That’s that then. Tonga played bravely and with admirable ambition, but Argentina were able to turn on the style when they had to and that was enough to see of the spirited islanders. Argentina qualify for the quarter-finals where they will probably play either France or Ireland; Tonga’s hopes are over.
Do join me for Ireland v Italy very very soon. Cheers for reading, bye!
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Full-time Argentina 45-16 Tonga
That was the last act of the match.
Try! (Cordero 80 + Sanchez con) Argentina 45-16 Tonga
One last chance for Tonga then as they look to go through the hands. They’re exhausted though and the handling is sloppy – they’re going backwarrds, then Fonua throws an offload straight to Iglesias. Montoya carries it into the 22, Tonga are all over the place and it’s thrown quickly wide to Cordero, who steps inside of Lilo and scampers under the sticks.
79 min Sanchez is back up and he switches it back to Iglesias, who switches play with a chip to the left for Agulla. The wing is offside though.
78 min Another penalty, this time to Argentina, as Tonga come into the ruck at the side. Of more pressing concern though is that Sanchez, who has just been named man of the match, is down receiving treatment. Cabelli, I think, is the man to kick to touch 13 metres inside the Tongan half.
77 min Right it goes from a splintering scrum as Vainikolo comes in off his wing and looks for space. Penalty though, as he holds on and Argentina go quickly, left and Tuculet getting up to halfway.
76 min Morath finds touch 10 metres out on the right, but Kalamafoni turns it over on the floor. Argentina go right from their 22, looking to get Cordero into the game, but Iglesias’s pass is poor and goes to ground. Scrum Tonga.
75 min Mafi and Taumalolo drive into the 22, but the latter knocks on and we go back for a penalty as Lavanini didn’t roll away. The young lock probably should have been yellow carded at some point today – not necessarily for the shoulder charge, but he’s conceded a lot of penalties.
74 min Sanchez’s clearance from the restart is taken by Lilo wide on the left. Tonga work it across the pitch as they look to go out with a flourish.
Conversion (Sanchez 73) Argentina 38-16 Tonga
Diego Maradona high-fives Augustin Pichot in the stands as Sanchez sends another magnificent kick sailing through.
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Try! (Montoya 72) Argentina 36-16 Tonga
Mafi takes the defensive lineout at the front and Tonga drive up out of the 22, but Taumalolo goes in at the side. Back into the corner we go and Lobbe taps Montoya’s throw back to the hooker. He squeezes down the touchline and taps it down in the corner; we’re checking with the TMO to see if he managed to do so before his foot went into touch. It’s mighty, mighty close, but he’s just about done it. There’s the bonus point.
71 min Moroni off, Iglesias on in the centre for Argentina. Aulika and Takulua are off for Tonga, with Puafisi and Fisilau on. The lineout is thrown to the front and Lavanini is driven into touch well.
70 min Argentina put width on it from the lineout and the ball is spun wide left for Agulla, who tries to put on the afterburners. He’s tackled and they come back inside, before Mafi picks it up from a knock on. There’s an offside against the big man though, and Sanchez hammers his kick brilliantly into the corner.
69 min Still Tonga come back, with Fosita trying to go down the right. They work it back inside, but then Morath throws his wide pass into touch.
68 min The lineout goes to Mafi in the middle and he pops it down to an unsuspecting Fonua, who drives forward. It’s recycled right and Kalamafoni drives up to the line, but then when it’s recycled the ball goes loose and Sanchez hacks it up towards halfway.
67 min Former Leicester Tiger Steve Mafi comes on for Joe Tu’ineau as Morath thumps the penalty into the corner.
67 min Tonga won’t be beaten though and lay siege to the Argentinian 22 with some heavy charges into the defence. Lavanini concedes a penalty for side entry to a ruck.
66 min Argentinian changes across the entire front row, with Ayerza, Creevy and Herrera going off to be replaced by Noguera, Montoya, and Orlandi. Alemanno is on for Petti and Cubelli for Landajo too.
65 min A second miss in a row for Sanchez, whose slightly tired looking kick floats wide of the near post.
Try! (Sanchez 64) Argentina 31-16 Tonga
Fonua comes off the back of a splintering scrum and runs over Sanchez, but his cute offload is knocked on by Kalamafoni. Argentina go right, with numbers and the fly-half loops around, going round Lutui’s shoulder and scorching over on the right.
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63 min A brilliant defensive scrum from Tonga and they turn the scrum over! We’ll reset with a Tongan feed.
