and touch down in the corner. Fly-half Tomas Albornoz continued his flawless kicking display, converting all five of Argentina's tries to finish with ten points from the boot.
Bonus Point Secured Before the Interval
Wales thought they had hit back when flanker Jac Morgan appeared to dive over, but referee Paul Williams and the television match official engaged in a lengthy review before ruling the try out, adjudging Morgan to have been part of the ruck before picking up the ball. Undeterred, Wales responded through Rhys Carre, who crossed for his fifth try in six internationals from a well-rehearsed short-range penalty move.
The visitors briefly repelled Argentina's advances, with Morgan and Botham combining to hold up Oviedo over the Welsh line. However, relentless pressure eventually told as Wales conceded a series of penalties, resulting in flanker Marcos Kremer being driven over. Argentina were rampant and secured the bonus-point fourth try before half-time when full-back Santiago Carreras finished off a move that simply overpowered the Welsh defence.
Second Half Fails to Spark Welsh Revival
Wales introduced props Nicky Smith and Ben Warren, wing Louis Rees-Zammit, and lock Teddy Williams for the second half, but Argentina's dominance continued. Oviedo strode away for his second try early in the period, stretching the home side's lead further. Replacement Matias Moroni was denied a try following a knock-on, but Argentina remained firmly in control.