Carballo hails Puma's defence

According to Argentinean wing Rafael Carballo, his side's victory over Italy at the weekend was down to a new approach to defence.

According to Argentinean wing Rafael Carballo, his side's victory over Italy at the weekend was down to a new approach to defence.

The Pumas had gone four games without a win coming into Saturday's victory, but managed to beat Italy 22-14 in Turin.

After a tight first-half, in which the Azzurri forwards looked to use their power, Carballo scored his side's only try to effectively wrap up the game.

Along with Felipe Contepomi's seventeen points, Argentina turned in a near-perfect defensive display – only a last minute try from Andrea Masi spoiling their efforts.

“It was a match in which we had to battle in every sense and in which both sides applied pressure from the very beginning,” Carballo said.

“Luckily, we had more possession than Italy and we managed to score several points.

“I think that we were better at recovering possession when they attacked. But, above all, we were able to implement a new defensive system that we have been working on and this week it worked out better than last week.”

The victory, coupled with England's defeat at Twickenham, means Argentina move back into the top four of the IRB's official rankings.

Second row Patricio Albacete knows just how important that result could be when the draw for the 2011 World Cup is made.

“We expected a hard match and that is what we got,” Albacete said.

“During the second period we were able to develop our game-plan better than in the first half. But the team is getting better.”