France secured a priceless World Cup victory in their quest for the quarter-finals, overcoming a stunning Argentina fightback to claim a tense 23-21 triumph in Tokyo.
The Argentines actually began brightly, with Nicolas Sanchez kicking them into a 3-0 lead, but Les Bleus controlled the remainder of the half and deservedly moved 20-3 ahead through Gael Fickou and Antoine Dupont tries.
Romain Ntamack was impressive off the tee, kicking 10 points, but they failed to maintain that intensity in the second half.
As poor as Argentina were in the opening period, they were excellent after the break and closed the gap via Guido Petti and Julian Montoya efforts before Benjamin Urdapilleta remarkably gave them the lead.
However, in an incredible match, the French displayed impressive composure to respond and snatch the win when Camille Lopez scored a drop goal to win a superb game.
It now puts the Argentines under pressure for the rest of the tournament with them needing to beat England to stand a chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
There was plenty Mario Ledesma could take from this encounter, however, despite their run of defeats stretching to 10. The concern for the head coach before the start of the tournament was how their scrum would fare, but it was solid throughout and set them a platform in the first quarter.
They controlled the opening exchanges and almost broke the deadlock when Petti – one of their star performers over the past few years – powered through several tackles. Although he was brought down five metres out, Los Pumas were awarded a penalty and Sanchez kicked them in front.
It was the ideal start for Ledesma’s charges, who were looking strong in contact, but France responded in magnificent fashion. Damian Penaud was the instigator, showing his footwork, pace and balance to weave his way through Argentina’s flimsy defensive line, before the ball was shifted wide for Fickou to finish.
Ntamack, who rarely kicked for Toulouse last season, was pinpoint with a difficult conversion, and the fly-half soon added to his tally when Jacques Brunel’s men produced another brilliant move.
About sums up the game for Argentina#RWC2019 #FRAvARG pic.twitter.com/vzm46XPGGF
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) September 21, 2019
Once again, Penaud was to the fore as exceptional hands from the wing, Maxime Medard and Virimi Vakatawa sent Dupont across the whitewash.
France were dominant, despite the Argentines briefly threatening their line, and two more successful efforts off the tee via Ntamack gave Les Bleus a 17-point buffer at the interval.
The 2011 World Cup finalists were comfortable going into the final 40 minutes, but they struggled to build on that first-half brilliance as their opponents lifted the intensity.
Their set-piece, something which had been utterly abysmal over the past couple of years, was dominant, with the maul particularly impressive.
Firstly, Petti rampaged across the whitewash as the French were sent into reverse before Montoya took the slightly slower route from the same tactic, but still managed to touch down.
Brunel’s team were under pressure and making errors, and they were fortunate to escape a yellow card following a series of indiscretions close to their own line. This time, having previously gone for the lineout, they pointed to the posts and replacement Urdapilleta reduced the arrears.
Los Pumas had all the momentum and the pivot was on target once more as they took the lead, but there was one final sting in the tail.
That came through Lopez, who kicked a drop goal, which was enough for France to snatch a crucial victory and leave their opponents dejected.
The scorers:
For France:
Tries: Fickou, Dupont
Cons: Ntamack 2
Pens: Ntamack 2
Drop goal: Lopez
For Argentina:
Tries: Petti, Montoya
Con: Sanchez
Pens: Sanchez, Urdapilleta 2
France: 15 Maxime Medard, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Virimi Vakatawa, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 4 Arthur Iturria, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado (c), 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Demba Bamba, 19 Bernard le Roux, 20 Louis Picamoles, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Camille Lopez, 23 Thomas Ramos
Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Felipe Ezcurra, 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 23 Santiago Carreras
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
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