61 min Left again and Sanchez darts up to the line. He’s tackled, so they go back right towards the posts and Lavanini barges his way over the line. I think he’s held up, but we check with the TMO, and the replay very quickly confirms that Veainu has wedged himself under the ball. Tonga are still in this, but they have to defend a five-metre scrum now. Taumalolo, Lutui and Fonua replace Tonga’uiha, Taione and Ma’afu.
@DanLucas86 big game experience which Arg have is all that will between these two sides at the end of this cracker. Great stuff all together
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) October 4, 2015
60 min From it Landajo goes on a marvellous jinking run deep into the 22. He can’t find Cordero in support, but they recycle and go left with Tonga stretched. Back into centrefield and Landajo has another dart.
59 min Petti rises magnificently and steals the lineout with ease. Latu dives into the ruck and concedes the penalty, which is pushed 10 metres upfield when Tonga’uiha loosens his tongue. Sanchez finds touch on halfway on the left.
58 min Morath goes to touch, sticking it in the corner. Agulla replaces Imhoff.
57 min Argentina take it quickly and there’s an exchange of kicks before they run up to halfway. Sanchez’s offload goes loose in the tackle after he held on to it too long, then De La Fuente is penalised for obstruction.
56 min Landajo sends a poor pass above Isa’s head on the 10 metre line and the No8 spills it. It’s worked back to Morath, who switches play with a cross kick that Veainu leaps to take spectacularly. He’s isolated and by the touchline though, and Imhoff tackles him into touch.
55 min Sanchez misses! His kick starting right of the posts and staying the course.
54 min Argentina go wide quickly from the restart and Cordero chips over the top. Lilo gathers and looks to run back, but he’s caught on his own 22. The support is good though and Takulua clears. It’s run back from halfway and Taione comes into the ruck at the side. Another penalty, 45 metres out.
Penalty (Sanchez 53) Argentina 26-16 Tonga
Sanchez takes the lead to 10 points: the exact number that Morath has missed from the tee.
52 min From the restart, Tonga pass it back into their own half and Ayerza earns a turnover. Ma’afu goes off his feet and Argentina get the penalty 40 metres out, dead in front.
51 min From just to the left, Morath hooks his kick very badly left. Isa, who was a late injury replacement on the bench for Leguizamon, comes on for Senatore.
50 min Peyper opts not to yellow card the Argentinian lock and Tonga will not be happy as Piukala, the man who was hit by the giant Lavanini’s shoulder, goes off hurt. Fosita comes on in his place.
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Yeah there was a shoulder charge by Lavanini. I imagine the penalty will be reversed.
49 min More ground gained as Tonga’uiha, who has been excellent today, drives over the gain line and into the 22. With three players down – two Argentinian, one Tongan – the men in red drive down the left. They’re held short, so it goes right and Piutau steps and straightens, but then holds on in the tackle. We’re checking for foul play with the TMO though.
48 min We restart with a drop out and Latu gathers on the Argentina 10 metre line. Left it goes and Piutau makes ground with an angled run, before Latu bashes his way through a tackle and over the gainline.
47 min This one is in a near-identical spot to the last, but Morath hooks it badly left.
46 min But Tonga get the penalty as Herrera is penalised again, this time for collapsing it.
45 min Brilliant work from Veaniu as he rises high on the 22 to claim the restart, but he fumbles it forward as he comes to ground under pressure. Scrum Argentina, a metre outside their own 22.
Penalty (Sanchez 44) Argentina 23-16 Tonga
Back to a seven point gap.
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43 min Argentina get it immediately from the restart and Matera surges up into the 22. Sanchez’s grubber through goes straight into the hands of Kalamafoni, but he then holds on in the tackle.
Penalty (Morath 42) Argentina 20-16 Tonga
From around 25 metres, 10 or so to the right of the sticks, Morath pops the three points through.
41 min Morath restarts with his side seven points in arrears and it’s knocked on by Argentina on the 22. Left they go and it’s a penalty against Creevy for not rolling away in the tackle.
Can the rest of the World Cup be like this? Please? We’ve seen three of the best tries, fast, exciting rugby and barely a kick from open play. Both of these sides deserve credit for putting on 40 brilliant minutes.
Half-time: Argentina 20-13 Tonga
We’ll probably just have one more play before the break, so Sanchez restarts long. Tonga play patiently, going through phases in their own 22. Offside against Imhoff and Morath boots it into touch to end a thrilling half.
39 min From wide, wide, wide on the right, Morath sends his conversion just to the left of the far post.
