1999 Wales rugby union tour of Argentina

1999 Wales rugby union tour of Argentina
Summary	P W D L
Total	05 03 00 02
Test match	02 02 00 00
Opponent	P W D L
Argentina	2 2 0 0
Tour chronology
Previous tour	1998 Africa
Next tour	2001 Japan

The Wales national rugby union team toured Argentina in May–June 1999. They played five matches, including two tests against the Argentina national team. The tour served as preparation for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, which Wales hosted in October and November that year.

Wales won the test series 2–0, winning the first test 36–26 and the second 23–16 to claim their first series victory in the Southern Hemisphere; however, they only won one of their three tour matches, beating Tucumán 69–44 but losing 31–29 to Buenos Aires and 47–34 to Argentina A.

Squad

Wales coach Graham Henry named a squad of 37 for the tour of Argentina, including three uncapped players: scrum-half Rhodri Jones, and back-rowers Richard Arnold and Ian Boobyer. Fly-half Arwel Thomas and lock Andy Moore were recalled to the Wales team after missing the 1999 Five Nations Championship. Henry also named seven standby players, including lock Gareth Llewellyn and full-back Byron Hayward.^[1] After injuries to Pontypridd's Ian Gough and Kevin Morgan, Llewellyn and Hayward were called up to the main tour squad.^[2][3] Centre Scott Gibbs was also ruled out after breaking a hand;^[3] he was replaced by Newport's Matthew Watkins.^[4]

Standby squad

Results

Scores and results list Wales's points tally first.

Buenos Aires v Wales

Wales named a strong team for the opening match of their tour, and took a 19–14 lead into half-time thanks to a late try from Allan Bateman, converted by Arwel Thomas, who also kicked four penalties in the opening quarter; however, Buenos Aires were still in the game thanks to a try from Rolando Martín and three José Cilley penalties, and they took the lead early in the second half when Octavio Bartolucci crossed for the home side and Cilley added the extras. Wales went back in front thanks to a converted try from Geraint Lewis, but Cilley added another penalty before converting Tomás Solari's try to give Buenos Aires a 31–26 lead as the game entered its final quarter. Thomas pulled the score back to 31–29 three minutes later, but there were no further scores and Wales suffered a shock defeat.^[5]

29 May 1999

Buenos Aires	31–29	Wales
Try: Martín 17' m Bartolucci 42' c Solari 60' c Con: Cilley (2) Pen: Cilley (4) 7', 23', 29', 53'	Report	Try: Bateman 40' c Lewis 50' c Con: A. Thomas (2) Pen: A. Thomas (5) 4', 10', 15', 20', 63'

Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club, San Fernando Referee: Chris White (England)

Tucumán v Wales

Wales won their first match of the tour in a nine-try performance against Tucumán. Wing Matthew Robinson scored four times, while Mark Taylor and Neil Boobyer claimed two apiece, and Geraint Lewis completed the scoring. Fly-half Arwel Thomas was almost perfect from the tee, converting all nine tries and kicking two out of three penalty attempts for a total of 24 out of Wales's 69 points. Tucumán scored 22 of their points in a 10-minute spell in which they took a 25–20 lead, but Wales were able to come back to win 69–44.^[6]

1 June 1999

Tucumán	44–69	Wales
Try: García Hamilton (2) T. Molinuevo L. Molinuevo Gravano Padua Con: T. Molinuevo (4) Pen: T. Molinuevo (2)	Report	Try: Robinson (4) Taylor (2) N. Boobyer (2) Lewis Con: Hayward (9) Pen: Hayward (2)

Estadio Monumental José Fierro, Tucumán Referee: Pablo Deluca (Argentina)

Team details

FB 15 Leonardo Gravano RW 14 L. Rojas OC 13 Pablo García Hamilton IC 12 J. Rodríguez LW 11 Martín Pfister FH 10 Tristán Molinuevo SH 9 Leandro Molinuevo N8 8 Hugo Dande OF 7 Eduardo Padua (c) BF 6 José Santamarina RL 5 Omar Portillo LL 4 José Macome TP 3 Omar Hasan HK 2 M. Coll LP 1 Leopoldo de Chazal Replacements: 16 S. Retondo 17 J. Martinez 18 J. Belloto Coach: José Javier Fernández FB 15 Neil Boobyer RW 14 Nick Walne OC 13 Mark Taylor IC 12 Stephen Jones LW 11 Matthew Robinson FH 10 Byron Hayward SH 9 David Llewellyn N8 8 Geraint Lewis OF 7 Martyn Williams (c) BF 6 Richard Arnold RL 5 Andy Moore LL 4 Gareth Llewellyn TP 3 Dai Young HK 2 Jonathan Humphreys LP 1 Andrew Lewis Replacements: Matthew Watkins Darren Morris Chris Anthony Ian Boobyer Coach: Graham Henry

