Pumas rue poor start

Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade felt his team’s poor first-half performance cost them Saturday’s match against England at Twickenham.

The Pumas conceded three tries in the first half and were effectively out of the game when they trailed 6-24 at half-time.

But Argentina's second half display at Twickenham in Hourcade's first Test in charge gave them hope ahead of their upcoming Test against Wales with England only managing a late try for a 31-12 win.

"I think in the first half we kicked the ball away too quickly, so we let England dominate the play," said Hourcade, who took over following the resignation of Santiago Phelan.

"In the second half we corrected that and managed to dominate the attack a bit more. I think also defensively we sat back in the first half a bit too much and in the second we were more aggressive in defence."

For Argentina this was their ninth straight defeat in as many matches by a major nation this year, a sequence that started with a two-Test reverse at home to a British and Irish Lions-depleted England before they lost all six of their Rugby Championship fixtures.

The Pumas defeated Wales, 15-24 losers to South Africa in Cardiff on Saturday, 26-12 at the Millennium Stadium last year but Pumas captain Juan Manuel Leguizamon acknowledged a major improvement was required if his side were to enjoy more success in the Welsh capital next weekend.

"[In the] Second half we put more pressure on England but we still have a lot of work to do. We can't 'give away' a half at this level but we will work hard this week to have a better match against Wales on Saturday," the No.8 said.

AFP