Wales recovered from a slow start to record a comfortable 28-13 victory against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium to give Warren Gatland’s men the perfect send-off for the Rugby World Cup.
The Pumas made life difficult for Wales in the first half, completely dominating possession and territory but a lack of cutting edge proved costly.
Despite overwhelming Wales with a glut of possession, the Pumas only had a Felipe Contepomi penalty to show for their endeavour. A two-try salvo within the space of two minutes just before the break by Wales put the men in red firmly in command.
The second half proved a different proposition for the Pumas as they were left to play second fiddle to an improving Welsh side as a lack of match fitness began to take its toll. George North once again underlined his finishing prowess by scoring his sixth Test try in the dying stages of the match with James Hook’s boot doing the rest of the damage.
The game began brightly for the Pumas even if Felipe Contepomi pulled a penalty attempt after his forwards had patiently dominated the opening exchanges through their powerful pack.
When Wales did eventually get their hands on the ball, the Pumas defence held firm to repel the home side’s first serious sortie.
Argentina dominated the opening quarter with Contepomi pulling the strings expertly from outside half while the front row of Juan Figallo, Mario Ledesma and Rodrigo Roncero proving willing foot soldiers in the loose.
Wales finally had a sniff of the ball in the 23rd minute but winger Leigh Halfpenny saw his progress checked by the Pumas’ suffocating defence.
Adam Jones was penalised for a side entry at a driving maul in the 29th minute. Contepomi used the upright to knock the ball over to give the Pumas a deserved lead as Wales continued to struggle to get a foothold on the game.
Contepomi had the chance to double the Pumas lead after second row Brad Davies was caught offside but he again missed a relatively easy chance.
He was made to pay dearly when Wales struck back with a double whammy to turn the match on its head.
When a scrum fell to pieces, Alun Wyn Jones picked up the pieces and sent Andy Powell clear. The Sale Sharks No 8 had an unhindered 30m run-in to the try-line from 35m.
Virtually from the re-start, Wales raced back downfield with George North running amok down the left hand touchline before passing infield to the supporting Alun Wyn Jones who coasted over from close range.
The one area which Wales held the upper hand in the first half, surprisingly it was the scrum, continued to dominate in the early stages of the second spell. The Pumas infringed at a set piece to gift Hook an easy three points to put Wales 17-3 ahead.
Hook put further distance between the two sides with his second successful penalty of the afternoon. From the kick-off the Pumas lost Juan Fernandez Lobbe to the sin bin after he took out Alun Wyn Jones in mid air.
Contepomi reduced the arrears with a straight forward penalty in front of the sticks but the Pumas legs began to wilt from the constant defensive strain they were being put under.
North was the recipient of a delightful inside ball from Jonathan Davies to burst over from 10m as Wales looked to finish strongly.
The Pumas finally used their lethal weapon, the driving maul, from a lineout and drove their pack towards the Welsh tryline. Eventually replacement prop Martin Scelzo found himself on the bottom of the heap to be awarded a try.
Hook had the final say with an easy penalty with the last kick of the match to ensure Wales head for New Zealand’s World Cup in a positive frame of mind while Argentina will be aware they have to improved dramatically if they are going to emulate the stunning deeds from 2007 where they claimed the bronze medal.
Wales: Tries – Powell, AW Jones, North; Cons – Hook (2); Pens – Hook (3).
Argentina: Try – Scelzo; Con – Contepomi; Pens – Contepomi (2)
WALES: Lee Byrne (Aled Brew); Leigh Halfpenny, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts (Scott Williams), George North; James Hook, Tavis Knoyle (Lloyd Williams); Paul James, Richard Hibbard (Huw Bennett), Adam Jones (Ryan Bevington), Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate (Justin Tipuric), Martyn Williams (captain) (Jonathan Thomas), Andy Powell.
ARGENTINA: 15 Martin Rodriguez, 14 Horacio Agulla, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Santiago Fernandez, 11 Gonzalo Camacho, 10 Felipe Contepomi (c), 9 Nicolas Vergallo, 8 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 6 Julio Farias Cabello, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Martin Scelzo, 18 Mariano Galarza, 19 Alejandro Campos, 20 Agustin Figuerola, 21 Nicolas Sanchez, 22 Juan Imhoff