First test: Argentina v Wales

Following his four tries in the game against Tucumán four days earlier, Matthew Robinson was named on the wing for Wales's first test against Argentina, taking the place of Gareth Thomas. In the only other change from the team that beat England in the final game of the Five Nations, Allan Bateman partnered Mark Taylor in the centres in place of the injured Scott Gibbs.^[7] Despite a strong team, Wales found themselves 23–0 down before the half-hour mark; fly-half Gonzalo Quesada scored 18 of those points, converting his own try as well as one from Octavio Bartolucci, in addition to three penalties. Wales got back into the game shortly before half-time as Neil Jenkins kicked a penalty before converting a Dafydd James try with the last play of the half, reducing the deficit to 23–10. Jenkins added another penalty before converting a Brett Sinkinson try in the first 10 minutes of the second period. He then levelled the scores as the game entered the final quarter, only for Quesada to restore a three-point lead for the hosts; however, Shane Howarth made it 26–26 with a drop goal in the 68th minute. Wales then pulled clear thanks to a try from Chris Wyatt, which Jenkins converted before kicking another penalty to give the tourists a 36–26 win.^[8] Coach Graham Henry blamed Wales's slow start on having arrived late at the stadium; their police escort did not turn up and the team coach was blocked in at the hotel, which meant they arrived only 45 minutes before kick-off. Henry commended his team's determination to come back from 23–0 down, and reserved special praise for their scrummaging, particularly that of hooker Garin Jenkins, who he said he had "misjudged" when he took over as Wales coach.^[9]

5 June 1999

Argentina	26–36	Wales
Try: Quesada 24' c Bartolucci 28' c Con: Quesada (2) Pen: Quesada (4) 5', 16', 26', 65'	Report	Try: James 40+2' c Sinkinson 49' c Wyatt 74' c Con: N. Jenkins (3) Pen: N. Jenkins (4) 37', 45', 63', 77' Drop: Howarth 68'

Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires Attendance: 16,500 Referee: Brian Campsall (England)

FB 15 Diego Albanese RW 14 Octavio Bartolucci OC 13 Eduardo Simone IC 12 Lisandro Arbizu LW 11 Ezequiel Jurado FH 10 Gonzalo Quesada SH 9 Agustín Pichot N8 8 Pablo Camerlinckx OF 7 Ignacio Fernández Lobbe BF 6 Rolando Martín RL 5 Alejandro Allub LL 4 Pedro Sporleder (c) TP 3 Mauricio Reggiardo HK 2 Federico Méndez LP 1 Roberto Grau Replacements: PR 16 Omar Hasan HK 17 Mario Ledesma FL 18 Lucas Ostiglia N8 19 Gonzalo Longo SH 20 Nicolás Fernández Miranda FH 21 Felipe Contepomi CE 22 José Orengo Coach: Alex Wyllie

FB 15 Shane Howarth RW 14 Matthew Robinson OC 13 Mark Taylor IC 12 Allan Bateman LW 11 Dafydd James FH 10 Neil Jenkins SH 9 Rob Howley (c) N8 8 Scott Quinnell OF 7 Brett Sinkinson BF 6 Colin Charvis RL 5 Chris Wyatt LL 4 Craig Quinnell TP 3 Ben Evans HK 2 Garin Jenkins LP 1 Peter Rogers Replacements: PR 16 Dai Young PR 17 Andrew Lewis CE 18 Neil Boobyer FH 19 Stephen Jones SH 20 David Llewellyn LK 21 Mike Voyle HK 22 Jonathan Humphreys Coach: Graham Henry

Argentina A v Wales

Graham Henry changed his entire starting line-up for the midweek match against Argentina A in Rosario. The opening 20 minutes of the game saw Arwel Thomas and Felipe Contepomi trade penalties, but tries from Juan Fernández Miranda, Gonzalo Camardón and Nicolás Fernández Miranda in the second quarter meant Wales trailed 27–15 at the break. Further penalties from Contepomi, a drop goal from Camardón and a converted try from Patricio Grande extended that lead to 29 points before Wales scored their first try through scrum-half Rhodri Jones just before the hour mark. Neil Boobyer added another a few minutes later, and Nick Walne also crossed as the game entered the final 10 minutes, but despite successful conversions from Arwel Thomas, it was not enough to avoid another tour defeat. During the match, a photography gantry collapsed under the weight of around 20 spectators who had climbed on it; there were no serious injuries, but the match was stopped for six minutes while aid was provided.^[10]

8 June 1999

Argentina XV	47–34	Wales
Try: J. Fernández Miranda 23' c Camardón 34' c N. Fernández Miranda 40+4' c Grande 52' m Con: Contepomi (3) Pen: Contepomi (6) 8', 19', 40+3', 42', 47', 63' Drop: Camardón 49'	Report	Try: R. Jones 58' m N. Boobyer 61' c Walne 71' c Con: A. Thomas (2) Pen: A. Thomas (5) 3', 13', 31', 36', 40+1'

Jorge Newbery Municipal Stadium, Rosario Referee: Wayne Erickson (Australia)

