Needing a bonus point victory to give themselves an outside chance of qualification, the young Dragons were beaten by an Argentinean side who used their extra bulk to great effect. Showing significant change from the side defeated 32-3 by France U21, Wales U21 made an encouraging start despite finding themselves against a far heavier Pumas pack.
IRB Audio: Wales U21 Assistant Coach Dai Rees
IRB Audio: Wales U21 players James Connors and Christopher Dicomidis
Fullback Aled Thomas should have provided the lead inside three minutes with a penalty following a line-out infringement, but the Dragons starlet who had a 100% record in the opening games miscued in front of the posts. Thomas missed a second from halfway a minute later but such was the desire, that Wales U21 more than held their own against the fifth-ranked Pumas.
The mistakes which had proven so costly against the French returned as the game moved into its second quarter but matters got out of hand after sixteen minutes when both sets of forwards traded punches in a free for all which ended with loose head prop Rhys Gill needing attention to a wound in the back of his head before being yellow carded along with tight head Pedro Ledesma and centre Federico Amelong.
Thomas kicked a penalty after referee James Leckie had consulted with his touch judges and with Wales U21 enjoying a numerical advantage, the pack took control. A line-out five metres out provided the platform and after the Pumas had been penalised once again, this time under their own posts, Wales U21 were denied a try when Tom Cheeseman was adjudged to have stepped in front of James Dixon as the outside half sent the perfect cross-field kick into his arms.
Santiago Fernandez levelled matters after twenty minutes and slowly but surely, the Pumas’ pack started to turn the screw, especially at the scrum where Wales U21 found themselves on the back foot for much of the twenty minutes leading up to half time. Ironically, it was from a line-out where Wales U21 had enjoyed so much early success, that they fell behind. The Pumas’ pack rumbled forward and the blindside flanker Agustin Creevy was driven over for a try Fernandez failed to convert.
Having lost captain Dafydd Hewitt to a knee injury just before the interval, Wales U21 found themselves right up against it at the beginning of the second half as the breeze increased behind the Argentinians. It became an even bigger task when Craig Mitchell was yellow carded for tipping at a line out. Ninety seconds later Argentina U21 shoved Wales U21 back at a scrum five and although the scrum appeared to have gone through 90 degrees referee James Leckie awarded a penalty try. However, touch judge David Keane saw Cortese stamping and the try was disallowed.
Wales U21 had to withstand further pressure as the Pumas once again applied themselves in the set piece, this time, referee Leckie adjudged Argentina U21 to have knocked on. To their credit, Wales U21 never once took a backward step and had chances of their own; albeit from long range.
Replacements Dafydd Lockyer and Chris Clayton did their bit to keep the Dragons in the hunt but they just failed with the final pass on three separate occasions as the Pumas held on. Then nine minutes from time, the Argentinean pack drove forward and replacement Gonzalo Alvarez romped over for a try Fernandez failed to convert. Wales U21 put the cat amongst the pigeons in the closing seconds when Rhys Shellard went over at the posts for Thomas to convert but despite gaining a bonus point for finishing within seven points, it was all too little too late.
