Los Pumas to keep it simple against Wales

SPOTLIGHT: It is all about simplicity as Argentina prepares to take on the unpredictable Wales.

The two teams will go head to head in the quarterfinal of the World Cup 2023 at Stade de Marseille on Saturday.

This encounter is very a tricky one, with both teams failing to hit their strides at this year’s tournament.

While Wales recording four wins out of four in the pool stages, Argentina will be more worried as they struggled in Pool D.

They opened the campaign with a surprise defeat to England but bounced back with a narrow win over Samoa before flooring Chile and booking a quarterfinal spot with a 39-27 victory in a must-win encounter with Japan.

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“The team has been growing since game one,” Los Pumas assistant coach Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe noted.

“We have been getting better on each match, we’ve added more intensity and other details too.

“The things that we wanted to correct of the match with England were done with Samoa, things that didn’t work with Samoa did against Chile, and details from the game with Chile were better executed against Japan.

“This team has already played four finals in this World Cup.”

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Lobbe has urged his team to continue with their current form and to keep it simple against Wales.

“All games are now finals,” Lobbe said, adding: “It’s a game of pressure, we’ll have to do all simple things well.

“Wales is going to come to try and do their thing, exert that pressure on to us.

“They are very identified with Warren Gatland’s philosophy of putting pressure on the opposition and being a combative team.

“But if it had been another team, it would be the same thing, doing simple things well with as much consistency as possible.”

He added: “We must be good in the breakdown, which is where the Welsh focus on, defending with a lot of pressure and firmness.

“We have to play an intense kicking game, and when given the opportunity have a firing attack. It sounds simple but this requires a lot of work.

“The team is very clear about the gameplan and we have to continue along that path.”

*Additional source: @WorldRugby