Argentina 54 Georgia 9
Three tries and 21 points in 12 minutes put Argentina back on course for a place in the quarter-finals - and a possible meeting with Ireland – which seemed in considerable doubt during a first half in which Georgia gave as good as they got and better when it came to the dark arts.
Another loss after defeat by the All Blacks would have seen the Pumas, semi-finalists in 2007, looking for help from others. As it is, the meeting with Tonga at Leicester in nine days has all the hallmarks of a bruising-in-the-making for two sides who arrived with ambitions of making the knock-out stages.
A mere five points up at half-time and less than comfortable in the close exchanges, Argentina made the most eye-catching of starts to the second half. Marcelo Bosch should have scored after a sizzling break by the outhalf Nicolás Sánchez and Tomas Lavanini was denied his second by the TMO. However, Georgia's captain and inspiration, Mamuka Gorgodze, was heading for the sinbin and with his absence their world caved in.
First the scrumhalf Tomás Cubelli scooted in, one wing Juan Imhoff was given space down the left, while the right wing, Santiago Cordero, carved his way through the centre, side-stepping his way to the posts. By the time Gorgodze returned Argentina were out of sight, a valuable bonus point in their pocket. A close-range addition from the replacement scrumhalf Martín Landajo and two tries from Cordero just rubbed it in.
After beating Tonga in their opening game, Georgia had not been keeping their light under a bushel, Milton Haig the seemingly obligatory Kiwi on any coaching bench, asking: "If Japan can beat South Africa, why can't we beat Argentina?" And while that Tonga victory, the first World Cup win over any side ranked above them, might not have been on the same seismic scale as Japan's, it did point to the growing strength of Georgian rugby.
They had met Argentina three times before, losing the lot but each time reducing the winning margin, and the Pumas went into this game knowing that a second pool defeat, after the loss to New Zealand, would have left their fate in the hands of others.
To that end, Daniel Hourcade kept faith in the majority of the players who pushed the All Blacks last Sunday and not so long ago beat South Africa to break their duck in the Rugby Championship, minus the Gloucester lock Mariano Galarza, pending his appeal against a nine-week ban for gouging.
However, if the Shed – decorated blue and white for the day – was looking forward to anything it was the frontrows locking horns. Marcos Ayerza, Gus Creevy and Tetaz Chaparro versus Mikheil Nariashvili, Jaba Bregvadze and Davit Zirakashvili. They had to wait a minute and Georgia came up with the first penalty of the game, but not the first points.
They came from the first drop goal of the tournament, Sánchez’s flick just about wobbling over the bar. However, if life in the Rugby Championship has done anything for the Pumas, it has honed a back line which immediately looked sharp and gave Georgia plenty to think about in the nine minutes before Lavanini added the first try of the game.
Sánchez and Juan Martín Hernández produced the sleight of hand in midfield to leave the Racing lock in space, the scoring pass coming from Juan Manuel Leguizamón.
Georgia’s reply was three penalties from the fullback Merab Kvirikashvili answered by two from Sánchez to make the half-time score 14-9 and leave the lead at just five points.
