France 23-21 Argentina: Les Bleus claim Rugby World Cup Pool C win as Pumas fall short
By Michael Cantillon
Last Updated: 21/09/19 11:04am
Tries from Gael Fickou and Antoine Dupont, plus the boot of Romain Ntamack and a Camille Lopez drop-goal, ensured France just held off an Argentina fightback to win 23-21 in Rugby World Cup Pool C.
Les Bleus led 20-3 after a magnificent first-half display, but the Pumas came roaring back with second-half tries from Guido Petti and Julian Montoya, before a Benjamin Urdapilleta penalty gave them the lead inside the final quarter.
Lopez dropped a goal to give France a slender advantage into the closing stages, but Pumas full-back Emiliano Boffelli still had an 80th minute, 50-metre penalty chance to win the game, but sliced wide.
Eddie Jones' England face Tonga on Sunday in Pool C, with the Pumas now aware they will likely need to beat England to have a chance of a quarter-final place.
Both nations made a nervy start to the contest, as starting out-halves Ntamack and Nicolas Sanchez each kicked out on the full inside the first five minutes - indicative of the shaky start to proceedings for such an important Test.
The Pumas eventually settled the quicker, and though Sanchez missed his first attempt to put Argentina into the lead, hooking wide on the angle, he was presented a second chance soon after.
Second row Guido Petti made a barnstorming break and with France centre Virimi Vakatawa caught offside, Sanchez struck off the tee for 3-0 - bringing the playmaker's personal World Cup tally to 100 points.
Going behind seemed to wake France from their early slumber, however, and just three minutes later they notched the opening try through Fickou.
The genesis of the score came after a superb Damian Penaud break down the right wing off a long, flat Maxime Medard pass. When Vakatawa swerved in and out past Pablo Matera thereafter, he fed centre partner Fickou, who cut back inside, bumped contact and dived over.
Just four minutes later, France were over again when scrum-half Dupont finished a gorgeous move. Quick hands from Medard started things off down the right, and after Fickou went to ground, Vakatawa, Medard and Penaud each offloaded - the latter of which had checked inside before reversing his pass to the oncoming Dupont, who slide in for a marvellous score.
Ntamack produced a perfect conversion off the touchline - as he had done for the opening try - and then struck another crisp, fluid effort just before the half-hour mark, punishing Argentina with a penalty for offside.
That strike left things 17-3 and put France into the ascendancy, but the Pumas responded by forcing two penalties in the France 22, kicking to the corner and coming within inches of scoring courtesy of a rolling maul.
The Pumas then had a series of five-metre attacking scrums but eventually gave up a penalty against the head - a big moment in the Test - and fell further behind before the break when Ntamack kicked over a penalty in dead time after a Tomas Cubelli high tackle on wing Yoann Huget.
Argentina knew they had to score first in the second period, and took the bold decision to turn down a simple early penalty shot for a kick to the corner. It proved absolutely the right call when Petti touched down at the back of a dominant rolling maul, which was unstoppable from the point of its inception after a superb Agustin Creevy throw to the tail of the lineout.
That score came just two minutes into the half, and the Pumas repeated the trick on 54 minutes when replacement hooker Montoya grounded at the back of another maul, rewarding Argentina's complete dominance in the second period.
Sanchez tugged his conversion effort to the left, leaving things 20-15 to France, and moments later the Pumas passed up a glorious opening in attack down the right, with Matias Moroni in clear space.
Mario Ledesma's men were playing on advantage though - France and Penaud very fortunate to avoid a yellow card for cynical defending - and chose to kick the points via replacement Benjamin Urdapilleta, cutting Les Bleus' lead to two points.
With 12 minutes left on the clock, Pumas lock Petti jackaled over the ball to earn his side a breakdown penalty, and when opposite number Sebastien Vahaamahina pushed Petti, he cost his side 10 more metres as referee Angus Gardner marched the penalty forward.
From there, Urdapilleta split the uprights from close range as the Pumas sensationally regained the lead from 17 points down.
France replied instantly when replacement Lopez dropped a 30-metre drop-goal, which just had enough to clear the bar, and should have restored their lead back to five points after Pumas replacement Matias Alemanno came in at the side of the maul, but Ntamack snatched at his kick off the tee, missing his first of the Test.
Into the final minute, that looked like it may prove costly when Fickou played Boffelli in the air, gave away a penalty, and handed Argentina the chance to complete the largest comeback in World cup history.
Boffelli couldn't convert, however, despite having the distance in his boot, as the effort swung to the left and France could breath a huge sigh of relief.