IT’S A CHIP AND WIN AS JENKINS LEADS FROM THE FRONT
THE right boot of Jenkins has won Wales plenty of crucial Test matches over the years, but rarely has it come from a source as unlikely as a 35-year-old loose-head prop.
Caretaker coach Rob Howley will have every reason to raise a glass to his skipper Gethin Jenkins after Wales ended their five-match losing run in a tense autumn series clash at the Principality Stadium.
With the match balanced on a knife edge after 53 minutes, the British Lion dinked a delicate chip over the Argentina cover, leading to an attacking line-out.
Moments later, scrum-half Gareth Davies was darting over for what proved a game-defining score.
It was more than what a vastly-improved Wales deserved after dominating large swathes of the contest.
Howley will be delighted with the way his side recovered after the embarrassment of their 32-8 loss to Australia seven days earlier.
Bolstered by the return of the outstanding Alun Wyn Jones and Sam Warburton, there was far more bite in the tackle and at the contact area.
Wales also enjoyed set-piece bragging rights, while Liam Williams gave Wales an attacking threat they badly lacked against the Wallabies.
It was never comfortable, though, with the home side failing to reflect their first-half dominance on the scoreboard.
And it needed a couple of nerveless late penalties from full-back Leigh Halfpenny to seal a welcome victory.
Despite the return of Warburton and Jones, it was Jenkins who retained the captaincy with the Lions prop marking another milestone by becoming the most-capped frontrow forward of all time (133).
Howley’s selection, dropping his midfield powerhouse Jamie Roberts, had suggested a more open expan- sive approach from Wales, who were up against a Pumas side who have revolutionised their style of play since being welcomed into the Rugby Championship.
Gone are the days when the men from South America arrived on these shores with a voracious appetite for the forward battle and little else.
A flick back at the highlights reel from last year’s World Cup and their quarter-final demolition of Ireland in the same stadium, will have provided evidence enough of that.
However, the opening 40 minutes delivered something of a throwback, an old-fashioned arm wrestle which ended with Wales failing to pin the visitors down when it mattered.
A brace of Halfpenny penalties, after Nicolas Sanchez had opened the scoring, put Wales 6-3 ahead. But they then turned down a series of potential three-pointers as they laid siege to the Argentina line.
Hooker Ken Owens almost found himself on the end of a line-out rumble, Liam Williams was forced out in the corner and Ross Moriarty also went close.
The Pumas’ resistance looked certain to break just before the interval, especially when Australian referee Angus Gardner lost patience with their infringing front row and sinbinned tight-head prop Ramiro Herrera.
But his replacement Enrique Pierreto emerged into the fray like some game-saving super hero, helping shove the Welsh pack on their heels and earning his side a penalty.
A three-point half-time advantage was scant reward for a much-improved Welsh display.
Having spent 40 minutes using the bludgeon, Wales picked out the rapier from their armoury two minutes after the restart and were rewarded with the game’s first try, scored by Liam Williams.
It was created by Dan Biggar, on his 50th cap, with the Osprey scything through before feeding Halfpenny; the ball was recycled and shifted wide to Williams, who still had plenty to do.
But the Scarlet shrugged off the attention of Pumas wing Santiago Cordero, showing great strength to make the whitewash.
It needed a lengthy deliberation from television match official Sean Davey before the score was given, but the delight on Williams’s face when it was awarded was echoed by the relief sweeping around the Principality Stadium.
However, the anxiety levels were restored when Argentina struck with a sucker blow within five minutes of conceding.
Jones was penalised for his part in a scuffle which had broken out in visiting territory and moments later, a quick tap and grubber through by scrum-half Martin Landajo saw Juan
Martin Hernandez pounce at the posts – a score converted by Sanchez.
But back came Wales – thanks to an unlikely source, the cultured boot of Jenkins.
The prop put in a perfectly-weighted chip to the corner, which was gathered by Cordero only for the winger to tip-toe the touchline.
From the attacking line-out that followed, Wales again shoved the Pumas back towards their line and this time, scrum-half Gareth Davies found enough space in the blue and white defences to snipe over.
Halfpenny’s conversion gave his side some breathing space at 18-10, but not for long as the dangerous Landajo followed Davies’s lead by darting over after 61 minutes.
With only a point again between the sides, Wales were grateful for a third Halfpenny penalty, only for Sanchez to cancel that out with six minutes left on the clock.
Another Halfpenny strike made it 24-20 with barely 90 seconds remaining and that proved enough.