Try! (Tonga'huia 38) Argentina 20-13 Tonga
Oh this is wonderful. It’s turned back over and Tonga get it right through the hands, with Vainikolo wreaking havoc in midfield off his wing. They get it right through the hands again and Piutau gives it out to Veainu, who heads for the corner. He’s tackled into touch, but at the very last second offloads back inside for the giant Tonga’uiha to score in the corner.
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37 min Morath kicks to touch on the right near his own 10 metre line. Left it goes from the lineout and Veainu cuts through with a cracking line and even better pace! He’s tackled well by Cordero before being turned over.
36 min Tonga just about secure the lineout five out from their own line. They move it inside to give Takulua a better angle, whence he box kicks clear to touch. From the ensuing lineout, Argentina rumble up to the 22, but Lavanini, I think, is penalised for holding on on the floor.
35 min Piutau runs at the shoulder of his opposite man and gains ground with a half-break. It’s carried on, but there’s a knock-on on the 22 and Argentina counter thrillingly! They put width on it quickly and Imhoff is sent speeding away down the left. He returns the pass inside to Tuculet, who chips over the top for Imhoff to chase, but the ball wins the race to touch. Poor decision from the full-back.
34 min Kalamafoni takes the restart and Tonga pick and drive their way upfield. They spin it left after that and hammer at the line, getting towards halfway. The lack of kicking in this match has been remarkable.
Penalty (Morath 33) Argentina 20-8 Tonga
Morath, from wide on the left, a good 45 metres out, is going for goal. Tonga have missed 20 tackles already in this half, which is truly dire. Unlike this kick, which is excellent.
31 min Another scrum collapse, as Ayerza goes to ground and Herrera doesn’t drive straight. Take your pick for which one Peyper penalises.
30 min Free-kick to Argentina after a long ol’ series of scrum resets. They go right and the maul forms out on the flank, but when it goes to ground the scrum is awarded to Tonga. Good work by Vainikolo, the former Exeter wing, to get himself wedged in there.
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28 min The throw from Taione isn’t straight and that’ll be a scrum to Argentina.
26 min Matera takes in the restart and Argentina get quick ball again. Sanchez comes flying round the corner, but his pass out towards Imhoff is slightly inaccurate and fizzes into touch.
Penalty (Sanchez 26) Argentina 20-5 Tonga
Sanchez will have a pop at goal from a long way out. He’s such a beautiful striker of the ball and sends it sailing through.
25 min A brief pause while Tonga’huia – the man known down the road from this ground as Tiny – gets some treatment to his shoulder. He’s back on his feet and will resume with a scrum, Tongan feed, on his own 10 metre line. Argentina’s pack comes to life and simply squashes Tonga’s. Penalty to the Pumas, who are suddenly looking as tasty as an Argentinian filet steak.
24 min Now Argentina try and play from the back, but the ball goes loose near their own line. Sanchez hacks it clear like a centre half hoofing the ball up to the big striker. Tonga run it back, but Argentina win the turnover on halfway. It comes right to Ayerza but, with a massive overlap, he goes for the overly ambitious long pass out and it goes a long way forward. That’s a try butchered.
23 min If the first try was brilliant, that second was pure rugby erotica.
Try! (Imhoff 22 + Sanchez con) Argentina 17-5 Tonga
Holy [expletive]! Cordero takes the restart and goes searing down the right, going round the outside. He gives it inside, Tonga are scrambling and there’s a big overlap on the left. It’s worked to Imhoff and he cuts inside to go over for his third try of the tournament.
Try! (Tuculet 20 + Sanchez con) Argentina 10-5 Tonga
Sanchez scuffs his clearance down the middle and Lilo runs back, but the Argentina fly-half is up and makes a solid tackle. The ball is turned over and Argentina go quickly down the short side. Lobbe carries it hard up to the 22, then Herrera – the prop – steps inside and carries hard towards the line. Tuculet is up in support, Herrera finds him and the full-back is over on the left. That was a brilliant try.
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Penalty (Sanchez 18) Argentina 3-5 Tonga
It’s a tough kick, but that’s a beauty of a strike and Sanchez gets his side on the board.
17 min Bursts through weak tackles by Tuculet and Landajo takes Argentina up towards the 22. Tuculet gets his hands on it again and looks to put Imhoff in, but his final pass goes behind the wing. We’re going back though for a penalty for offside, 42 metres out and wide-ish left.
16 min Quickly out the back and Tonga go left, pumping their way up to halfway. They come back the other way and Piutau shuffles through, but despite getting it through the hands for a few more phases there’s no ground to be gained and eventually Argentina win the turnover.
15 min Tonga get a scrum 20 metres inside their own half as Jaco Peyper gets in the way of Takulua as the No9 looked to dart round the fringe.
