Pumas thump Sydney club side 74-0 in final World Cup warm-up

Winger Bautista Delguy scored four quick tries in a second-half blitz as Argentina thumped Sydney club side Randwick 74-0 in their final World Cup warm-up game on Saturday.

Coach Mario Ledesma had the chance to face a Pacific nation in a full Test this weekend, but opted for a lighter routine after a taxing year that saw the Jaguares reach the Super Rugby final.

The result was never in doubt, but a strong Pumas side took time to get going on a blustery day in a seaside suburb with Randwick holding them scoreless until the 18th minute.

Tomas Cubelli finally broke the deadlock by touching down off a scrum and it opened the floodgates, with Argentina piling on 12 tries for an easy victory while dominating territory and possession.

Julian Montoya, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Marcos Kremer and Santiago Carreras all crossed before the break, with Nahuel Tetaz Chapparo adding another soon after the restart.

Replacement Delguy then scored four tries in 10 minutes as the Randwick defence was blown apart, with former captain Agustin Creevy and Ramiro Moyano adding the final two.

"Glad to have no injuries," Ledesma told reporters. "That's the main one and giving the opportunity to everybody."

They will face a much tougher task at the World Cup in Japan after being drawn in a tough Pool C against France, Tonga, England and USA.

Argentina went down 24-18 to an experimental South African side in Pretoria in their last Test -- their ninth straight defeat since beating Australia a year ago.

They have played 37 World Cup matches, winning 19 and losing 18, with the best showing a third-place finish at the 2007 tournament hosted by France.

– AFP