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Pumas steamroll Namibians
GOSFORD, Australia (AP) -- Center Martin Gaitan scored the third hattrick of the World Cup and the powerful Pumas pack forced two pushovers and two penalty tries as Argentina beat Namibia 67-14. Argentina scored 10 tries Tuesday in its biggest World Cup win and Gonzalo Quesada, the 1999 World Cup top scorer, recalled to the team after their 24-8 loss to the Wallabies, kicked 17 points. The Pumas never looked back after hooker Federico Mendez went over in the corner after just two minutes. Pablo Bouza scored the second try in the 20th minute when the mighty Argentina pack again drove the Namibians back over their own line at a scrum and the back row touched down. Quesada missed both conversion attempts and also had problems with his kicks from open play, until finding his feet later in the match. Namibians won plenty of turnovers and kept attacking from deep positions rather than kicking for touch. But, after Quesada finally kicked a penalty in 27th minute, the Pumas broke through with two more tries. Center Juan Fernandez Miranda scored a converted try after Quesada had opened up the defense with a clever dummy pass in front of the posts. Five minutes later the Pumas were awarded a converted penalty try in the 36th after another attempted pushover was collapsed by the Namibians just short of the line. The Namibians had barely been in the Pumas 22 but scored a try when they finally got close to the line a minute before half time. Dupreez Grobler broke through a gap in Argentina's defense and held off a powerful tackle by Hernan Senillosa to cross the line. Emile Wessels kicked the conversion and the Pumas lead was cut to 27-7 by half time. Gaitan scored two tries early in the second half and the Namibians conceded another penalty try after their scrum broke with the Pumas trying to push them over again. Scrumhalf Nicolas Fernandez Miranda also slid over as the Pumas stretched the lead to 55-7 before hardworking Namibian scrumhalf Hakkies Husselman went over for a converted try in the 69th minute. But the Pumas pack pushed the Namibians over again a minute later and Bouza scored his second before Gaitan raced over for his third with four minutes to go. Namibian flyhalf Rudi van Vuuren, who also earlier this year represented Namibia at the Cricket World Cup, was forced out of the game with an injury to his left calf while the Pumas fielded a second-string side against the lowest-ranked nation at the 20 team tournament. Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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