Argentina put aside last week's defeat to Scotland with a commanding 35-21 win over Wales in San Juan on Saturday, wrapping up a four-try bonus point before half-time and finishing with five tries to three in the second round of the Nations Championship.
The Pumas, who made five changes from the side beaten by Scotland, exposed the same defensive frailties the Fijians had identified in Cardiff the week before, combining close-range power with wide runners cutting through a porous Welsh backline. No.8 Joaquin Oviedo crossed twice, while Justo Piccardo, Marcos Kremer and Santiago Carreras added the others. Flyhalf Tomas Albornoz converted all five.
Wales had led after two minutes when skipper Dewi Lake crashed over from close range, but Argentina responded almost immediately through Oviedo and were never headed again. Bautista Delguy's catch-and-feed created Piccardo's try on 14 minutes, prop Rhys Carre gave Wales brief hope at 23 minutes, but Kremer and Carreras scored either side of half-time to put the bonus point beyond doubt at the break.
Oviedo's second early in the second half threatened to make it a rout, and though Argentina had a further try disallowed, they appeared content to manage the game out from that point. Replacement prop Ben Warren scored Wales's third try on 65 minutes, again off a driving maul, with recalled flyhalf Sam Costelow converting all three Welsh scores. Neither side kicked a penalty throughout.
"They were a bit more physical than us and they beat us in that battle," Lake said. "We were dropping off too many tackles. We have to work harder and be quicker."
The result leaves the Nations Championship standings after two rounds with only three sides carrying perfect records: Ireland at the top of the Northern Hemisphere table, and South Africa and New Zealand in the South.