Rugby World Cup: Argentina v Namibia

1. Pool C result: Argentina 64-19 Namibia
2. Argentina will play winner of France v Ireland in quarters
3. Namibia end without a win in the tournament
4. Match played at Leicester City Stadium

Bye for now

Right, time to can this live text.

But there is another just firing up in the wings.

Jonathan Jurejko is bringing you the action from Romania v Italy and he has started with some Benny, Bjorn, Anni-Frid and Agnetha.

Lovely stuff.

Pool C

BBC Sport

Argentina 64-19 Namibia

Plenty of the tournament contenders have made heavy weather of negotiating the underdogs.

Argentina made it look very easy. They also led the All Blacks at half-time in their Pool C meeting.

The winner of Ireland and France's Pool D decider later today will not have a free ride into the last four. By a long, long way.

Full-time

BBC Sport

Try

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The final minute and Argentina are still trying to run it from deep.

This time it backfires as Tjiuee Uauivi strips the ball and offloads to Eugene Jantjies who swallow-dives over unopposed.

And for the conversion retiring prop Johnny Redelinghuys is given the honours.

His ugly attempt dribbles short, but his wide grin makes up for it.

Get Involved

Reuters

Sin-bin

PA

A frankly ridiculous yellow card.

Tinus du Plessis goes up to challenge for an aerial ball with Marcelo Bosch. Eyes locked on the ball, arms out to claim it, he tangles with the Argentine who comes down flat on his back.

The referee decides that Du Plessis was "not in a realistic position to catch the ball". I'm not sure how else you are supposed to go about it.

He brandishes yellow because it appears that honest accidental collisions are impossible.

That's the same punishment Marcelo Bosch got for a near-on spear tackle.

No wonder the Tier Two nations feel hard done by.

Get Involved

Converted try

PA

Tomas Cubelli darts over as the Namibia fringe defence offers him a chink of an opening.

The scoreboard is ticking north at an alarming rate.

Argentina 57-14 Namibia

This is end-of-season exhibition stuff. Passes flipped off the floor, out the side-door and off the fingertips by the Argentines as they break open the champagne.

They are up to within five.

Converted try

Reuters

Argentina warming to their task, Namibia tiring of theirs.

The red shirts melt away in defence and hooker Julian Montoya is able to add his name to the rapidly expanding scoresheet.

Argentina 50-14 Namibia

Straight from the kick-off and Argentina, wind in their sails, run it. Trying to stop this is like trying to pin down mercury.

Juan Imhoff is in under the posts, but the play is called back for a forward pass.

Shame.

Converted try

Reuters

Namibia's defence is cut to ribbons with Horacio Agulla and Lucas Gonzalez Ambrosino slippery as a pair of eels.

Leonardo Senatore is the man - fresh off the bench - with the lungs to support and score.

Argentina 43-14 Namibia

Darting feet from Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, flips the pass to Juan Pablo Socino, he has scoring options either way.

But he can't pick either and Namibia pounce on the loose ball.

Argentina 43-14 Namibia

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Namibia are building a bit of pressure. Argentina are camped back on their own line.

But a turnover! And the Pumas run from deep, they are up to halfway. Namibia scrambling...

Replacement

Namibia full-back Chrysander Botha is replaced by Russell van Wyk.

Botha has had a good game.

Oh, and a change in the back row.

Leneve Damens is off and Tinus du Plessis is on. Du Plessis has his head stapled back together after the match against Georgia. Tough fella.

Argentina 43-14 Namibia

Namibia are running eagerly at their depleted opponents.

Chrysander Botha slings a long pass wide, second row Tjiuee Uanivi flips with his fingertips, but Johan Tromp is pulled back as that final pass drifted forward.

Sin-bin

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Marcelo Bosch is a lucky, lucky fella.

The Argentina man - just off the bench - has escaped a red despite tackling a Namibia player late, lifting his legs beyond the horizontal and dumping him torso-first into the turf.

The referee decides that the Namibian did not come down on his head, it is just a yellow.

I'm not sure Bosch was taking any care to make sure that was the case.

Argentina 43-14 Namibia

So close! Namibia winger Johan Tromp swerves inside off his wing, stretches every sinew, but comes up just short as Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias' tackle comes in.

Replacement

A switch for Argentina as Juan Martin Hernandez departs. There have not been too many glimpses of his conjuror touch today.

On comes the more workmanlike Marcelo Bosch of Saracens.

Converted try

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You don't stop him from that distance. Not without time to build a low brick wall.

Argentina second row Matias Alemanno shoots his six foot six inch frame under the arms of some fringe tacklers and over the line from short range.

A change of kicker and Juan Pablo Socino pops over two more points.

Converted try

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Namibia have scored a second try and it is a very similar score to the first.

