Wales v Argentina betting tips: Pumas may frustrate again
Preview and odds for Saturday’s Test
Wales play the second of their two summer Tests against Argentina in Cardiff and we have scoured the odds to highlight some Wales v Argentina betting tips.
Wayne Pivac’s side were held to a frustrating 20-20 draw by a 14-man Argentina last weekend with both sides missing long-range penalties near the end.
Saturday’s match at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff is live on S4C and kicks off at 3pm BST.
Wales v Argentina odds
Wales were scheduled to go on a summer tour of Argentina but plans were changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead, the Pumas are visiting Wales for two Test matches, the first of which ended in a tie, but the hosts are the slight favourites at 8/11 to win the second match in the Wales v Argentina betting tips.
Defeating Canada 68-12 in emphatic style on July 3 came at a cost, with the Six Nations champions losing full-back Leigh Halfpenny to an horrific injury.
Wales subsequently faced a much stiffer test against Argentina in the first Test seven days later.
The Pumas, who went into the clash on the back of a lacklustre 24-17 win over Romania, had famously gone close to winning the Rugby Championship back in December when they beat the All Blacks and held Australia to two draws.
In a scrappy, mistake-ridden contest, Wales looked disjointed at times, missing several good opportunities.
Pumas full-back Juan Cruz Mallia was sent off for a dangerous high challenge on Wales scrum-half Kieran Hardy after 29 minutes.
He was subsequently handed a three-game ban and will miss the second Test. In addition, Mallia is ruled out of two games against South Africa in August.
Argentina led 20-6 at half-time and were in front until 10 minutes from the end before they were undone when scrum-half Tomos Williams went over and fellow replacement Jarrod Evans converted to tie the game.
Evans missed a long-range penalty to win the match in the closing seconds and the game ended in a tie – the first in 19 meetings between the countries, with Wales having won 13 of the previous 18.
A draw is on offer at 20/1 this time in the Wales v Argentina betting tips.
Injury worries for Pivac
Wales were without 10 players on British and Irish Lions duty in South Africa and that is expected to be the case again on Saturday.
Pivac is also sweating on the fitness of stand-in captain Jonathan Davies, No 8 Aaron Wainwright and centre Willis Halaholo, who all suffered knocks in the first Test.
Wales struggled at times in the scrums and they will be frustrated they failed to capitalise on Argentina’s indiscipline.
Pivac admitted: “The breakdown area, we were too loose and at times we were too slow in getting to our ball carriers.
“It is an area of the game were we knew Argentina were strong at so we paid the price there a few times.
“The errors just kept creeping into our game throughout that second half. We’d have a good passage and let them off.
“To come back and have an opportunity to win it, we’ll take that – and it sets us up next weekend.”
The Pumas have won just twice in 11 visits to Wales and only one of the last nine clashes overall.
Argentina are 11/10 to win the second Test in the Wales v Argentina betting tips.
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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
