Pumas overcome Tonga to move closer to quarters at Rugby World Cup

Marcos Ayerza and Argentina celebrated their Rugby World Cup win against Tonga at Welford Road after putting themselves within touching distance of the quarter-finals on Sunday.

Argentina scored five tries to secure a 45-16 bonus-point win over physical Tonga at Leicester City Stadium.

Ireland laboured to a 16-9 victory over Italy to reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, taking France along with them and setting up a blockbuster Pool D decider in Cardiff next weekend.

Maradona celebrate with the Pumas in their change room. “This is going to be our “final” for this World Cup”, captain and openside flanker Nili Latu said.

Argentina is fielding a first-time centre pairing of Jeronimo De La Fuente and Matias Moroni, who replace Juan Martin Hernandez and Marcelo Bosch, the starters in the two previous matches against New Zealand and Georgia.

“Just wait and see the suit I have for when we win”.

A startling opening by Tonga, characterised by brutal tackling and powerful running, looked like it could overpower the Argentines.

Indeed Tonga came roaring out of the blocks, but their tries from Kurt Morath and big man Soane Tonga’uiha couldn’t contend with the breakout powers of the Pumas, whose class told in the end as they scored five tries – with Tuculet, Imhoff, Sanchez, Montoya, and Cordero all crossing the whitewash.

“Diego Maradona is a huge supporter of Pumas rugby, and a personal friend, but he only phones about rugby when Argentina are defeated”, Pichot said in 2007.

Tonga played their part in what was one of the best games of the tournament, scoring two brilliant first half tries, but a few errant goal kicking dented their hopes of a serious challenge. “Luckily it happened in a match we won and we can correct them”. “We are going to take a lot of confidence from this and work on the mistakes we made”.

Earls’ first-half effort, along with 11 points from the boot of Jonny Sexton, put the Irish ahead of their Six Nations rivals after a dogged fight. “We let ourselves down with our ball control and discipline”.

No sooner had Tonga kicked off having conceded to Joaquin Tuculet then they were under their own sticks again.

“The idea is to play at the same level for 80 minutes”.

Argentina showed through their thrashing of Georgia, who defeated Tonga the week before, that they are a class above the two sides, and should be too strong today.