Again, Argentina conspire in their own downfall. Juan Martin Hernandez pops the ball to Lucas Noguera Paz, but the prop is under immediate pressure from Johan Deysel who has rushed up.

Ball to ground and JC Greyling reacts quickest, scooping up and scampering in under the sticks.

Routine extras from Theuns Kotze. 

Argentina 36-7 Namibia

Better from Namibia as they show a little adventure.

The impressive Johan Deysel slides an off-load around the back of an Argentina tackler, freeing his team-mates. 

They are up into the Argentine half, before the Pumas snatch back possesion and Juan Martin Hernandez puts lace to leather and clears up toward halfway.

Argentina 36-7 Namibia

Reuters

Argentina are playing this as big teams should when meeting the little guys.

They are not getting complacent and casual, running the ball from everywhere and underestimating the oppo.

Instead they are earning the right to play - earning the hard yards and sucking in defenders with forward charges.

 But Lucas Noguera Paz is off his feet at the ruck and is penalised to allow Namibia off the hook inside their own 22m.

Kick-off

We are underway and Argentina regather a towering drop-out by Juan Martin Hernandez.

Argentina 36-7 Namibia

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Matias Moroni has been the Argentina man making the most of the wide open space.

The winger has made 128 metres, three clean breaks and beaten seven defenders - all team-high totals.

Argentina 36-7 Namibia

BBC

The groundsman won't have much repair work to do in the Argentina 22m at the interval.

The Pumas are been on the front foot from the first whistle.

Half-time

Reuters

Converted try

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The officials wear out the video tape, replaying the pre-try passage of play on a loop.

But their analysis concludes that the ball was knocked out of Argentine hands by a Namibian and went back any way.

Lucas Noguera Paz's pick-go-and-flop is allowed to stand and Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias sticks over the conversion 

Try review

Argentina plough over. Prop Lucas Noguera Paz has piledriven through the last few metres, but the ball went to ground just before. Did it go forward?

Argentina 29-7 Namibia

PA

Argentina want another score to go with their half-time orange...

Try

Facundo Isa is the man with his mitts on the ball as the Argentina pack rumble over from a rolling maul.

Cue a bit of push and shove between the two sets of forwards as Argentina celebrate loudly in the faces of their Namibia counterparts.

Nothing too serious. But there is a bit of niggle and needle out there.

Argentina 24-7 Namibia

Reuters

A bit of biff.

Something has gone down in the deep depth of the front row and Namibia prop Jaco Engels takes exception. The referee calls together the two captains to tell their men to calm down.

Good luck with that fellas. 

Argentina 24-7 Namibia

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Argentina are held at bay with some fierce tackling and tag-team hits by Namibia. They are joining forces to absorb the beefy runs from the Argentines around the fringes.

If you can afford too many men being dragged in, it is a canny tactic.

Argentina 24-7 Namibia

That is a precise box-kick bomb from Namibia scrum-half Damian Stevens, right on the button for Johan Tromp. The winger spills forward though as he goes up to challenge in the air.

It wouldn't have mattered though. Play is called back for an Argentina penalty for a neck-roll clear-out by Johan Deysel.

Argentina 24-7 Namibia

Reuters

Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino claims the mark in his own 22m, taps and goes, goes, goes.

Weaving in and out of defenders, sniffing out space and breaking cover as he bursts clear into the Namibia half.

It is only a tremendous recovery tackle from inside centre Johan Deysel that prevents one of the great World Cup tries.

Converted try

Reuters

The referee decides that Namibia full-back Chrysander Botha was trying to tackle decoy runner Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, rather than being blocked off by the Argentine.

Agulla's try is allowed to stand and Iglesias adds two more.

Argentina are well over the horizon now.

Try review

Horacio Agulla scampers in at the corner. But was there an obstruction that checked the cover and opened up the space for the Bath winger?  

Argentina 17-7 Namibia

Argentina are massing dangerously, five metres out...

Converted try

Reuters

Matias Moroni fends off a trio of red shirts in midfield, wriggling clear and then pressing the pedal to accelerate away.

That is the last that the Namibia defence see of him as he zooms in under the sticks.

Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias clips over the extras.

Argentina 10-7 Namibia

JC Greyling stay right there in the sin-bin. Namibia are playing better with 14 than they did with 15.

Conrad Marais claims an up and under in the Argentina 22m and their gander is up. 

Converted try

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Well, well, well.

An Argentine pass goes to ground, Namibia wing Johan Tromp hacks ahead, regathers and is in for a Namibia try.

It is their first visit to the Argenina 22m since they booted the first kick-off deep.

Theuns Kotze adds the conversion and, almost incredibly after Argentina's dominance, Namibia are just three points adrift.

Penalty

Santigo Gonzalez adds another three with a precise kick.

