Contepomi inspires Pumas
Argentina secured their place in the quarter-finals with a less than impressive 25-7 win over Georgia.
Last Updated: 02/10/11 3:16am
Argentina secured their place in the quarter-finals with a less than impressive 25-7 win over Georgia.
The Pumas had trailed 7-5 at the break, giving hope to Scotland that they could sneak into the last eight at Argentina's expense.
However 13 second-half points from Felipe Contepomi were enough to see Argentina finish second in Pool B behind England.
Juan Jose Imhoff had scored in the opening period, while Agustín Gosio - a replacement for Contepomi - marked his debut by converting his own try.
Georgia had made life hard for the Pumas, though, with Lasha Khmaladze scoring their only try and Malkhaz Urjukashvili adding the conversion.
A scrappy and error-strewn first half saw both sides struggle to get going. Argentina's handling let them down too often despite some impressive running from the back division, while Georgia were their own worst enemy with their ill-discipline.
Surprise
The Lelos were let off the hook as Contepomi's woes with the boot during the tournament continued, with the Pumas skipper missing two straight-forward shots at goal.
It took 31 minutes before Argentina finally breached the Georgia defence. Imhoff took the scissor pass off Julio Farias Cabello before holding off Urjukashvili to score.
Contepomi missed the conversion, while Urjukashvili wasted the chance to cut the deficit as his penalty went wide.
However Georgia moved into a surprise lead as Khmaladze crossed for his first international try. The fly-half won the race to Alexander Todua's chip ahead, with Urjukashvili converting to give Georgia a 7-5 advantage at the break - and hope to Scotland.
Contepomi finally found his range 10 minutes after the break following a sustained spell of pressure to put the Pumas back in front.
The Pumas skipper added a second penalty to move Argentina into a four-point lead, while Marcelo Bosch was off-target with a long-range attempt.
But Contepomi put the result beyond doubt as he stepped inside to score following the initial break from Cabello - with the centre converting his own try.
Contepomi was replaced by Gosio and the centre made an immediate impact by converting his own try in the final minute.
