The Wales national rugby union team toured Argentina in May–June 1999. They played five matches, including two tests against the Argentina national team. The tour served as preparation for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, which Wales hosted in October and November that year.
| 1999 Wales rugby union tour of Argentina | |||||
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| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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 Argentina |
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| Tour chronology | |||||
| Previous tour | 1998 Africa | ||||
| Next tour | 2001 Japan | ||||
Wales won the test series 2–0, winning the first test 36–26 and the second 23–16 to claim their first series victory in the Southern Hemisphere; however, they only won one of their three tour matches, beating Tucumán 69–44 but losing 31–29 to Buenos Aires and 47–34 to Argentina A.
Squad
editWales coach Graham Henry named a squad of 37 for the tour of Argentina, including three uncapped players: scrum-half Rhodri Jones, and back-rowers Richard Arnold and Ian Boobyer. Fly-half Arwel Thomas and lock Andy Moore were recalled to the Wales team after missing the 1999 Five Nations Championship. Henry also named seven standby players, including lock Gareth Llewellyn and full-back Byron Hayward.[1] After injuries to Pontypridd's Ian Gough and Kevin Morgan, Llewellyn and Hayward were called up to the main tour squad.[2][3] Centre Scott Gibbs was also ruled out after breaking a hand;[3] he was replaced by Newport's Matthew Watkins.[4]
Standby squad
| Name | Position | Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phil John | Hooker | Pontypridd | |
| Barry Williams | Hooker | Richmond | |
| John Davies | Prop | Llanelli | |
| Gareth Llewellyn | Lock | Richmond | Injury replacement for Ian Gough |
| Hywel Jenkins | Back row | Llanelli | |
| Matthew Watkins | Centre | Newport | Injury replacement for Scott Gibbs |
| Richard Rees | Wing | Swansea | |
| Byron Hayward | Full-back | Llanelli | Injury replacement for Kevin Morgan |
Results
editScores and results list Wales's points tally first.
| Opponent | For | Against | Date | Venue | Notes |
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| Buenos Aires | 29 | 31 | 29 May 1999 | Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club, Buenos Aires | Tour match |
| Tucumán | 69 | 44 | 1 June 1999 | Estadio Monumental José Fierro, Tucumán | Tour match |
| Argentina | 36 | 26 | 5 June 1999 | Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires | Test match |
| Argentina A | 34 | 47 | 8 June 1999 | Jorge Newbery Municipal Stadium, Rosario | Tour match |
| Argentina | 23 | 16 | 12 June 1999 | Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires | Test match |
Buenos Aires v Wales
editWales named a strong team for the opening match of their tour, and took a 19–14 lead into half-time thanks to a late try from Allan Bateman, converted by Arwel Thomas, who also kicked four penalties in the opening quarter; however, Buenos Aires were still in the game thanks to a try from Rolando Martín and three José Cilley penalties, and they took the lead early in the second half when Octavio Bartolucci crossed for the home side and Cilley added the extras. Wales went back in front thanks to a converted try from Geraint Lewis, but Cilley added another penalty before converting Tomás Solari's try to give Buenos Aires a 31–26 lead as the game entered its final quarter. Thomas pulled the score back to 31–29 three minutes later, but there were no further scores and Wales suffered a shock defeat.[5]
| 29 May 1999 |
| Buenos Aires | 31–29 |  Wales |
| Try: Martín 17' m Bartolucci 42' c Solari 60' c Con: Cilley (2) Pen: Cilley (4) 7', 23', 29', 53' | Report | Try: Bateman 40' c Lewis 50' c Con: A. Thomas (2) Pen: A. Thomas (5) 4', 10', 15', 20', 63' |
| Buenos Aires Cricket & Rugby Club, San Fernando Referee: Chris White (England) |
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Tucumán v Wales
editWales won their first match of the tour in a nine-try performance against Tucumán. Wing Matthew Robinson scored four times, while Mark Taylor and Neil Boobyer claimed two apiece, and Geraint Lewis completed the scoring. Fly-half Arwel Thomas was almost perfect from the tee, converting all nine tries and kicking two out of three penalty attempts for a total of 24 out of Wales's 69 points. Tucumán scored 22 of their points in a 10-minute spell in which they took a 25–20 lead, but Wales were able to come back to win 69–44.[6]
| 1 June 1999 |
| Tucumán | 44–69 | Wales |
| Try: García Hamilton (2) T. Molinuevo L. Molinuevo Gravano Padua Con: T. Molinuevo (4) Pen: T. Molinuevo (2) | Report | Try: Robinson (4) Taylor (2) N. Boobyer (2) Lewis Con: Hayward (9) Pen: Hayward (2) |
| Estadio Monumental José Fierro, Tucumán Referee: Pablo Deluca (Argentina) |
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First test: Argentina v Wales
editFollowing his four tries in the game against Tucumán four days earlier, Matthew Robinson was named on the wing for Wales's first test against Argentina, taking the place of Gareth Thomas. In the only other change from the team that beat England in the final game of the Five Nations, Allan Bateman partnered Mark Taylor in the centres in place of the injured Scott Gibbs.[7] Despite a strong team, Wales found themselves 23–0 down before the half-hour mark; fly-half Gonzalo Quesada scored 18 of those points, converting his own try as well as one from Octavio Bartolucci, in addition to three penalties. Wales got back into the game shortly before half-time as Neil Jenkins kicked a penalty before converting a Dafydd James try with the last play of the half, reducing the deficit to 23–10. Jenkins added another penalty before converting a Brett Sinkinson try in the first 10 minutes of the second period. He then levelled the scores as the game entered the final quarter, only for Quesada to restore a three-point lead for the hosts; however, Shane Howarth made it 26–26 with a drop goal in the 68th minute. Wales then pulled clear thanks to a try from Chris Wyatt, which Jenkins converted before kicking another penalty to give the tourists a 36–26 win.[8] Coach Graham Henry blamed Wales's slow start on having arrived late at the stadium; their police escort did not turn up and the team coach was blocked in at the hotel, which meant they arrived only 45 minutes before kick-off. Henry commended his team's determination to come back from 23–0 down, and reserved special praise for their scrummaging, particularly that of hooker Garin Jenkins, who he said he had "misjudged" when he took over as Wales coach.[9]
