Pumas win first match of Rugby World Cup 2007
7-Sep-2007
In a dramatic start to the Rugby World Cup, Argentina defeated France 17-12 at the Stade de France on Friday evening.
The Pumas began the match with a lot of enthusiasm and were the first to score, with a penalty by Felipe Contepomi a few minutes into the game. France soon evened the score but Argentina continued to dominate possession of the ball in the first half. Les Bleus looked like scoring a try about 25 minutes into the game but Argentine wing Horacio Agulla made an excellent intercept and powered back towards the other end of the field, feeding Manuel Contepomi then on to Ignacio Corleto to score the only try of the match.
Argentina lead 17-9 at half time prompting the French to came back onto the field with renewed effort after the break. France dominated posession for much of the second half and made a sustained attack on the Argentine try line but the Pumas defended well and never let Les Blues cross the line. The French managed just one penalty in the second half, with Argentina holding on to the lead and winning the match by 17-12.
There is plenty of competition left in Pool D, with two especially hot matches scheduled for later in the month: France vs Ireland on September 21 and Argentina vs Ireland on September 30. The Pumas now have the upper hand in qualifying for the quarterfinals, and they'll be hoping for a win over Ireland to reduce the chances they'll come up against the All Blacks too soon.
See the preparations in Buenos Aires
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