Rugby World Cup Roundup: Argentina into quarterfinals after eliminating Japan with breathless win

NANTES, France (AP) — Argentina secured a return to the quarterfinals and knocked out Japan from the Rugby World Cup after winger Mateo Carreras’ hat trick of tries inspired a 39-27 win in a breathless pool-stage eliminator in Nantes on Sunday.

The Pumas will face Wales in the last eight in Marseille on Saturday, having finished second in Pool D behind England.

There were eight tries in total in an end-to-end match and none was more outrageous than the one scored by Japan lock Amato Fakatava, who sprinted down the left wing, collected his own kick forward and trundled over the line midway through the first half.

Yet it was Carreras — Argentina’s stocky and powerful left winger — who proved to be the match winner, finishing off a flowing team move for his first try in the 28th and adding two more after halftime to finally see off a plucky Japan team that kept coming for more.

His third try was the clincher and came just after Japan reduced the gap to 29-27 with 15 minutes left. Within three minutes, Carreras received the ball at almost a standing start, pushed away Japan center Ryoto Nakamura with a right-hand fend, then burst through the middle with stunning acceleration before finishing with a swan dive over the line.

The Argentines missed out on the quarterfinals in 2019 but are back at that stage for the fifth time in the last seven World Cups. However, they look set to be without flanker Pablo Matera, who was helped off in the 23rd minute with a bad right hamstring injury.

“We aren’t the team we want to be,” Carreras said. "We can keep building — we have a lot of things to improve, a lot of things to learn. But we are here.”

Japan was seeking back-to-back quarterfinal appearances after doing so on home soil four years ago but it proved to be the final match under departing coach Jamie Joseph, whose seven years in charge ends after this World Cup.

“This was our Mount Everest,” Japan No. 8 Kazuki Himeno said. "We didn’t get to the summit of the mountain … but the legacy and culture of Japanese rugby will continue.”

Nantes delivered another classic pool-stage elimination match, 16 years after Fiji upset Wales 38-34 at the atmospheric Stade de la Beaujoire.

This one didn't end up being as close, though Japan was never completely out of it until replacement flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez's 75th-minute penalty, which opened up a 12-point lead — the biggest of the match.

“I feel like some of our boys, if you look at the crowd here today, so many Argentines who have put their savings together and come for this week, next week, I think they’ve felt a bit of that pressure,” Argentina coach Michael Cheika said.

“Now everyone is happy, the crowd is happy, they’re into it, they’re ripe for the next stage, maybe we can just chill out and go for it, play some good footy and we’ll see where the cards fall.”

The Japanese might ultimately rue a yellow card to flanker Pieter Labuschagne in the 23rd minute for a head-on-head collision with Argentina prop Thomas Gallo. The challenge wasn't upgraded to a red card by the bunker but Japan shipped 10 points while Labuschagne was in the sin-bin.

The Brave Blossoms also made a sloppy start, conceding a try inside 70 seconds when Santiago Chocobares sliced through a tackle in midfield, sidestepped fullback Lomano Lemeki and flew over for his first try for Argentina.

Fakatava responded with an even better try that will be in competition for the best of the tournament, even if the bounce from his kick forward was fortunate and wrong-footed the covering defender, flyhalf Santiago Carreras, who was then unable to stop the rampaging lock.

The first of Mateo Carreras' tries came in the 28th and after flanker Marcos Kremer charged down an attempted drop goal with his face. Moments later, fullback Juan Cruz Mallia caught an up-and-under, handed the ball off to Julian Montoya before scrumhalf Gonzalo Bertranou found Carreras speeding along the left wing to cruise over.

Emiliano Boffelli's penalty made it 15-7 but back came Japan, for which Naoto Saito scrumhalf crossed on the right wing for a converted try after good work by Dylan Riley and Siosaia Fifita.

Carreras' second try came in the 46th after 16 phases by Argentina, yet a penalty by Rikiya Matsuda and a drop kick from Lemeki kept Japan just two points back.

Again Argentina pushed ahead, with Boffelli converting his own right-wing try to finish with 14 points for the afternoon.

After a knock-on from the restart, Fiji-born Jone Naikabula scored Japan's third try only for Carreras to finally see off the Brave Blossoms.

Tonga ends Rugby World Cup with win against Romania

LILLE, France (AP) — Tonga leaves the Rugby World Cup with a win after overpowering Romania 45-24 in their pool finale on Sunday.

Both teams were drowned by Ireland, South Africa and Scotland in the deepest pool of the tournament, but against each other the 'Ikale Tahi and Oaks found a contest in which they could express more of themselves and triggered an entertaining 10-try farewell.

Tonga blasted to 21-3 and Romania came back to close within four points twice. Tonga pulled away in the last quarter when its zippier backs added three more tries for seven in total.

The Tongans' highest score and biggest margin in Rugby World Cup history ensured a win at a fifth consecutive tournament.

Toutai Kefu, the former Wallabies World Cup winner, completed his second stint as coach with a smile.

"We don't win much," Kefu said. "So when you put a program together, you have got to see what winning is like when you're not winning. We have built some capacity around local staff, the boys who have come in have had a really good journey, so those two things mean a lot when you're not winning."

Despite an improved effort, Romania finished on the bottom of Pool B with a bunch of unwanted records in their tournament history: Most points conceded (287), most tries conceded (43), and record defeats to their last six opponents.

"It was so hard for us," stand-in Romania captain Ovidiu Cojocaru said. "We are a young team, we are learning, and we are hopeful for the future."

Tonga's physicality steamrolled Romania in the first quarter.

Breaks by center George Moala and prop Ben Tameifuna — with a stutter step — then a Charles Piutau step and offload gave wing Solomone Kata the first try.

Moala, making his World Cup debut at 32 after a five-game suspension from August, then bumped off two defenders for the second try, and Tonga used 10 phases to wear out Romania for try number three finished by left wing Afusipa Taumoepeau. William Havili converted all three for 21-3.

Most of the 26 tackles Romania missed in the first half were in the first quarter as it looked like it was heading for yet another whipping.

But the Oaks found a clever way to start putting up a fight — by avoiding Tongans.

A throw-in to the front sent lock Adrian Motoc rumbling to the line and flanker Cristi Boboc plunged over.

Romania caught a break when Tonga lock Leva Fifita was yellow-carded for a high tackle. The Oaks drove a lineout, the ball popped loose, and scrumhalf Florin Surugiu had to beat only two props to dart in for a first Rugby World Cup try in his retirement match.

Alin Conache, the scrumhalf forced into flyhalf, made the sideline conversion to have Romania only 21-17 behind at halftime.

Normal service resumed in the new half when Tonga No. 8 Sione Vailanu was driven over, but Romania replied in style again when fullback Marius Simionescu scored from a grubber kick by wing Nicholas Onutu.

The Oaks replaced retiring stars Surugiu and No. 8 Andre Gorin and couldn't score again.

But Tonga could in open space out wide through Pita Ahki, Kata again, and 20-year-old replacement Kyren Taumoefolau.

Romania was determined to the end and Simionescu pulled off a last-minute try-saving tackle on Pat Pellegrini on the tryline to deny Tonga 50.