Pumas comeback leaves Townsend's men in tatters
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Gregor Townsend's men were a disciplined, clinical outfit in the opening 40 minutes at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. They struck first midway through the half when number eight Jack Dempsey - so impressive this autumn - powered through a gap from a flat pass by fly-half Finn Russell, finishing under the posts for a converted try. It was a reward for sustained pressure and a man advantage following fullback Juan Cruz Mallía’s early yellow card for a deliberate knock-on (one that had some observers demanding a penalty try).
Argentina’s response was spirited but wasteful. Twice they earned penalties in promising positions, yet Mallía — kicking for the first time in a Pumas jersey — missed both attempts, leaving six points on the field. Their attacking shape also faltered, with handling errors and a lack of cohesion blunting momentum.
Scotland capitalised again on 34 minutes. After a multi-phase assault inside the Argentine 22, hooker Ewan Ashman hit a sharp line to collect scrum-half Jamie Dobie’s pass and crash over. Russell added the extras to stretch the lead to 14 points.
The visitors enjoyed long spells of possession late in the half but failed to convert, their lineout misfiring and discipline letting them down. Scotland, meanwhile, were warned for repeated offsides but held firm to preserve their advantage.
Scotland looked to be cruising when Ewan Ashman’s second try, converted by Finn Russell, stretched their lead to 21-0 early in the second half. The hooker’s powerful carry mirrored his first-half effort, and Argentina appeared out of ideas despite a raft of changes from Felipe Contepomi, including the introduction of Santiago Carreras and Pablo Matera.
The visitors finally sparked into life after Russell’s loose pass gifted them field position. Montoya forced his way over following a TMO review, and Carreras added the extras to make it 21-7. Suddenly, momentum shifted. With Scotland down to 14 after Blair Kinghorn’s yellow card, Argentina struck again through Isgro, though Carreras missed the conversion, leaving the score at 21-12.
Russell briefly steadied Scottish nerves with a long-range penalty, but Argentina were relentless. Rubiolo powered over from close range, Carreras converting to cut the gap to five points. Then came the decisive blow: Matera muscled his way to the line after a prolonged review, and Carreras’ conversion completed an astonishing turnaround from 21 points down.
Piccardo’s late try sealed the comeback, sending the travelling fans into raptures as Argentina closed out a famous 33-24 victory. For Scotland, it was a collapse that will sting—dominant for 50 minutes, undone by indiscipline and a resurgent Pumas pack.
