Argentina has secured their place in the semi-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, thanks to Nicolas Sanchez’s late try and penalty that clinched a 29-17 victory over Wales at Stade de Marseille on Saturday, October 14th.
In the first half, Dan Biggar’s try and five points from his successful kicks gave Wales a 10-6 lead at halftime. However, in the 48th minute, Emiliano Boffelli put the Pumas ahead with his fourth penalty.
Wales briefly reclaimed the lead when Tomos Williams scored a try, but Joel Sclavi’s close-range dive propelled Argentina ahead by two points after a successful conversion.
The defining moment came when Sanchez intercepted the ball for a try, celebrated by his exuberant teammates in the in-goal area. He sealed the victory by slotting a late penalty, securing his team’s spot in the competition’s semi-finals.
In the following section, we analyse four players who didn’t meet expectations for Warren Gatland’s Wales team in Marseille.
#1. Josh Adams
RUCK 5.5/10: “Strong opening tackle to set his tempo in defence. Spilled the pass from North, which could have led to a try. Good presence on Argentina’s back three under the high ball, beut ended his half with an unnecessary shot on Cubelli. Lucky to avoid a yellow. Continued to jump in front of high ball catchers, and repeatedly lucky to be let off.”
Rugby Pass 4/10: “Had a quiet first half, one lowlight being a bungled pass with the Argentinian line beckoning, another being a braindead push on Matteo Carreras, which was lucky only to be a yellow. A day to forget for the Cardiff winger.”
Wales Online 5/10: “Gave away a needless penalty on the stroke of half-time to gift Argentina points, and, even more crucially, momentum. Chased hard but the ball rarely came his way. A bad day at the office.”