Friday, 22 September 2023
My tenth match, and the tournaments nineteenth, was Argentina v. Samoa in Saint Etienne.
I had good seats -- up high. 119 steps to reach them.
The weather was brisk and pleasant as I made my way to the stadium. Then it rained for about three-quarters of the match. It cleared up near the end, and the trip back to the hotel was dry.
Both teams played very well. Argentina held a 13-3 lead at halftime and extended it to 16-3 by late in the second half. Samoa scored a converted try with about five minutes left to get to 16-10. There are two significances to this. One, it means that they are within a converted try of taking the lead, so the match is still quite up in the air, Two, losing by seven points or less fewer earns a bonus point, which could come into play in determining which teams advance to the quarterfinals. But then Argentina kicked a penalty as time expired to deny Samoa the bonus point.
Final score: Argentina 19-10 Samoa.
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| Great view from up high |
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| National anthems |
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| The Haka |
...doug
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