Faith is what has underpinned the growth of Argentina's Pumas

LONDON - Argentina have been true to the faith placed in the Pumas by Agustin Pichot's golden generation, who won the bronze medal at the 2007 World Cup, that if you believe you can win the tournament then you will grow as a team.

    Tomas de Vedia, a former member of that generation but not selected for the tournament in France, recalls an embrace between Pichot and Juan Martin Hernandez, "the Magician", in tears after their semi-final defeat by South Africa.

    "The general reaction was that it had been a huge achievement, (reaching) a first semi-final with the chance (to play for) a place on the podium.

    "(But) for them it was the end of a possibility of becoming world champions," de Vedia wrote in his column in the Buenos Aires daily La Nacion.

    "They were convinced they could be champions and some would say, if you don't believe, there's no point in turning up to play.

    "Today, 18 years later, I'm among the believers. In that time we have grown as a rugby nation."

    De Vedia listed a number of improvements, like not depending on one key player, kicker or facet of the game, having learnt so much in regular annual clashes with the southern hemisphere's big three.

One thing pending is how to improve performances against teams from the northern hemisphere, notably England.

    ENGLAND CHALLENGE

    For Argentina, England are the team to beat and they came closer in Sunday's 27-23 defeat at Twickenham, than in the two home losses in July.

    England have triumphed in all but one of their last 12 meetings, but there is a parallel in the teams' recent progress as both target the 2027 World Cup in Australia with good reasons to feel confident.

    Ranked third and sixth in the world, they both went into the match unbeaten in the Autumn Series and the result was in doubt until after the 80th minute.

    In a pulsating finish, Argentina launched an onslaught that went from their 22 to England's via a succession of attacks and rucks that gave the visitors hope of a dramatic winning try.

    Asked about England racking up a 17-3 first-half lead, Pumas captain Julian Montoya rejected a suggestion that Argentina had not created chances. 

    "Unfortunately, we weren't so precise at certain moments, especially in the first half, when we had possibilities at five meters and we couldn't turn it into points," he said. And that, later, in the course of the game, counts.

    "But I think we played a very smart game, where we wanted to position ourselves, where we had opportunities, where we could play rugby. I think it will help us to learn, to improve, to keep growing."

Head coach Felipe Contepomi added: "We were playing the game we wanted to play (in the first half). We just had to adjust that... keep the game plan until the last minute, so that we could get an opportunity. And that's how it was." REUTERS