France beats undisciplined Argentina 37-23 for a hat trick of autumn test wins

PARIS (AP) — France punished an undisciplined Argentina by 37-23 on Friday and swept its three autumn rugby tests.

First-half tries from lock Thibaud Flament and right winger Gabin Villière, a penalty try and Thomas Ramos' unerring goalkicking put Les Tricolores out of reach by halftime at 30-9 up.

Left winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey added France's fourth try in the second half while Argentina rallied with tries by prop Thomas Gallo and replacement hooker Ignacio Ruiz to trail 37-23 with 10 minutes left, but ran out of time at Stade de France.

Fabien Galthié’s side scored freely in the three tests, routing Japan 52-12 and edging New Zealand 30-29.

“I would like to praise all the players, for me there are only positives to take,” the coach said. “They are all winners for me.”

He also warned players who complained about being left out, after flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert reportedly asked to be left out of the New Zealand game because he did not want to be a reserve.

“It's very much a team sport. The squad is bigger than any individual,” Galthié said. “Players are here to strengthen the squad. Let there be no confusion about that.”

Felipe Contepomi’s Pumas didn't carry their Rugby Championship form into the autumn. They crushed Italy 57-17 and just failed to beat Ireland for the first time.

The Pumas beat France in July in Buenos Aires but they have not won in France for 10 years.

Despite an early harsh-looking yellow card to captain Julian Montoya for twisting the leg of Jean-Baptiste Gros, who had to leave the game, Argentina was in the contest at 13-9 down after 33 minutes.

Then came a dramstic seven minutes.

Villiere smashed over from an offload by fullback Leo Barre, and consecutive chipped kicks by Antoine Dupont and Ramos set up Bielle-Biarrey to score until Pumas flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez batted the ball away, but forward. France received a penalty try and Gonzalez was yellow-carded.

Right on halftime, Ramos' fifth successful goalkick made it a commanding 30-9 and swept him past Thierry Lacroix, Morgan Parra and Dimitri Yachvili on France's all-time list of highest point-scorers. Ramos' next goalkick, perhaps in the Six Nations, will lift him past Christophe Lamaison's 380 points with only Frederic Michalak's 436 higher.

The second half was better from Argentina and an attacking lineout led to Gallo’s try, which flyhalf Tomas Albornoz converted.

Pumas hopes of a comeback were dashed moments later when Bielle-Biarrey chased down his own kick in the left corner for tries in every test this autumn.

Both kickers were perfect off the tee, with Ramos nailing six for 15 points and Albornoz five for 13 points.

“It’s one of our strengths having players who can perform in different positions,” said Ramos, who has converted from fullback into a slick flyhalf without losing any of his kicking accuracy.

France had one last attack and thought it scored another try, but replacement center Emilien Gailleton’s effort down the left was ruled out for a knock-on in the buildup.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Argentina's Tomas Albornoz, right, and teammate Joaquin Oviedo reach for the ball as France's Thomas Ramos, left, watchescduring the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Louis Bielle-Biarrey, left, and teammate Gabin Villière gesture to fans following the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Thomas Ramos passes the ball to teammate Francois Cros, left, during the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Louis Bielle-Biarrey reaches for the ball to score a try during the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Argentina's Juan Martin Gonzalez runs at the defence during the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Argentina's Rodrigo Isgro is tackled by France's Louis Bielle-Biarrey during the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Charles Olivon waves to supporters following the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Antoine Dupont, right, waves to supporters following the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Antoine Dupont, left, and teammate Gaël Fickou react to supporters following the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Thibaud Flament, centre, is congratulated by teammate Antoine Dupont after scoring a try during the Autumn Nations Series rugby international between France and Argentina at the Stade de France stadium at Saint-Denis on the outskirts of Paris, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

BERLIN (AP) — Harry Kane scored a hat trick including two penalties for Bayern Munich to beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday.

The win stretched Bayern’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round, and Kane took his goals tally to a league-leading 14.

The England forward is the fastest player to 50 goals in the Bundesliga in what was his 43rd game.

However, coach Vincent Kompany should be concerned by his team’s ongoing difficulty of scoring in matches it dominates. Bayern previously defeated St. Pauli and Benfica only 1-0.

Kompany’s team had to wait until stoppage time before Kane sealed the result with his second penalty. Two minutes later, Kane scored with a header after controlling Leon Goretzka's cross with his first touch for a flattering scoreline.

“We had to be patient,” Kane said. “And at halftime that’s what we said, to keep doing what we’re doing. We had a few chances in the first half and we just had to be a bit more clinical and obviously, thankfully, we got the penalty to kind of open the game up.”

Mads Pedersen was penalized for handball following a VAR review and Kane duly broke the deadlock in the 63rd.

Bayern continued as before with 80% possession, but had to wait for Keven Schlotterbeck to be penalized through VAR for a foul on Kane. Kane sealed the result in the third minute of stoppage time and there was still time for him to grab another.

It’s Bayern’s sixth consecutive win without conceding a goal since it conceded four at Barcelona (4-1) on Oct. 23 in the Champions League.

“You can see now that we have a solid defense and that's the basis, also in games like today's,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “When it's a game of patience, then it's important for us to know that sometimes one goal will have to do. Like today we added two more before the finish, but in the end you only need to score one more than the opponent.”

Bayern next hosts Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, then Borussia Dortmund away in the Bundesliga next weekend, before defending champion Bayer Leverkusen visits in the third round of the German Cup.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Bayern's Harry Kane, prepares for penalty kick during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Augsburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane, reacts to referee asking for a penalty during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Augsburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal with a penalty kick during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Augsburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane on the pitch during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Augsburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane, kicks a penalty to score his side's second goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Augsburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern's Harry Kane, kicks a penalty to score his side's second goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Augsburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)