Phelan begs for acceptance

Argentina coach Santiago Phelan believes his side's comprehensive defeat to South Africa is proof they need to be included in a yearly international tournament.

Argentina coach Santiago Phelan believes his side's comprehensive defeat to South Africa is proof they need to be included in a yearly international tournament.

The Pumas suffered a 63-9 defeat against the world champions in the one-off Mandela Trophy match in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Phelan's side had led 9-0 after 30 minutes, but their lack of match sharpness was cruelly exposed by a Springbok team in the midst of their Tri-Nations campaign as they ran in nine tries without reply.

There has been calls in recent years for the Pumas to be included in either the Tri-Nations or the Six Nations tournaments to provide them with greater exposure on the international stage.

Last year the South Americans reached the semi-finals of the World Cup and Phelan believes if they are to maintain that form then a decision to include them in a yearly tournament must be made soon.

“It's time to try to make Argentina have a better competition level, against the best teams such as South Africa,” he said.

“The [Argentinian Rugby Union] officials are analysing which option is the best, as we must consider that almost all of our players play in Europe.

“Argentina need a better competition level to progress and this match was a good start.”

Argentina have suffered three defeats in a row under Phelan following the 21-15 triumph over Scotland on his debut at the helm.

Despite their indifferent form Phelan believes his side have developed since he took charge, with the South Africa match providing another step in their learning curve.

“We found it quite difficult, but we tried to develop a style of play and we managed to follow it in some parts of the game,” he said.

“The players have done their best until the last minute. It's amazing and very positive. They encourage me to keep working and progressing.

“It was a very tough match and they [South Africa] played well. However, I can highlight some factors of our play as we played very well in the opening 30 minutes.”