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Pumas can adapt for knockouts

Leicester - Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade says his Pumas can adapt their game to any of their remaining potential Rugby World Cup opponents in the wake of a nine-try demolition of Namibia in their final pool match.

The South Americans finished as top scorers in Pool C, gaining more points than world champions New Zealand, thanks to an expansive attacking game that culminated in Sunday's 64-19 romp against Namibia.

But knockout games at World Cup tournaments tend to be more arm-wrestle than all-out attack and Hourcade insists his team have the ability to play a tighter style.

"The players like to play a more dynamic game and it is something we feel comfortable with," Hourcade told reporters after the Namibia win. "We do always try to create tries and that has worked for us so far in the tournament.

"Sometimes we take more risks and this leads to mistakes, but it is also important to remember that our defence has been very good. If we need to play a more defensive game, we can.

"This team has the tools needed for each situation. For us, both our attack and our defence can be a weapon and it is about choosing the right weapon at the right time."

Argentina will know their quarter-final opponents later on Sunday when Ireland take on France in Cardiff, with the winner in that fixture next up for the South Americans.

Hourcade, who admits he prefers to focus on the negative aspects of his team's play after matches, was satisfied, if not completely happy, with Sunday's win.

"We weren't aggressive enough in attack, we played too lateral," he said. "We scored nine tries, but there could have been more. We got points today even though we did not play a fantastic game.

"The (three) tries we conceded were all due to lost balls from us."

Pressed for some positives, Hourcade said: "The discipline was good, the scrum was good, though it was better towards the end (of the match) than it was in the beginning. There were some good moves and some good tries."

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