Uruguay beat Argentina XV in World Cup confidence-booster
Sunday 2 August 2015 10:56, UK
Uruguay defeated an Argentina XV 30-26 in Montevideo to notch their first victory over a senior Argentine side.
With the Pumas concentrating on the Rugby Championship and World Cup preparations, Argentina sent a second-string side, coached by former fly-half Felipe Contepomi, to the match at the Charrua Stadium.
The Argentines scored four tries to two but Teros fly-half Felipe Berchesi kicked five penalties, including two in the last 16 minutes to give Uruguay victory, while his half-back partner Agustin Ormaechea weighed in with a conversion and a penalty.
Argentina's strong point was their rolling maul which brought three of their four tries from the pack as they fought back from a 17-12 half-time deficit.
"This victory is something the players and coaching staff have been building for two or three years," Uruguay's coach Pablo Lemoine said.
"It's easier to work on wins than defeats, but I always say we are a team who have learned a lot from our defeats using them to win the matches we needed to win.
"This year is a true reflection of that, we learnt on the go and changing many things."
Uruguay, who will be taking part in their third World Cup this autumn after beating Russia in a play-off, will travel to England via Japan, where they play two warm-ups, and Spain, where they meet Basque Country.
They face hosts England, Australia, Wales and Fiji in Pool A at the World Cup.
