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Pumas maul Wales as Tandy's first game in charge ends in defeat / Photo: © AFP
NYSE - LSE
Pumas maul Wales as Tandy's first game in charge ends in defeat
Argentina overpowered Wales 52-28 in Cardiff on Saturday as home coach Steve Tandy's first game in charge of the national side ended in a record loss.
Victory gave Argentina their highest score and largest winning margin against Wales.
The Pumas, sixth in the world rankings to Wales' 12th place, ran in seven tries, all converted by Santiago Carreras, who also landed a penalty for a match haul of 17 points.
Four of those tries came in a first half when Argentina led 14-0, were pegged back to 14-14, but still turned round in command at 31-14.
This was Wales' 10th successive home defeat. Their cause was not helped by yellow cards for backs Ben Thomas and Tomos Williams.
Wales only ended a record run of 18 successive Test defeats with a 31-22 win over Japan in Kobe in July.
Their loyal fans must have feared the worst when Argentina surged into a 14-0 lead with just 11 minutes played.
The Pumas' driving maul paved the way for prop forward Pedro Delgado's seventh-minute try, his first for Argentina.
Argentina, who beat both New Zealand and Australia in this season's Rugby Championship, soon doubled their lead.
Wing Mateo Carreras kicked ahead and fly-half Geronimo Prisciantelli won the race to touch down for his maiden Test try.
Wales hit back with two converted tries of their own.
Tom Rogers, scything through the midfield, was well supported by Wales captain Jac Morgan and the flanker's excellent pass released scrum-half Tomos Williams for a try between the posts.
Wales, roared on by a freshly-inspired crowd under the closed roof of the Principality Stadium, were level minutes later.
Morgan was hauled down short of the line following a tap penalty but Williams' superbly-timed pass allowed the onrushing Dewi Lake to power over. The conversion left the game all square.
Wales found themselves a man down when inside centre Thomas was sin-binned for lashing out with the boot at Argentina flanker Pablo Matera.
Argentina regained their composure and edged 17-14 in front through Santiago Carreras' 31st-minute penalty.
Before Thomas' yellow-card expired, scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz dived against the post for a 38th-minute try.
From the kick-off, with the last play of the half, the Pumas scored again.
Matera beat several tacklers before producing a left-footed kick worthy of a fly-half that was scooped up by dashing wing Mateo Carreras, who scrambled over the line.
Santiago Carreras maintained his perfect record from the kicking tee to put Argentina 17 points ahead at the break.
Just three minutes into the second half Prisciantelli and Bautista Delguy combined before the wing barged past Rogers.
To make matters worse for Wales, Williams was then shown a yellow card for tackling a man without the ball.
A cheer rang round the ground in the 45th minute as Louis Rees-Zammit came off the bench. It was the 24-year-old wing's first Wales appearance since the 2023 World Cup after an 18-month unsuccessful stint in American Football.
Morgan pulled a try back but Prisciantelli scored his second-- Argentina's sixth -- in the 62nd minute, intercepting Thomas' pass and racing clear from 25 metres out.
Wales wing Blair Murray crossed the Pumas' line seven minutes from time but Argentina had the last word through replacement back-row Santiago Grondona's 79th-minute try.
E.Cruz--SFF