Team details

FB 15 Diego Giannantonio RW 14 Patricio Grande OC 13 Gonzalo Camardón IC 12 Juan Fernández Miranda LW 11 Martín Pfister FH 10 Felipe Contepomi SH 9 Nicolás Fernández Miranda (c) N8 8 Gonzalo Longo OF 7 Augusto Petrilli BF 6 Santiago Phelan RL 5 Raúl Pérez LL 4 Germán Llanes TP 3 Martín Scelzo HK 2 Mario Ledesma LP 1 Fernando Díaz Alberdi Replacements: WG José María Núñez Piossek PR German Aristide PR Santiago González Bonorino LK Omar Portillo Coaches: Raúl Sanz Gonzalo Del Cerro FB 15 Neil Boobyer RW 14 Nick Walne OC 13 Leigh Davies IC 12 Stephen Jones LW 11 Gareth Thomas FH 10 Arwel Thomas SH 9 Rhodri Jones N8 8 Geraint Lewis OF 7 Martyn Williams (c) BF 6 Richard Arnold RL 5 Andy Moore LL 4 Mike Voyle TP 3 Dai Young HK 2 Jonathan Humphreys LP 1 Darren Morris Replacements: CE Matthew Watkins FH Byron Hayward SH David Llewellyn PR Andrew Lewis PR Chris Anthony LK Gareth Llewellyn FL Ian Boobyer Coach: Graham Henry

Second test: Argentina v Wales

Having failed to live up to his performance against Tucumán in the first test, Matthew Robinson was dropped in favour of Gareth Thomas on the right wing as one of two changes to the Wales line-up from a week earlier; the other change saw Geraint Lewis come in for Colin Charvis in the back row.^[11] Wales took an 8–0 lead in the opening 15 minutes thanks to a penalty from Neil Jenkins and a try from his namesake Garin. Felipe Contepomi reduced the deficit with a penalty 10 minutes later, but that was soon followed by the biggest flashpoint of the game; after Dafydd James was deemed to have illegally killed the ball, he was punched by Argentina prop Mauricio Reggiardo, sparking a mass brawl on the sideline. As a result, Reggiardo was yellow-carded along with Argentina captain Pedro Sporleder and Wales prop Peter Rogers. Contepomi put Argentina into a 9–8 lead with two more penalties, only for Jenkins to edge Wales back in front with a kick of his own on the stroke of half-time. He added another early in the second half, before stretching the lead to 17–9 with a 46th-minute drop goal after Chris Wyatt managed to steal the ball from an Argentina line-out. Wales had the chance to put the contest to bed shortly after as Thomas headed towards the try line, only to knock on. Contepomi missed the opportunity to close the gap with two kicks at goal, and Wales responded with two more penalties of their own to take the lead to 23–9 and Jenkins' international points total past the 800 mark, behind only Australian fly-half Michael Lynagh. José Orengo's try, converted by José Cilley, reduced the home side's deficit to seven points in the final minutes, but it was too little, too late as Wales secured the whitewash and their first series win in the Southern Hemisphere.^[12]

12 June 1999

Argentina	16–23	Wales
Try: Orengo 77' c Con: Cilley Pen: Contepomi (3) 26', 33', 36'	Report	Try: G. Jenkins 15' m Pen: N. Jenkins (5) 12', 40', 44', 65', 68' Drop: N. Jenkins 46'

Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Chris White (England)

FB 15 Diego Albanese RW 14 Octavio Bartolucci OC 13 José Orengo IC 12 Lisandro Arbizu LW 11 Gonzalo Camardón FH 10 Felipe Contepomi SH 9 Agustín Pichot N8 8 Gonzalo Longo OF 7 Miguel Ruiz BF 6 Rolando Martín RL 5 Ignacio Fernández Lobbe LL 4 Pedro Sporleder (c) TP 3 Mauricio Reggiardo HK 2 Federico Méndez LP 1 Roberto Grau Replacements: FH 16 José Cilley LK 17 Alejandro Allub HK 18 Mario Ledesma FL 19 Lucas Ostiglia PR 20 Omar Hasan CE 21 Juan Fernández Miranda SH 22 Nicolás Fernández Miranda Coach: Alex Wyllie

FB 15 Shane Howarth RW 14 Gareth Thomas OC 13 Mark Taylor IC 12 Allan Bateman LW 11 Dafydd James FH 10 Neil Jenkins SH 9 Rob Howley (c) N8 8 Scott Quinnell OF 7 Brett Sinkinson BF 6 Geraint Lewis RL 5 Chris Wyatt LL 4 Craig Quinnell TP 3 Ben Evans HK 2 Garin Jenkins LP 1 Peter Rogers Replacements: PR 16 Dai Young HK 17 Jonathan Humphreys PR 18 Andrew Lewis CE 19 Neil Boobyer FH 20 Stephen Jones SH 21 David Llewellyn LK 22 Mike Voyle Coach: Graham Henry

References