Argentina 54-9 Georgia: Pumas run rampant with six second-half tries in Rugby …

MATCH FACTS 

Argentina: Tuculet; Cordero, Bosch, Hernandez, Imhoff; Sanchez, Cubelli; Ayerza, Creevy, Chaparro, Alemanno, Lavanini, Leguizamon, Fernandez Lobbe, Isa.

Replacements: Montoya, Noguera, Herrera, Desio, Matera, Landajo, De La Fuente, Amorosino.

Tries: Lavanini, Cubelli, Imhoff (2), Cordero (2), Landajo

Cons: Sanchez (3), Bosch (2)

Pens: Sanchez (2)

Drop-goal: Sanchez

Georgia: Kvirikashvili; Mchedlidze, Kacharava, Sharikadze, Aptsiauri; Malaguradze, Lobzhanidze; Nariashvili, Bregvadze, Zirakashvili, Nemsadze, Mikautadze, Tkhilaishvil, Kolelishvili, Gorgodze.

Replacements: Mamukashvili, Asieshvili, Chilachava, Datunashvili, Sutiashvili, Begadze, Pruidze, Giorgadze.

Pens: Kvirikashvili (3)

Attendance: 14,256

Referee: JP Doyle (RFU)

Georgia had more than held their own in the first-half, rattling Argentina's usually reliable scrum to go in to the break just five points behind and have the Pumas fearing they might do to them what Japan did to South Africa last weekend. 

But any anxiety a partisan Argentinian crowd felt was quickly eased as a yellow card for Georgia's captain and talisman Mamuka Gorgodze shortly after half-time sparked the match into life. 

Tomas Cubelli, Juan Imhoff and Santiago Cordero all scored converted tries as Georgia were down to 14 men to leave them suddenly 26 points adrift.  

'That was the game right there and then,' admitted Georgia's New Zealander coach Milton Haig after the match. 

In all, Argentina scored 40 unanswered points in the second-half but the first-half was a much cagier affair. 

The Georgian scrum is as good as any in world rugby and they demonstrated that here inside the first two minutes, winning a penalty on Argentina's feed. 

But soon after Nicolas Sanchez had opened the scoring with a drop goal Argentina had scored the first of their seven tries. 

Sheer weight of numbers on the overlap gave second row Tomas Lavanini an easy finish in the corner following some neat hands in the backline, with Sanchez the orchestrator. 

Tomas Lavanini breaks through for the opening try of the match at a packed Kingholm Stadium

Georgia's world class captain Mamuka Gorgodze drags back Argentina's Jeronimo de la Fuente 

Tomas Cubelli runs in Argentina's second try, and their first of three while Gorgodze was sin-binned

Georgia scrum-half Vasil Lobzhanidze, the World Cup's youngest player, can't stop Cubelli on the right wing

Pumas winger Juan Imhoff (right) celebrates Argentina's third and the first of his two tries in Gloucester 

Sanchez missed the chance to put Argentina 10-0 up with the conversion and minutes later Georgia were back within a point. 

Another Pumas scrum lost on their own feed resulted in a penalty that Merab Kvirikashvili slotted over and he was at it again when Sanchez was deemed to have obstructed his path chasing his own kick. 

The metronomic Kvirikashvili slotted another penalty from distance in between two from Sanchez in the build-up to half-time but the Georgians went into the break the happier of the two; Argentina looking rattled by their inferiority at their usually reliable scrum.  

POOL C - RESULTS AND FIXTURES 

Sat 19 Sep - Tonga 10-17 Georgia (Gloucester), 12:00

Sun 20 Sep - New Zealand 26-16 Argentina (Wembley), 16:45

Thu 24 Sep - New Zealand 58-14 Namibia (Olympic Stadium), 20:00

Fri 25 Sep - Argentina 54-19 Georgia (Gloucester), 16:45

Tue 29 Sep - Tonga v Namibia (Exeter), 16:45

Fri 2 Oct - New Zealand v Georgia (Cardiff), 20:00

Sun 4 Oct - Argentina v Tonga (Leicester), 14:30

Wed 7 Oct - Namibia v Georgia (Exeter), 20:00

Fri 9 Oct - New Zealand v Tonga (Newcastle), 20:00

Sun 11 Oct - Argentina v Namibia (Leicester), 12:00

Cordero slides over the for the fourth try as the South Americans make their European counterparts pay

Argentina celebrate wildly as they run in three quick tries and win the bonus point with the Georgian No 8 off

Martin Landajo is at full stretch to secure the fifth try for Argentina as the Rugby Championship side run riot

English referee JP Doyle is perfectly positioned as the replacement scrum-half dives over the line

But the energy that marked Argentina's outstanding first 60 minutes against New Zealand at the weekend was soon back in a frenetic opening to the second period that settled the match. 

Saracens centre Marcelo Bosch burst clear and looked to have wasted a glorious chance to score but referee JP Doyle spotted Toulon star Gorgodze illegally preventing the ball from being recycled.

With the No 8 was still walking back to the sin-bin, scrum-half Cubelli scored off the back of the resulting scrum.

Rudderless without the world class Gorgodze on the field, Georgia then sent two successive kick-offs straight into the hands of the Argentina backs who showed their speed of thought and foot with wings Imhoff and Cordero both finishing in style, exposing the gulf in class between the two backlines. 

Georgia's captain Gorgodze, here claiming the ball from a lineout, was hugely missed while off the field 

The Pumas enjoyed a passionate fan base with Argentine fans coming out in force on Friday afternoon

Cordero crosses for his second and Argentina's sixth five-pointer as the Georgians continue to tire

Cordero caps an enjoyable day on the wing after showing his speed and evasive skills on the right

Imhoff is on hand to get on the end of a sly grubber late on as Argentina pass the half-century 

Replacement scrum-half Martin Landajo secured the bonus point with a close-range finish as Georgia tired and soon after Cordero and Imhoff both had two tries each to add gloss to the scoreline.

'We played well, we had fun and that's the reason why we had so many points,' said Creevy of their second-half performance. 

Argentina, who are likely to face Ireland or France in the quarter-finals, now have a nine-day rest before taking on Tonga. 

If this is how they perform just five days after pushing the All Blacks so close then perhaps they should be taken more seriously.

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