Kumagaya, Wednesday: Fly-half Nicolas Sanchez showed Argentina what they had been missing with a masterful first-half performance Wednesday, as the eliminated Pumas restored some pride with a 47-17 win against the United States at the Rugby World Cup.
Sanchez was controversially left out of the matchday 23 for the crunch match against England last Saturday, which Argentina lost 39-10, resulting in their first pool-stage exit since 2003.
But the Stade Francais playmaker ran the show against the United States in Kumagaya, getting Argentina off the mark after a cagey first 20 minutes by outpacing US fullback Mike Te’o to the line.
As Sanchez sparkled, and veteran back-row Juan Manuel Leguizamon made his 87th and last appearance for Argentina, coach Mario Ledesma also chose to blood a group of young players.
“That was incredible. We really expected that (performance) from them and they delivered and we knew they would. Obviously we are out of the World Cup but with these guys, the future is looking good for Argentinian rugby,” Ledesma said.
“They were playing for somebody very special today (Leguizamon) and I’m really happy he had the farewell he deserved,” he added. - AFP
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