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 Winning Wales Hosts fail to impress in opening match
Posted: Friday October 01, 1999 06:15 PM
CARDIFF, Wales (CNN/SI) -- Center Mark Taylor scored the winning try and Neil Jenkins converted it to ensure Wales' 23-18 victory over Argentina in their Pool D match at the new Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Following opening ceremonies that pushed back the start time of the first match of the Rugby World Cup the Red Dragons of Wales and the Argentinean Pumas finally ran on to the pitch to do battle. The match was anything but pretty, as both sides failed to settle down and it was Argentina which would draw first blood, but Wales would head into the dressing room at half-time with a 13-9 lead. Argentina's Gonzalo Quesada proved pivotal for the South Americans, refusing to be rattled by Welsh partisan crowd and scoring all of his teams points off the boot. In the second half Wales' game came together much better but the Puma's fly-half still kept his team in striking distance. Neil Jenkins kicked two conversions and three penalties for 13 points to move within 19 points of breaking Michael Lynagh's international point-scoring record of 911. Wales also extended its winning stretch to nine and made it four successive wins against the Pumas in 12 months. And although winning coach Graham Henry said "any win is a win", he admitted he wasn't impressed when the World Cup Opener "finished in a nailbiter." "I'm glad we've got that over with," he said. "I think every team is going to find it hard first up ... going in a bit rusty after a month off. The rain and the conditions didn't help ball handling much either. "Maybe the wet conditions weren't entirely suitable for our gameplan," Henry said. "Maybe we should have kicked the ball and put it behind them -- but we scored two tries and should have scored more and in the end, that was the difference." Argentine scrumhalf Agustin Pichot, who kept his team on the offensive throughout by rushing the play, said it was the Welsh slowing tactics at rucks and mauls which didn't allow the Pumas' attack to fire. But the Pumas' former All Blacks coach Alex Wyllie said Argentina had only been allowed to play as well as Wales them. "It's pretty obvious two tries to nil against you doesn't help," he said. "Today we were confident we could match Wales but on the day, once again, we couldn't do it -- well done to them." The opening ceremony over, the roof rolled back, the rain came in, the fireworks went up and the action began. But it was a shaky start for the Welsh, who scored in first half injury time to grab a come-from-behind 13-9 lead at the break. Guilty of trying to do too much in the first period, particularly in the lineouts, Wales went back to the basics after a revving during the interval from coach Graham Henry and immediately looked more dangerous. Taylor crossed in the 49th minute and Jenkins' stroked a simple conversion to extend Wales lead to 20-9. The backline created the scoring opportunity when left wing Dafydd James got around the outside defender on halfway before passing infield to right winger Gareth Thomas, who unloaded inside for Taylor to run 20 meters without being touched. Wales continued to mount phase after phase of attack with the backs finding space almost at will before the Pumas infringed and Jenkins landed another penalty to extend the lead to 14 points. Jason Jones-Hughes, who is at the center of a loyalty dispute between the Australian and the Welsh unions, received a rousing reception from the 72,500-strong crowd when he ran on as a replacement for Scott Gibbs in the 57th minute to make his Welsh debut. Henry, who revealed Gibbs had gone into the game with a virus and had simply "run out of steam", said he was impressed with Jones-Hughes' debut game amid trying circumstances. But it was the Argentine's who took over as aggressors after Gibbs' departure. Quesada kicked three penalties within 11 minutes, starting with a shot from 40 meters in the 62nd minute, as the Pumas edged back into the game at 23-18 with seven minutes of regular time remaining. In the first half, Charvis barged over one defender and dived over beside the posts as to restore some confidence. Trailing 9-6, the Welsh backline moved the ball on the right side where hooker Garin Jenkins took a pass from Thomas, ran upfield, spun, slid and then regained his feet to take the ball to within meters of the line. The Welsh pack drove over, skipper Rob Howley cleared to Neil Jenkins who popped up a ball for Charvis. Jenkins converted for the extras. But the heavily favored Welsh started nervously, with Neil Jenkins missing a routine penalty attempt in the opening minutes and the center combination of Gibbs and Taylor making uncharacteristic mistakes in midfield. The Pumas opened the scoring in the 18th minute via a Quesada penalty kick from 39 meters, just two minutes after Welsh fullback Shane Howarth had been penalized for double movement as he slid for the tryline in the right corner. The Argentines extended the lead through another 40-meter Quesada penalty in the 25th before Jenkins struck back with two penalties to level the score. With two minutes of normal time to play in the half, Quesada slotted a penalty from behind halfway to give the visitors a three-point lead before Charvis crossed late. Wales became the first victims of the new crackdown on lifting in the lineout when the players lifting Scott Quinnell were penalized late in the first half for supporting his legs instead of gripping his shorts. But the penalty didn't prove too costly, with Quesada missing a shot at goal from out wide. Argentina started the match at a disadvantage when its lock Pedro Sporleder had to be replaced by Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe because of a groin strain just hours before the match.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | |||||||||||||||||
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