France are on course for a group showdown with England in Yokohama next month after hanging on to win despite being in total control. A routine victory at half-time when Argentina had shown little appetite for the fight turned into a tense finale and ended with players scrapping on the ground when the Pumas felt they were denied an eminently kickable penalty in stoppage time.

It was typical France, sublime in the opening period when their off-loading, support play, footwork and ability to exploit Argentina’s narrow defence brought them two tries and should have earned them at least two more. They led 20-3 at the break, but a team that has lacked self-belief all decade, as they showed at the start of the Six Nations when they blew a 16-point interval lead against Wales in Paris, collapsed alarmingly before Camille Lopez came off the bench to drop the winning goal with 11 minutes to go.

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There was little from either team to alarm England. Argentina’s comeback was based on their driving maul: twice they kicked penalties to touch and forced their way over from close range. The penalty count was 13-4 in their favour, although that did not prevent their head coach, Mario Ledesma, from complaining that two non-decisions by the referee, Angus Gardner, in the final minutes cost his side victory and a probable place in the last eight.

First, France’s replacement No 8, Louis Picamoles, was at least three metres offside when he intercepted a pass on his own 10-metre line four minutes from time and launched a move that ended with Romain Ntamack missing a 30-metre penalty. Then, after the countdown clock had reached zero, the Pumas mounted one final attack only to be turned over on their opponents’ 10-metre line.

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Ledesma complained that Maxime Machenaud had created the turnover by failing to roll away and the scrum-half was the centre of attention in the fracas after the final whistle, but France had just as much cause to complain about the officiating, not least because Argentina were a few metres offside around the fringes from the outset.

France, prompted by the soft hands of Maxime Médard at full-back and the scheming of Gaël Fickou in midfield, were at times irrepressible, but some of the tackling was optional. Their two tries, after Nicolás Sánchez had given Argentina an early lead with a penalty, were reminiscent of Les Bleus in their swashbuckling pomp. The first, scored by Fickou, was prompted by Médard’s short, subtle pass, the flair of Damian Penaud and the footwork of Virimi Vakatawa. Argentina had barely recovered when the quartet were at it again for Antoine Dupont to score in the corner; Penaud should have made it three but took his eyes off Vakatawa’s pass.

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Argentina looked like a team on a nine-match losing streak. Other than the lock Guido Petti Pagadizábal, who at times seemed to be taking on France single-handedly, it was as if they had turned up at the wrong destination. He woke them up two minutes after the break, in possession when a driving maul reached the line and after 67 minutes the Pumas were in the lead.

The replacement prop Julian Montoya finished another driving maul before Benjamín Urdapilleta kicked two penalties. Lopez scored with his first touch after cajoling his forwards into position, but Fickou conceded the dumbest of penalties when, in an unthreatening position, he took out Emiliano Boffelli in the air with two minutes to go. Boffelli took aim from a few metres inside the France half. His kick had the distance but not the direction, something that could be said, just, about France.

France announced that Wesley Fofana has been ruled out of the tournament, having not recovered from the thigh injury he sustained in a warm-up against Italy. The centre has been replaced by Lyon’s Pierre-Louis Barassi.