Wales coach Steve Tandy / © AFP
Argentina overpowered Wales 52-28 in Cardiff on Sunday as home coach Steve Tandy's first game in charge of the national side ended in a record loss.
Victory gave Argentina their highest score and largest winning margin against Wales.
To make matters worse for Wales, talismanic captain Jac Morgan went off with a shoulder injury early in the second half that is set to rule the flanker out of the remainder of their Autumn Nations Series campaign.
The Pumas, sixth in the world rankings to Wales' 12th place, ran in seven tries, with Geronimo Prisciantelli scoring two and Pedro Delgado, Simon Benitez Cruz, Mateo Carreras, Bautista Delguy and Santiago Grondona also going over.
All of those scores were converted by Santiago Carreras, who also landed a penalty in a faultless haul of 17 points from the kicking tee.
Four of those tries came in a first half when Argentina led 14-0, were pegged back to 14-14, but still turned round in command at 31-14.
"We're really happy with the result," fly-half Prisciantelli, the player of the match, told the BBC. "We knew Cardiff is a very difficult place to come and we knew Wales would be tough."
This was Wales' 10th successive home defeat. Their cause was not helped by yellow cards for backs Ben Thomas and Tomos Williams.
"We're disappointed with the result but there's some pride in the good things we did and scoring four tries," said Tandy as he praised a "battle-hardened" Argentina, who beat Australia and New Zealand in the recent southern hemisphere Rugby Championship.
He added: "There is always that disappointment when you concede seven tries and there were too many sloppy moments to win any big game. That's not something we want defensively, but also we know the bits where we need to grow."
Wales only ended a record run of 18 straight Test losses with a 31-22 win over Japan in Kobe in July.
Argentina surged into a 14-0 lead with just 11 minutes played.
The Pumas' driving maul paved the way for prop Pedro Delgado's seventh-minute try, his first for Argentina, who soon doubled their lead.
Argentina fly-half Geronimo Prisciantelli (R) celebrates a try / © AFP
Wing Mateo Carreras kicked ahead and Prisciantelli won the race to touch down for his maiden Test try.
Wales hit back.
Tom Rogers, scything through the midfield, was well supported by Morgan and the flanker's excellent pass released scrum-half Tomos Williams for a try.
Wales were level minutes later after Dewi Lake powered over.
Wales went a man down when centre Thomas was sin-binned for lashing out with the boot at Argentina flanker Pablo Matera.
Santiago Carreras kicked a penalty before scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz dived against the post for a 38th-minute try.
- 'Devastated' Morgan -
Pablo Matera chips ahead to set up a try for wing Mateo Carreras (not pictured) against Wales in Cardiff / © AFP
From the kick-off, with the last play of the half, the Pumas scored again after Matera's left-footed kick was scooped up by dashing wing Mateo Carreras.
Three minutes into the second half, Prisciantelli and Delguy combined before the wing barged past Rogers as Williams collected a yellow card for tackling a man without the ball.
In the 45th minute, 24-year-old wing Louis Rees-Zammit came off the bench for hiss first Wales appearance since the 2023 after an 18-month unsuccessful stint in American Football.
Morgan pulled a try back but was injured scoring.
"I think there's a dislocated shoulder, so it's not looking good for Jac," said Tandy of the "world-class" Morgan.
"The try he scored was unbelievable. Not just the player, but the man. But it gives someone else an opportunity.
"Not looking good for the rest of the autumn."
"He's devastated."
Prisciantelli grabbed his second try -- Argentina's sixth -- in the 62nd minute, intercepting Thomas' pass and racing clear.
Wales wing Blair Murray crossed the Pumas' line seven minutes from time but Argentina had the last word through replacement back-row Grondona's 79th-minute try.
