Argentina 19-10 Samoa: Rugby World Cup 2023 – as it happened

And here’s our report.

Thanks everyone for joining me. Not the best, was it? But Argentina have their win. Samoa not clinical enough.

Will catch you soon.

Here’s Michael Cheika, Argentina’s coach:

I think we got off the mark, we got off the bus and we turned up for the game. We lacked a bit of that clinical edge in the scoring zone. But Samoa put us under pressure. There are things we can do a lot better. But much improved from the first game. Still lots to do.

We had a game against South Africa in Argentina and we didn’t do what we needed to do. We had a game in Marseille and we had them in numbers. We want them to know how much we love them. It’s great they’re here and I know they’ll be here next week for Chile. We love our supporters. They’re awesome.

Julian Montoya is up next. The Argentina captain was immaculate at the line-out. His accuracy is largely why they won. Here’s what he has to say:

I want to start by thanking all the people from Argentina who are here today. The support they gave us was really, really loud. And it was amazing. We play for them.

A massive victory for us, for this tournament. Against England we didn’t do what we needed to do. We did today. Still lots to improve which is exciting at the same time.

Credit to Samoa. A really good team, filled with good players and names.

We have to improve in every aspect of the game. Discipline is one. Not just in terms of penalties but in everything we need to do. The ruck was a bit messy. But I’m very proud of this team.

Now for Samoa’s skipper, Chris Vui:

I’m extremely proud of the boys. The better team won today. Credit to them, they were more clinical,. especially when they had the ball. So credit to them.

Momentum was swinging our way in the last 10 minutes. We thought we could come back. We’ve got some learnings in this six to eight day turnaround against Japan.

“Mission accomplished,” says Joel Stransky on the world feed.

Pretty much. It’s hardly a performance that will fill Pumas fans with loads of confidence. But they have a win at least.

Here’s the player of the match, and frankly the only man in the running for it, Emiliano Boffelli:

It was very important. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Samoa is a very strong team. It was a very important win today.

It was a tough game. The points [he scored] were important.

Thanks a lot to everyone, to the supporters. It was incredible. He found that support.

Yup. That’s that. A huge result for Argentina, it has to be said. They’ve revived their their World Cup campaign after that performance against England. It wasn’t pretty but it’s a job done.

Samoa scored a try but largely failed to fire a shot. Still, a win against Japan and a lucky break elsewhere might see them squeeze through to the next round.

But will they regret coughing up a losing bonus point.

Hate to say it, but time will tell.

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80 mins: Argentina win the scrum, play down the line and dink a little kick over the top. That’s the final whistle. Wait, is it?

And that will be that. A classy kick under pressure from some distance to the right. Game over.

78 mins: Samoa give away a penalty. What a shame. They attacked with zeal, kicked long but when Argentina countered they couldn’t keep their composure. Sanchez will kick at goal to make the game safe.

77 mins: Ben Lam plucks the restart from the air. Great take. They kick. Why did they kick? It’s just handed possession back to Argentina. Carreras then Sanchez carry and try wriggle through. It goes to the forwards and Creevy knocks on. Scrum for Samoa. They’re inside their own 22 so will have to launch a ballistic missile to make this work.

They’re over! They kept knocking at the door and finally they get through. A tap and go from the penalty kept it short and carrier after carrier piled in. Eventually it’s the replacement hooker who runs a lovely line against the grain from short distance is powers over. A quick conversion makes things interesting.

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74 mins: Monster scrum. Penalty advantage for Samoa. There’s a massive carry from first phase by the replacement D’Angelo Leuila. He’s bravely stopped. They can’t get anywhere so they come back for the penalty where the scrum was set.

73 mins: Samoa attack from the scrum but it’s lateral. It looks nice it doesn’t go anywhere. What’s happened there, though? Samoa spill the ball but the pass back for Argentina is disrupted by Taumateine. it’s messy at the back. Boffelli – I think – had to dive back and secure the ball, almost on his own try line. He’s tackled back and has no choice but to dot down. So Samoa have the feed five metres out. They just HAVE to score now.