| 5 June 1999 |
| Argentina | 26–36 | Wales |
| Try: Quesada 24' c Bartolucci 28' c Con: Quesada (2) Pen: Quesada (4) 5', 16', 26', 65' | Report | Try: James 40+2' c Sinkinson 49' c Wyatt 74' c Con: N. Jenkins (3) Pen: N. Jenkins (4) 37', 45', 63', 77' Drop: Howarth 68' |
| Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires Attendance: 16,500 Referee: Brian Campsall (England) |
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Argentina A v Wales
editGraham Henry changed his entire starting line-up for the midweek match against Argentina A in Rosario. The opening 20 minutes of the game saw Arwel Thomas and Felipe Contepomi trade penalties, but tries from Juan Fernández Miranda, Gonzalo Camardón and Nicolás Fernández Miranda in the second quarter meant Wales trailed 27–15 at the break. Further penalties from Contepomi, a drop goal from Camardón and a converted try from Patricio Grande extended that lead to 29 points before Wales scored their first try through scrum-half Rhodri Jones just before the hour mark. Neil Boobyer added another a few minutes later, and Nick Walne also crossed as the game entered the final 10 minutes, but despite successful conversions from Arwel Thomas, it was not enough to avoid another tour defeat. During the match, a photography gantry collapsed under the weight of around 20 spectators who had climbed on it; there were no serious injuries, but the match was stopped for six minutes while aid was provided.[10]
| 8 June 1999 |
| Argentina XV | 47–34 | Wales |
| Try: J. Fernández Miranda 23' c Camardón 34' c N. Fernández Miranda 40+4' c Grande 52' m Con: Contepomi (3) Pen: Contepomi (6) 8', 19', 40+3', 42', 47', 63' Drop: Camardón 49' | Report | Try: R. Jones 58' m N. Boobyer 61' c Walne 71' c Con: A. Thomas (2) Pen: A. Thomas (5) 3', 13', 31', 36', 40+1' |
| Jorge Newbery Municipal Stadium, Rosario Referee: Wayne Erickson (Australia) |
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Second test: Argentina v Wales
editHaving failed to live up to his performance against Tucumán in the first test, Matthew Robinson was dropped in favour of Gareth Thomas on the right wing as one of two changes to the Wales line-up from a week earlier; the other change saw Geraint Lewis come in for Colin Charvis in the back row.[11] Wales took an 8–0 lead in the opening 15 minutes thanks to a penalty from Neil Jenkins and a try from his namesake Garin. Felipe Contepomi reduced the deficit with a penalty 10 minutes later, but that was soon followed by the biggest flashpoint of the game; after Dafydd James was deemed to have illegally killed the ball, he was punched by Argentina prop Mauricio Reggiardo, sparking a mass brawl on the sideline. As a result, Reggiardo was yellow-carded along with Argentina captain Pedro Sporleder and Wales prop Peter Rogers. Contepomi put Argentina into a 9–8 lead with two more penalties, only for Jenkins to edge Wales back in front with a kick of his own on the stroke of half-time. He added another early in the second half, before stretching the lead to 17–9 with a 46th-minute drop goal after Chris Wyatt managed to steal the ball from an Argentina line-out. Wales had the chance to put the contest to bed shortly after as Thomas headed towards the try line, only to knock on. Contepomi missed the opportunity to close the gap with two kicks at goal, and Wales responded with two more penalties of their own to take the lead to 23–9 and Jenkins' international points total past the 800 mark, behind only Australian fly-half Michael Lynagh. José Orengo's try, converted by José Cilley, reduced the home side's deficit to seven points in the final minutes, but it was too little, too late as Wales secured the whitewash and their first series win in the Southern Hemisphere.[12]
| 12 June 1999 |
| Argentina | 16–23 | Wales |
| Try: Orengo 77' c Con: Cilley Pen: Contepomi (3) 26', 33', 36' | Report | Try: G. Jenkins 15' m Pen: N. Jenkins (5) 12', 40', 44', 65', 68' Drop: N. Jenkins 46' |
| Ferro Carril Oeste, Buenos Aires Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Chris White (England) |
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References
edit- ^ "Welsh name newcomers". BBC News. 26 April 1999. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Llewellyn earns Wales call-up". BBC News. 29 April 1999. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Gibbs out of Wales tour". BBC News. 17 May 1999. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Hewett, Chris (18 May 1999). "Rugby union: Wellington move gives Yates hope". The Independent. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Wales shock". The Irish Times. 31 May 1999. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "First win for Wales". BBC News. 2 June 1999. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Godwin, Hugh (4 June 1999). "Rugby Union: Quinnell a true believer". The Independent. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Welsh come back for Test win". BBC News. 5 June 1999. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
- ^ "Henry: We were lucky". BBC News. 6 June 1999. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Stand collapses during Welsh defeat". BBC News. 9 June 1999. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Godwin, Hugh (9 June 1999). "RUGBY UNION; Henry drops Swansea pair". The Independent. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Wales secure historic whitewash". BBC News. 12 June 1999. Retrieved 28 March 2024.