With Japan and England having won two games a piece the loser of this fixture will be seriously pressed to make the next phase of the tournament.
Argentina v Samoa
Friday 23 September
Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium
Argentina 1/9 | Draw 33/1 | Samoa 24/5
Los Pumas were nothing short of dire in their opening clash against an English outfit that played the majority of the fixture a man down with Tom Curry being sent off on the three-minute mark for a high tackle.
At this point, it looked like all signs were pointing to an Argentine victory but that would not turn out to be the case with the South Americans seemingly going into their shells rather than forcing home their one-man advantage.
English fly-half George Ford would take full advantage of this as he slotted three drop goals and handful of penalties to give the English a 27-10 win. The scoreboard could have been even less flattering for the Argentines had they not crossed over for a late consolation try.
It was an extremely poor showing from the Argentines and now they find themselves needing a victory here if they are to remain in the hunt for a quarter-final berth.
While Argentina found the going tough in their opener, the Samoans made light work of Portugal, running out 43-10 victors over the European minnows.
While the men from the Pacific were not too flash in the first stanza – the teams went into the break with the Samoans only leading by nine points – they turned on the style in the second-half running in four tries to claim a vital bonus point win that leaves them second in Pool D with a game in hand over England and Japan.
I think the nerves will set in for the Argentines here and they’ll play a very conservative game. While I can see Los Pumas claiming the spoils, I doubt it will be by much.
Verdict: Samoa (+12.5) 20/21
