Under 20s scrum Argentina into ground

Australian 36 — Argentina 17

Australia put their poor recent efforts in the Junior World Championships behind them when they had a convincing win over Argentina, who had beaten them in the last two years and had never lost to them.

And they did it in an unexpected way: they dominated the first Argentine scrum and kept doing so throughout the game.

 First half

The turning point of the match was probably in the second minute when the Australian Under 20 team [the Juniors] pushed an Argentine [Argie] scrum back on a second shove and earned a penalty. This set the tone for the whole match.

The Juniors were penalised in the next Argie scrum for walking but they earned tight head ball from the next two.

Scrums were not the only thing the young Pumas had trouble with: they were infringing frequently because of the fast pace of the game. The Aussies had racked up nine points to Jake McIntyre penalties when the referee at last warned the Argies at 24 minutes.

With their opponents on their best behavior Australia took a five-metre lineout instead of a shot at goal, and after 12. Jim Stewart, switching back, got snotted by a tackle from 6.Tomas Lezana, 3. Allan Ala’alatoa planted the ball for a try. When McIntyre converted the score was 16-0 Australia at 26 minutes.

Matt Philip on the rampage

The Juniors lost their way after that and Argentina came back into the game. Although the Argies had been repelled repeatedly near the Junior goal-line earlier in the match, they got the lineout drive right the second time and their THP Enrique Pieretto Heiland scored when the Juniors did not ration their defenders well enough.

10. Patricio Fernandez converted which made the score 16-7 to Australia with eight minutes to go before half-time.

His team now more often in better territory, Fernandez slotted a holding-on penalty goal and at oranges Australia lead 16-10.

Argentina had recovered from their poor start with their version of Jake-ball rugby, but 16 points was a poor return for the Aussies for the investment of superiority in many areas. They moved the ball better than their opponents who barely attempted to, but their restart receptions after Aussie scores were poor, which gave Argentina good field position to respond from.

Captain Courageous – Sean McMahon

Second half

Argentina would have been happy with the scoreline at the break and would have been happier still six minutes later when their no 8. Santaigo Montagner made a break with his winger looming on the left with nothing but 20 metres of grass in front of him. But he passed inside.

Having dodged that, the Juniors got a chance in the Argie 22 but they knocked on. However the forwards swaggered up to the scrum and almost ran over the Argie ball on the put-in.

After a bit of barging yin on the right by the Aussie Orcs, their fourth tight head scrum bore fruit when the ball was whipped left for a bit of yang. When he got the pill from his old Scots’ team mate, Stewart, 14. Andrew Kellaway scored near the corner.

The conversion missed, but at 50 minutes Australia looked more comfortable leading 21-10.

It looked better still on the hour mark after a solid Juniors’ scrum. 6. Sean McMahon went on a bumping run and passed to Kellaway who ran in for his second meat pie in ten minutes. McIntyre slotted this one and Oz were cruising at 28-10.

 Brad Lacey going in for try

But wait there’s more: Argentina fed a scrum on the Juniors’ 40 metre line and McMahon hared off with the ball. Yin. Play got to goal line, defenders were attracted to ball runners, and the ball was whipped out to Brad Lacey to score in the corner.  Yang.

The conversion missed but Australia had scored 17 points in 14 minutes. They led 33-10 with 16 minutes to go and had gained their bonus point pie.

Then the Aussies let their guard down and Montagner scored a try they would have defended better earlier in the match.

McIntyre kicked a penalty goal to run down time and lessen the chance of injuries, and not long after the Aussies had won 36-17.

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