By Matt Priest at the Principality Stadium
TRIES by Taulupe Faletau and Tomos Williams proved the difference for a much-improved Wales as they secured victory against Argentina.
Wales started strongly applying a sustained amount of pressure in the Argentine 22 in the first five minutes.
But left-wing Emiliano Boffelli converted a penalty in the eighth minute to give the Pumas a 3-0 lead after a spell of indisciplined defending by the home side.
Argentina doubled their lead with Boffelli converting another penalty in the 14th minute and it took Wales more than half an hour to work the scoreboard.
In the 26th minute Wayne Pivac’s side failed to make the most of a penalty conceded by Argentina on their own five-metre line after Welsh Hooker Ken Owens overthrew at a lineout, their best chance of the game so far.
Faletau got the breakthrough for Wales in the 32nd minute after a driving maul couldn’t be stopped by the Argentine pack, with Gareth Anscombe converting to put Wales 7-6 up.
Anscombe’s 37th minute penalty created a 10-6 advantage for Wales at half-time, which they were full value for after dominating the second 20 minutes.
At the Principality Stadium watching and reporting on Wales Vs Argentina in the Autumn Internationals pic.twitter.com/2W9ySdKTU8
— matt priest (@mattpriest002) November 12, 2022
That dominance continued in the opening stages of the second half.
Scrum-half Williams scored Wales’s second try in the 47th minute after he blocked Juan Cruz Mallia’s low and scuffed kick and chased the rebound to put the ball down over the try line. Anscombe’s conversion increased the Welsh lead to 17-6.
Wales’ defence was significantly better than it had been a week earlier against New Zealand and some sterling work on their own line prevented the Pumas scoring as the match moved towards the hour mark.
When lock Will Rowlands was sin-binned in the 56th minute for knocking the ball out of the hands of Pumas scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou, his Dragons team mate, there were some anxious looks on the faces of home supporters.
But in the 10 minutes Rowlands was of Wales increased their lead to 20-6 through a penalty by replacement fly-half Rhys Priestland.
Second row Matias Alemanno scored Argentina’s first try of the match in the 69th minute after a driving maul and Boffelli,’s conversion hauled Argentina back to one score of a possible draw.
Bt Wales held on comfortably to lift the mood of a campaign which began dismally against the All Blacks.