14 min A huge collision as Petti bounces off a tackle in midfield and the Tongan defender is sent flying. The ball goes left to De la Fuente, but his grubber ahead is comfortably fielded by Tonga.
13 min Penalty to Argentina against Aulika for driving on the angle. Sanchez finds a good touch 30 metres upfield.
12 min The pack goes straight to ground, but Tonga go left quickly. It’s held up by Piutau and in comes Lilo from deep on a good line yet again. He gets it out to Takulua, the scrum-half, but he knocks on just five metres short in the tackle.
11 min Morath sticks the penalty to touch on the right, just outside the 22. Taione’s throw is taken in the middle.
10 min Crikey. Down goes Ayerza and it’s a penalty to Tonga.
9 min For a moment it looks as though Morath’s conversion is going to drift back in and go over, but it clatters the post. Still, Tonga thoroughly deserve their lead. From the restart, Lobbe taps it back for Argentina but there’s an accidental offside and Tonga get the scrum.
Try! (Morath 7) Argentina 0-5 Tonga
Back right it comes and Morath takes it on the loop, going through a gap. He offloads to Veainu and Tonga drive to within two metres, under the posts. The defenders are sucked in, it’s flipped right and Morath has space to slide over!
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6 min Ma’afu, the number eight hits the line from deep but he’s well stopped by Creevy. Right they go and again Lilo is up in support, before a strong drive from Tonga’uiha makes ground in the 22. Left it goes, quickly and amazingly Lilo gets his hands on the ball again, on the opposite flank.
5 min Good solid scrum and it’s clean ball for Tonga, who probe down the left through Lilo.
4 min Argentina get quickly up to the 22, but De la Fuente passes behind his partner Moroni. The Pumas are driven back towards halfway, then Herrera drops the ball in midfield. Not sure what the prop was doing there at first receiver.
3 min Now it’s Argentina’s turn to play with ambition. Sanchez dummies and shoots towards a gap, but is taken down by another high tackle by Lokotui. Peyper warns Latu that the next one will bring a card. It’s been a pleasing first couple of minutes, although Tonga might be getting a touch too enthusiastic. Sanchez finds touch midway inside the Tonga half.
2 min Sanchez, with little room to work with, kicks the penalty to touch on the left just over halfway. A miscommunication enables Tonga to steal the lineout and they go wide left, with Lilo hitting the line to try and create the extra man, but good drift defence sees Vainikolo tackled into touch.
Peep! Jaco Peyper blows up, not literally, and Sanchez kicks deep into the Tongan 22, where Tu’ineau takes it. Ambitious stuff from the islanders as they get it through the hands with some quick offloading and a burst from Kalamafoni takes them towards halfway. It’s shipped right and Piutau grubbers ahead, before Veainu concedes a penalty for a high tackle on Tuculet.
Couple of familiar Tongan faces out there. Siale Piutau, the exciting centre, is the elder brother of All Black Charles. Nili Latu, the captain, has recently joined Newcastle, Elvis Taione at hooker will be familiar to Exeter fans as will prop Soane Tonga’uiha to Northampton supporters.
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Anthems watch: Pretty subdued, I have to admit. Argentina’s has a surprisingly long musical intro, doesn’t it?
With seven minutes to go until kick-off, here’s my bold prediction: Argentina to make the semis.
Correction: Mark Turner updates me on the latest affairs of family Agüero:
“Make that ex-father-in-law. And do yourself the great favour of never mentioning Kun’s name in Diego’s presence. He gets more than a little irritated.”
Or if you like, here’s a picture of Diego Maradona, who is the father-in-law of footballing deity Sergio Aguero.
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Twitter, Facebook, the emails in my inbox I didn’t get round to reading last night and ITV: none seem to be aware this match is on. Still, if you can’t beat ‘em and all that; here’s Andy Bull’s excellent post mortem.
Don’t like my preamble? There’s no pleasing some people. Still, here’s how my colleague Reuters has previewed the match:
Argentina go into their Rugby World Cup Pool C match against Tonga on Sunday with a late change to their bench, Facundo Isa coming in for veteran flanker Juan Manuel Leguizamon.
“Leguizamon has torn a muscle in his right thigh,” the Argentine Rugby Union said.
Isa, at 22 one of the youngest members of the Pumas squad, played at number eight in Argentina’s 54-9 victory over Georgia having not been a part of the match squad in their opening 26-16 defeat by New Zealand.
Leguizamon, at his third World Cup and a veteran of the Pumas team that finished third in France in 2007, was expected to come off the bench in the second half to refresh the team with his power and experience.
