Centre Martin Gaitan scored a hat trick of tries and Argentina picked up a bonus point in a 67-14 win over Namibia in the Pool A match at the Central Coast Stadium in Gosford tonight (14 October).
Los Pumas had their bonus point by half time with four tries and continued to pile on the pressure with another six in the second.
Gaitan scored a hat trick from the midfield. The awesome power of the Bajada, the Argentine scrum, was on full display.
The Pumas scored four tries from this phase, two to Number 8 Pablo Bouza in either half and another two penalty tries awarded by Welsh referee Nigel Williams for deliberate infringements as Argentina were going for pushover tries.
Namibia never gave up. Scrum half Hakkies Husselman typified their spirit with a rousing game behind a beaten pack. He sent the near capacity Gosford crowd of 17,887 into rapture with a richly deserved try in the 68th minute to make the score 55-14.
The Pumas ran in two more tries to Bouza and Gaitan to seal the match.
Hooker Federico Mendez scored the first try of the night, was a tower of strength in the tight and was largely responsible for a tidy Puma lineout.
Fly half Gonzalo Quesada recovered from a shaky start to kick seven conversions and a penalty in an assured performance.
Although surviving on scraps of ball, the Namibian forwards were able to string some good phases together in patches and were always keen to take on the Puma defence.
Blindside flanker Schalk van der Merwe had an industrious match effecting a number of turnovers for his side at the breakdown and pulling off a brilliant cover tackle on flying Argentine wing Hernan Senillosa midway through the second half.
Scorers
Argentina 67
Tries: Martin Gaitan 3, Pablo Bouza 2, Federico Mendez, Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, Juan Fernandez Miranda, 2 Penalty tries
Conv Gonzalo Quesada 7
Penalties: Quesada
Namibia 14
Tries: Du Preez Grobler and Hakkies Husselman
Conv: Emile Wessels