World Cup, Pool A: Any trepidation within the Argentina camp that the Namibians might deny the Pumas' second-string team a bonus point scarcely lasted until half-time in another utterly one-sided contest in Gosford yesterday. By extension, this Pool A encounter also removed any notions that the Africans might extend Ireland in any meaningful way on Sunday.
The argument for taking a more experimental approach toward Ireland's second pool game was given more substance by events here. Ireland's supposed "second string" ought to have little difficulty in tucking away another bonus point in Sydney's Aussie Stadium.
At any rate, the case for resting any of the front liners who are nursing even the slightest knocks was surely given substance.
Indeed, the most significant damage the Namibians might exact on Eddie O'Sullivan's men would be to body rather than soul. The Namibians are a gamey, sprightly outfit who, not surprisingly, aren't exactly shy of any physical confrontation. They run hard and straight, and are just as fearless in the tackle.
However, for all their willingness, defensively the Namibians easily lost their shape after a few phases and had the Pumas run a little straighter, been a little less orthodox, run a decoy or two and moved the ball through the hands quicker, then they actually could have wreaked more damage. Stuff that Ireland are considerably better at.
As it was, they bagged four of their 10 tries through their famed scrum, which yielded two absolutely irrefutable penalty tries as well as a couple of pushovers for number eight Pablo Bouza. Nonetheless, there was still a hat-trick of tries for outside centre Martin Gaitan, who looked a faster and more inventive centre than any of his other more experienced fellow midfielders in their two games to date.
Indeed, this game will have given Pumas coach Marcelo Loffreda more food for though.
He may feel obliged to rotate his squad for the final two games, given that Argentina play Romania in Sydney four days before they play Ireland in Adelaide, but he'll want his strongest, most in-form XV on in that final and potentially decisive game, and as things stand that's not very clear.
Aside from the front row's strong scrummaging (admittedly against incomparably weaker opponents), the Pumas' lineout was also inestimably better.
Federico Mendez is no Dan Marino when it comes to propelling the pill, but these things are relative and compared to Mario Ledesma, he was still able to hit 17 varying targets out of 21.
Most interestingly of all, given the relatively ponderous nature of their older, first choice backrow, Lucas Ostiglia gave the Pumas' pack a good deal more mobility.
Gonzalo Quesada may not have the wit, hands or vision of Felipe Contepomi, but he, too, played well and, of course, his kicking game, both out of hand and off the ground, is in a different league. A hunch is that he plays against Ireland, perhaps even with Felipe Contepomi outside him, and by rights Gaitan should be at 13.
In any case, given that Loffreda has started 29 of his squad and used all 30, this victory will have done much to restore morale in their camp.
"We were able to get on the field what we wanted to do, which was positive for the Pumas team," said Loffreda. "In the history of the World Cup, Argentina has never posted such a big win and I believe now that Argentina are back on track."
Namibia's talkative Kiwi coach Dave Waterston admitted: "We tried to take them on up front and as you could see by the scoreline they gave us a hiding up front. We've got no complaints. They gave us a lesson and we've got to absorb it. But I am proud of my boys. They didn't buckle. It could have been something hideous out there."
He added: "I can't say my boys are just amateurs with big hearts but look at the background which the guys have come from, the disadvantages that they've had in the form of money, preparation, etc., and I think they put up a damned good effort."
Looking ahead to the rest of a daunting task, Waterston added: "I'm lucky. I've got a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue in my bedroom and I'm going to consult it tonight and I'm going to come up with a plan for the rest of the matches."
However, he is fully expecting an altogether different type of challenge from Ireland. "The Argentinians play a driving, mauling game with flicks inside, very little play on the outside until they've really put you into the ground. Ireland play a more expansive game. I mean you've got multi-talented guys like O'Driscoll out there, Ireland would be fools to play a tight game against Namibia when you've got all this talent outside."
Any notions of an upset had lasted all of three minutes when Nicolas Fernandez Miranda put the bull-like Mendez rumbling over the short side of a lineout maul with no Namibian on guard.
After the first of Bouza's pushover tries, Quesada began to find his range, tapping over a penalty and then teeing up Miranda by taking the ball up to his tackler and offloading behind the Namibian centres, who had pushed too far to leave a gap in behind them, to put his inside centre in under the posts.
The first of the penalty tries ensured a bonus point by the 35th minute and although Du Preez Grobler dummied between Mauricio Regiardo and Rimas Alvarez the Pumas flowed more freely after the break.
Intermingled with Gaitan's hat-trick were some macho scrums from the pack, as well as a try from Miranda from a quick tap by Contepomiwhich showed the Namibians were also vulnerable to anything off the cuff.
Always eschewing shots at goal, the Namibians did have the consolation of a second try when a series of close-in, head-down charges allowed scrumhalf Hakkies Husselman in to score.
Ultimately though, this encounter did nothing to discourage the feeling that everything hinges on Adelaide.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 3 mins: Mendez try, 5-0; 19 mins: Bouza try, 10-0; 28 mins: Quesada pen, 13-0; 32 mins: J Fernandez Miranda try, Quesada con, 20-0; 35 mins: penalty try, Quesada con, 27-0; 39 mins: Grobler try, Wessels con, 27-7; half-time: 27-7; 45 mins: Gaitan try, Quesada con, 34-7; 50 mins: penalty try, Quesada con, 41-7; 55 mins: Gaitan try, Quesada, con 48-7; 60 mins: N Firandez Miranda try, Quesada con, 55-7; 69 mins: Husselman try, Wessels con, 55-14; 71 mins: Bouza try, Quesada con, 62-14; 78 mins: Gaitan try, 67-14.
ARGENTINA: J Hernandez (Deportiva Francesa); H Senillosa (Hindu), M Gaitan (Biarritz), J Fernandez Miranda (Hindu), D Albanese (leeds); G Quesada (Beziers), N Fernandez Miranda (Hindu); M Reggiardo (Castres), F Mendez (Mendoza), M Scelzo (Narbonne), R Alvarez (Perpignan), P Sporleder (Curupayti BA), M Durand (Champagnat), L Ostiglia (Hindu), P Bouza (Dunendes). Replacements: F Contepomi (Leinster) for J Fernandez Miranda (half-time), M Ledesma (Castres) for Mendez (46-50 mins), R Roncero (Gloucester) for Scelzo (58 mins), I Fernandez Lobbe (Castres) for Sporleder (71 mins).
NAMIBIA: J Booysen (Wanderers); D Mouton (Reho Falcon), D Grobler (United), C Powell (Wanderers), M Africa (Reho Falcon); E Wessels (Stellenbosch Univ), H Husselman (Mpumalanga); K Lensing (Eastern Province), J Meyer (Wanderers), N du Toit (SW Districts), H Senekal (Cardiff Blues), E Isaacs (Reho Falcon), S van der Merwe (Wanderers), H Lintvelt (United), S Furter (United, capt). Replacements: V Dreyer (Windhoek) for Africa (half-time), A Blaauw (Etosha Lions) for du Toit (64 mins), J van Lill (Western Province) for Lintvelt (65 mins), R Pedro (Reho Falcon) for Husselman (73 mins), N Swanepoel (Wanderers) for Booysen (79 mins).
Referee: Nigel Williams (Wales).