71 mins: Argentina rock solid at the scrum. Sanchez, on the park, hacks a low kick up field from half-way. That’s all they’re try and do now. A try bonus point is beyond them. Now it’s just about keeping Samoa at arm’s length. A bit of kick tennis ends with Samoa have a scrum thanks to a forward pass. Just inside Argentina’s territory.

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70 mins: Argentina give away a penalty at the line-out. That’s their first infringement at the set-piece. So Samoa clear deep. They’re back in Argentina’s half and have the ball from a line-out of their own. But yet again they spill it. That’s been their story all afternoon. Leuila couldn’t hold on to a high pass.

68 min: A sensational kick from Moroni lands the ball from his own half right into the corner of Samoa’s territory. It’s not a 50-22 as it was taken back, but that has pinned Samoa right bacl where they don’t want to be.

66 mins: Oh man…. Samoa wriggle some space down the left. An off-load, a straightening of the line and another off-load but they spill it forward.

65 mins: Samoa win the ball! Whatever else has happened this game, they’ve been brilliant on the ground. A huge hit and then a steal from Manu on their right tram. They probably won’t win this game but they’ve given a good account of themselves.

62 mins: My goodness this is becoming a tough watch. Argentina hack a kick ahead off their scrum. It bounces off a Samoan leg and goes out for another line-out. Cubelli lifts a high kick. Boffelli wins it. He’s been head and shoulders above everyone else. Argentina down the left. They go back right. It’s with Boffelli who steps off his right foot back infield. Into the 22. Building nicely…

61 mins: It’s been all Samoa but they play a lazy forward pass. It just hasn’t quite clicked for them today. Still plenty of time.

60 mins: Samoa with a line-out on the 22. They have to make something work. It goes to the middle and they maul. It then goes down the line and a wonderful grubber ahead looks good. Boffelli slides across and makes a wonderful recovery clean. Argentina scure the ball and S Carreras clears. Excellent from Boffelli. He’s been class all day.

58 mins: Argentina win another line-out. That set piece has been supreme. A poor box kick from Argentina’s replacement 9 Cubelli means the ball goes nowehere. Samoa swarm and win a penalty. Boffelli is once again the victim of a huge knock. It’s getting really scrappy now. Argentina won’t necessarily mind that.

57 mins: Boffelli finally misses. In his defence it was from miles away. It started outside the right upright and drifted past the left. Had the legs though.

56 mins: Now a penalty. Argentina’s scrum is humming at full throttle. Boffelli is lining up a 50m shot.

55 mins: A raft of changes for both sides. Argentina will have a scrum on halfway after Samoa punted the restart straight out.

No problems for this man. He just don’t miss. Not from there. Argentina taking control now.

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53 mins: Argentina can’t make this move stick. But they have a penalty advantage. Rather than set up another maul they point to the poles.

50 mins: Samoa will have a line-out but Argentina have a scrum feed soon after. It spins round and a slick back line move but OOOH! Another big hut in midfield. Argentina still have it though and Matera plays a dink ahead anbd then wins a penalty.

49 mins: Samoa win the ball back! Argentina don’t maul. Instead they play a loop round the back. Boffelli has the ball but ot’s a double move before he tries to place it. So Samoa win a penalty. They deserve that. Fantastic defence. Seuteni put in a monster hit on Boffelli to keep him out of reach of the line.

48 min: It’s a solid scrum. Bertranou is told to use it. Boffelli on the angle is clattered. What a shot that was. Kremer charges from close range. There’s a penalty. What for? Oh, it was a high shot on Boffelli. I thought that looked like a crunching hit. No card I’d imagine for Ben Lam. Argentina have the penalty and select to set up another line-out. Their attack is starting to click.

