Pumas edge Italy 19-14 in Genoa after Azzurri's bright start

Argentina survived a fierce examination in Genoa on Saturday, beating Italy 19-14 in the fifth round of the Nations Championship at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, under Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli, to bounce back from last weekend's heavy defeat in Dublin.

The Pumas arrived in Liguria under pressure after a 42-12 loss to Ireland, while Italy were still smarting from a 66-7 hammering by South Africa in Turin, and the opening exchanges suggested the Azzurri had learned their lessons far better. Italy flew out of the blocks, led for much of an attritional first half and had the home crowd believing an upset was possible, only for Argentina to tighten the screw after the break and find just enough points to close out a tense, scrappy contest.

It was a win built on patience rather than polish. Argentina made only six incursions into the Italian 22-metre area all afternoon but converted enough of them, while Italy failed to fully capitalise on a long period of first-half dominance and paid the price. The two sides conceded 16 penalties apiece in a stop-start affair, and Argentina finished with three players yellow-carded to Italy's one, yet the visitors' composure in the closing minutes proved decisive.

A flying start in Genoa

Italy could hardly have dreamed of a better opening. After just four minutes, Leonardo Marin produced a perfectly weighted grubber kick into the left corner and Monty Ioane finished brilliantly to give the Azzurri the lead, with Tommaso Allan converting from the touchline on his return to the starting side. Marin, Italy's most influential back on the day, then read an Argentine attack superbly to claim an interception, and the home side's scrum caused the Pumas repeated headaches in the first quarter.

The tone was set by flanker Manuel Zuliani, comfortably Italy's best player, who produced two huge steals inside his own 22 in the opening quarter alone and turned over ball after ball to drag his side out of trouble. Simone Ferrari was outstanding at scrum time against a massive Argentine front row and produced a monstrous hit on 139kg prop Joel Sclavi that brought a huge roar from the Genoa crowd. Argentina, sluggish and error-prone in the first half, levelled the scores before the break, and the sides went in at 7-7 with the game firmly in the balance.

Pumas find their rhythm after the break

The second half belonged to a different version of the Pumas. Head coach Felipe Contepomi's side began to win the gain line through Pedro Rubiolo and Pablo Matera, and the pressure finally told. Debutant hooker Bautista Bernasconi crossed for a try, Rodrigo Isgró finished in the corner after a Matera assist, and Mateo Carreras added a third try to put Argentina ahead. Carreras was reliable under the high ball all afternoon, claiming everything kicked in his direction, and his score rewarded a period of sustained Argentine control.

Italy refused to fold. Lorenzo Cannone drove over from close range on 65 minutes, and although the officials decided against crediting the No. 8 with the try, they awarded a penalty try that dragged the Azzurri back within five points and set up a grandstand finish. Federico Ruzza, Italy's go-to lineout option, pinched an important Argentine throw in the first half and kept competing until the final whistle, while Zuliani continued to be a menace at the breakdown. But the home side's bench could not change the game: a Gianmarco Lucchesi overthrow on 71 minutes halted one promising attack, and Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi was yellow-carded shortly after entering the action.

Argentina's discipline had been a concern all afternoon, with three yellow cards, but their defence held firm when it mattered most. Italy's last chance faded when Paolo Garbisi, who had endured a frustrating afternoon at fly-half, missed touch with the final kick of the game, and the Pumas were able to see out the closing seconds without further alarm. Ange Capuozzo, so often Italy's spark, had been starved of ball throughout and could not conjure the late magic the home crowd craved.

A narrow escape and what comes next

For Argentina, the result steadies a campaign that had threatened to unravel in Dublin. It was their first win in six attempts stretching back through the tournament, and it keeps them in the hunt in the southern hemisphere group with one round of the regular phase remaining. Contepomi will know, though, that his side were second best for long stretches: the set piece misfired, the lineout lost three throws through Bernasconi, and the first-half display was, by the Pumas' own standards, deeply disappointing.

For Italy, the defeat was painful but the performance was a world away from the Turin collapse. Head coach Gonzalo Quesada's side looked a different beast to the one dismantled by the Springboks a week earlier, and the scrum, lineout and breakdown work all stood up well against heavyweight opposition. The frustration is that a game they led and largely controlled for 40 minutes slipped away through missed opportunities and a failure to turn pressure into points. This was the 25th Test meeting between the sides, and Argentina have now won 19 of them, but Italy will feel this was one that got away.

Both sides move on quickly. Italy complete their regular phase against Fiji in Udine next weekend, while Argentina travel to Paris to face France at the Stade de France on 21 November. On this evidence, the Pumas will need a far more complete 80 minutes against Les Bleus, while the Azzurri can take genuine encouragement from a display full of fight, even if the scoreboard in Genoa once again went against them.