Sin-bin

Reuters

Ouch. Juan Martin Hernandez is seeing stars after copping a shoulder to the head from Namibia centre JC Greyling.

The Argentine playmaker was slipping as they came into contact, which made the tackle look worse than it was, but Greyling was not aiming much below the Adam's apples even if he had kept his feet.

Yellow card, an Argentine penalty and 10 minutes with a man more.

Replacement

Reuters

Namibia second row Janco Venter has come off for a concussion assessment. PJ Van Lill is on to replace him.

Converted try

Reuters

The first try. And it won't be the last.

A lovely sally down the left wing from Matias Moroni, slicing inside the despairing tackle of Damian Stevens to expose Namibia full-back Chrysander two-on-one.

Draw and give. Schoolboy drill, simply executed and the supporting Juan Martin Hernandez strolls in under the sticks.

Santiago Gonzalez does not miss this time.

Missed penalty

Oh dear. I think that even a prop wearing carpet slippers could have landed that one.

Santiago Gonzalez though screws his kick wide from straight in front. 

Get Juan Martin Hernandez on tee duty.  

Argentina 0-0 Namibia

Argentina are playing some lovely stuff.

Hands as deft as a conference of brain surgeons. 

Scrum-half Martin Landajo slips the ball inside, Matias Moroni scoops one off his bootlaces and flanker Pablo Matera is bundled out of play as he goes for the corner.

No matter for the Pumas. Play is called back for a penalty in midfield, bang in front.

Kick-off

Reuters

Namibia get us going and, with Juan Martin Hernandez to the fore, Argentina are straight on the attack. Running from deep, offloading out the tackle and all the way up to the Namibia 22m.

Anthem time

Right, national tune time in Leicester.

Argentina first up. A long and jaunty intro, plenty of Bavarian oom-pah, and then some good old-fashioned bearded bellowing. It is like 15 Brian Blesseds lined up in blue and white.

Namibia next. And theirs is a more soulful number. Hang on, there is young woman wearing a Miss Namibia sash in the crowd. We are in the company of a pageant head of state.

Lancaster "out-voted" on Burrell

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After England concluded their World Cup campaign with a 60-8 win over Uruguay last night, the full inquest into their Pool-stage exit is revving up in the Sunday newspapers.

The Mail on Sunday report today that Northampton centre Luther Burrell - who started every game of the Six Nations - had been assured that he would make the squad, only to be informed on D-day that Sam Burgess was taking his place in the final 31-man selection.

Burrell even postponed his wedding in the belief he would be picked.

It adds that, rather than having the final say on selection, head coach Stuart Lancaster was "out-voted". 

Like it was X-Factor rather than a serious sports team.

Namibia team news

Namibia are without talismanic flanker Jacques Burger, who retired from international rugby after suffering concussion against Georgia.

Outstanding number eight Renaldo Bothma is also missing after being banned for two weeks for a dangerous tackle against Georgia. 

BBC

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Argentina's incoming players have been challenged by coach Daniel Hourcade to stake their claim for the quarter-final clash against Ireland or France.

Hourcade's squad came through the win against Tonga unscathed and he is using their final Pool C match to rotate his selection.

"It's good that all the players are okay and we believe it's good to give the others some minutes, we have a very even squad," says Hourcade.

"We want to finish the group phase well, improve defensive aspects of our game because we weren't aggressive enough against Tonga and our finishing because we had some good movements but in some of them we didn't finish well."

Argentina team news

Argentina have made sweeping changes after already being assured of their place in the last eight.

Experienced Toulon back Juan Martin Hernandez makes a rare start at fly-half and is charged with orchestrating the Pumas' youngest World Cup starting XV for 16 years.

Hernandez's inclusion is one of 11 changes made by coach Daniel Hourcade.

BBC

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Right, as fans pile into Leicester City Stadium, let's get a run-down on the cast list for today's action.

Burger King deposed

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Namibia are searching for their elusive first World Cup win at the 19th time of asking.

If today is going to be a day for landmarks, they will have to win without inspirational captain Jacques Burger, who retired from international rugby after being concussed against Georgia, and impressive flanker Renaldo Bothma who has been suspended for two weeks.

But Welsh head coach Phil Davies believes that a reprise of the determined performance that ran Georgia close could upset the already-qualified Argentines.

"If we go out with that guts, character, determination, anything can happen in a game of rugby," he said.

Every dog?

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Last night, we saw a heroic 13-man performance as Australia - with WIll Genia and  Dean Mumm in the sin-bin - held strong in the face of waves of Welsh attacks.

On Wednesday, we arguably saw one even better from Namibia.

Eleven points down to Georgia - after picking up three yellow cards earlier in the game - they came roaring back to within a point of parity in the the final 10 minutes.

The usual plucky minnow story perhaps. But can the underdogs be top dogs today?