46 mins: Five metres out and Montoya finds the jumper in the middle of the line-out. Samoa defend the maul superbly well. Argentina are told to use it. It splinters and then there’s a pick and go. Samoa keep them at bay. Perhaps they should have had the ball but it’ll be an Argentine scrum five out.

45 mins: Argentina win their line-out. Their maul is now working perfectly and it rumbles forward and wins a penalty. They’re in the 22. Bertranou fumbles after Boffelli carries well. They go back for the penalty. In fact Montoya has an option. He has two penalties and can choose where to take it. He selects the one down the right near the touchline. So Carreras dinks it out. Another maul coming up you’d think.

44 mins: Manu stabs through a grubber. Samoa win it on the ground but that is outstanding work from Matera who ripped it away on the ground. Penalty on the ground and S Carreras puts it out on the 10m line.

43 mins: Taumateine’s box finds M Carreras. He spins it down the line. Boffelli charges to the line but knocks on in the tackle.

42 mins: A bit of kick tennis ends with Argentina having a line-out. They maul. And keep going with the maul. Bertranou has it but the backline move fizzles out. Samoa win it back inside their own 22 thanks to a handling error.

Right then. We’re back. It’s stopped raining. The ground will still be wet so it’ll still be greasy. Do or die for Argentina. A big 40 minutes coming up. If Samoa can turn it around they’ll have a real shot of qualifying for the knockouts for the first time since ‘95.

Spare a thought for Johan Deysel. The Namibian captain might have ended Antoine Dupont’s World Cup. He’s received so much hate on his socials that he’s turned all his accounts to private.

He didn’t mean to do it. Here’s what he had to say:

That’s one way of putting it:

“With all these knock-ons causing endless stop start scrummaging, I’d love to see simple passing and handling knock-ons to be a free kick, not a scrum. Quick restarts, run kick or pass, play, play, play, go, go, go.”

I’m guessing you’re not South African, Hugh Molloy?

It’s an interesting idea. But I like the scrum. Of course, I don’t want too many. But there is beauty in its beastliness. What you're describing sounds more like league.

Argentina’s maul from the line-out splutters out of touch and that’ll be the last action of a spluttering half. It started with a yellow card and saw one decent move end with Boffelli scoring a try on the right. He’s got all 13 points in an otherwise stop-start affair in the rain. Back in a few.

40 mins: Samoa wheel the scrum and that encourages Taumateine to snipe down the blindside but he’s hit by Kremer before he can pass. Should have got that away, mind. Argentina counter, get all the way to the half-way, win a penalty and then hoof it up field.

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40 mins: The scrum goes down. Looked like Samoa had the ascendency so I’m surprised not to see them get a penalty. Instead they’ll have the feed againn. There’s a bit of afters with Kremer getting involved. They pack down again.

39 mins: Argentina pinch the line-out. Great steal. But Bertranou at the back is tackled back over his own try-line. Scrum for Samoa five metres out. They keep getting chances. They have to take one.

39 mins: Ah Wong clatters S Carreras as he landed after catching a high ball. Bone-cruncher. Argentina give away a penalty on the ground and this time Leali’ifano kicks it out for a line-out five metres out. Last chance to deliver a blow before the break.

38 min: Oh no! Leali’ifano has hooked it. That’s six points he’s left out there.

37 min: Hawuuuge scrum from Samoa! Wow, didn’t expect that. It was the second shove that sent the Pumas back retreating. Vui points to the poles after winning the penalty. Sensible decision. Well, only if Leali’ifano slots it.

36 mins: Argentina fumble the restart so Samoa have a scrum. Now’s the time to strike.

That’s a gimme for a sharp-shooter like Boffelli. Right in front. Their 10 point lead is restored.

34 mins: Argentina take the line-out quickly and catch Samoa cold. Mallia into the 22. Now they’re five out. Advantage as well for off-side. Nothing doin’. They have the penalty. Surely they’ll take the three.