Six-try France in record win
France ran in six tries to crush Argentina 49-10 in the second Test in Tucumán on Saturday and record their biggest ever win over the Pumas.
The victory was also revenge for last weekend's 20-23 defeat that the French suffered at the hands of the South Americans in Cordoba when they had sloppily conceded a try in the dying minutes.
Saturday's resounding win was France's biggest over Argentina since a 47-12 triumph in 1995 and also featured an impressive international debut appearance by Agen scrumhalf Maxime Machenaud.
He made his bow alongside recalled flyhalf Frederic Michalak, playing for the first time since the 2007 World Cup, and capped it with a try just before half-time.
Unlike last weekend, France dominated up front and in the backs where Michalak kicked 19 points.
Centre Maxime Mermoz was also on the scoresheet with a breakaway try in the 56th minute while also setting up scores for wingers Benjamin Fall, in the 12th minute, and Yoann Huget, six minutes before the interval.
France led 30-3 at the break as a young Pumas side wilted. Most of their senior players were being rested ahead of the start of the new four-nation, southern hemisphere Rugby Championship in August.
Argentina's only points of the first half came from the boot of skipper and veteran centre Felipe Contepomi, who was probably playing his last international.
Huget scored his second try of the Test after 63 minutes and Clermont lock forward Alexandre Lapandry added his team's sixth try of the night five minutes later to seal France's first win in Argentina in 14 years.
Argentine flank Tomas De la Vega grabbed a consolation try six minutes from the end, which Contepomi converted.
"I'm disappointed that we didn't play well and when you make so many mistakes they then prove to be very expensive," said Contepomi.
"We knew what the French were coming to do but we didn't know what to do to counter it."
The scorers:
For Argentina:
Try: De la Vega
Con: Contepomi
Pen: Contepomi
For France:
Tries: Fall, Huget, Machenaud, Mermoz, Huget, Lapandry
Cons: Michalak 5
Pens: Michalak 3
Teams:
Argentina: 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Facundo Barrea, 13 Agustín Gosio, 12 Felipe Contepomi (captain), 11 Manuel Montero, 10 Benjamín Urdapilleta, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Tomás Leonardi, 6 Tomás De la Vega, 5 Esteban Lozada, 4 Julio Farías Cabello, 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela, 2 Andrés Bordoy, 1 Eusebio Guiñazú.
Replacements: 16 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 17 Bruno Postiglioni, 18 Santiago Guzmán, 19 Benjamín Macome, 20 Rodrigo Báez, 21 Martín Landajo, 22 Gabriel Ascárate.
France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Benjamin Fall, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Frédéric Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 7 Louis Picamoles, 6 Alexandre Lapandry, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape (captain), 3 David Attoub, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Vincent Debaty.
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Christophe Samson, 19 Wenceslas Lauret, 20 Morgan Parra, 21 Francois Trinh-Duc, 22 Wesley Fofana.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