“We’re going to have the same physical fatigue (as against Georgia) and we know that if we want to qualify for the quarter-finals we must win,” captain Agustin Creevy said.
“We’re going (into it) with that mentality and we’ll try to play at a high level throughout the match to keep growing as a team,” the hooker said of the first ever meeting between the two nation at test level.
Argentina expect a large contingent of travelling fans to turn Leicester City FC’s stadium into an Argentine ground as they did in Gloucester where some 15,000 cheered on the team with their passionate chanting.
Soccer great Diego Maradona turned up at the ground to add his renowned motivational powers to the team.
Tonga’s Siale Piutau said the Pacific islanders would counter the Pumas’ perceived superiority by hounding them into submission.
“We have got this wolf pack mentality that is going to take on the Puma and that is how we are going into this game,” the centre said.
“It’s going to be an all-out battle, all-out war. We are just dying to get out on the field and get our howling on.”
Tonga are second in the group, one point ahead of Argentina after getting a second bonus point in their 35-21 win over Namibia. Their first bonus point came from losing by seven points to Georgia in their opener.
A win for Tonga would put favourites Argentina in serious danger of failing to reach the last eight.
“If we win, with a bonus point, it could take us somewhere we have never been before. We could make history here. This is going to be our ‘final’ for this World Cup,” captain and openside flanker Nili Latu said.
If Tonga get a bonus point win I’ll eat my hat. I didn’t wear a hat today, but I’ll have one for dinner when I get in tonight. I’ll really do it.
Afternoon, folks. Despair not! The Rugby World Cup lives on, even without England. Indeed, who needs the hosts? The great joy* of England 2015 has, so far, been the unexpected performances of teams not many people fancied before the tournament went on. And today we have, er, one of them.
We had high hopes for the Pacific islanders before this whole thing kicked off. However two of them are out and Tonga, who technically still have a chance, were disappointing in defeat to an inspired Georgia and were given the most minor of scares on their way to beating Namibia. They technically still have a chance to qualify, but will probably have to beat the All Blacks next week and, more importantly, have to win today. They will not win today.
Many people dismissed Argentina as little more than a terrifying scrum, but then many people had not watched Argentina lately. After all, this is a team that dismantled South Africa away during the Rugby Championship and, for the first time in four attempts, finished a more-than-creditable third. The pack, and their captain Agustin Creevy in particular, have been in fine fettle, but behind them they have added a pair of excellent kicking play-makers in Nicolas Sanchez and Juan Martin Hernandez. There is electric pace out wide too, in the form of Santiago Cordero and Juan Imhoff.
Hernandez misses out today as Daniel Hourcade makes seven changes from the side that eventually stuffed Georgia 54-9. The brilliantly-named Jeronimo de la Fuente and Matias Moroni form a brand-spanking new centre partnership that has never played before in a Test, because GAMES AGAINST WEAKER TEAMS ARE THE TIME TO TRY OUT A NEW MIDFIELD STUART. Guido Petti, Tomas Lavanini, Pablo Matera and Leonardo Senatore all come into the pack, in a move that should make you think “bloody hell Argentina have some serious strength in depth”. They should have too much for Tonga, who field the oldest line-up in World Cup history.
Kick-off in Leicester is at 2.30pm BST. That’s 10.30am in Buenos Aires or 2.30am tomorrow in Tonga. I do not know what the capital of Tonga is, sorry. Here are your teams:
Argentina
Joaquin Tuculet, Santiago Cordero, Matias Moroni, Jeronimo De La Fuente, Juan Imhoff, Nicolas Sanchez, Martin Landajo; Leonardo Senatore, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Pablo Matera, Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti, Ramiro Herrera, Agustin Creevy (captain), Marcos Ayerza.
Replacements: Julian Montoya, Lucas Noguera, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Matias Alemanno, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Tomas Cubelli, Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, Horacio Agulla.
Tonga
Vungakoto Lilo, Telusa Veainu, Siale Piutau, Sione Piukala, Fetu’u Vainikolo, Kurth Morath, Sonatane Takulua; Viliami Ma’afu, Nili Latu (captain), Sione Kalamafoni, Joe Tu’ineau, Tukulua Lokotui, Halani Aulika, Elvis Taione, Soane Tonga’uiha.
Replacements: Aleki Lutui, Sona Taumalolo, Sila Puafisi, Sitiveni Mafi, Opeti Fonua, Samisoni Fisilau, Latiume Fosita, David Halaifonua.
*Unless you’re Welsh, admittedly.
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