Following Argentina’s dramatic 34-31 win over Australia, here’s our takeaways from the clash at CommBank Stadium in Sydney on Saturday.
Never-say-die attitude from Argentina
That was a significant improvement on last week from Los Pumas as they put the disappointing loss to New Zealand to bed to claim a first win on Australian soil since 2018. This is, in fact, back-to-back wins over Australia for Michael Cheika’s side as they showed belief and determination to back up last year’s success.
Typified by Lucio Cinti’s incredible try-saving tackle on Carter Gordon in the first half, Los Pumas fought tooth and nail for everything, both physically and mentally, as they recovered from Mark Nawaqanitawase’s late try to cross the line for a try of their own, as Juan Martin Gonzalez dived over in the last minute.
Pablo Matera and Tomas Lavinini were also prominent in the pack as Argentina look set to avoid the wooden spoon in the four-team tournament for the first time since 2015, with this away win giving the players, coaches, travelling support and those back home a much-needed boost ahead of Round Three and the World Cup.
No improvement yet under Eddie Jones
Although some individuals caught the eye – like Nawaqanitawase, Gordon and Fraser McReight – there were very few positives that the Wallabies can take from their latest defeat and, just like that loss to the Boks, they were guilty of making a plethora of unforced errors while their discipline let them down again as they conceded a whopping 14 penalties in this game.
Another area of concern is their attacking play which left a lot to be desired, and although chief playmaker Quade Cooper was more involved than against South Africa, he could not get his backline firing. One facet where the Wallabies did show some improvement was their scrummaging, with captain James Slipper notably strong in the set-piece.
Wallabies make another good start but can’t build on it
Just like in Pretoria, the Wallabies made an outstanding start and were holding a 10-0 lead as early as the 12th minute after Len Ikitau crossed for a converted try, and Cooper slotted an early penalty. However, they soon lost their way, and after conceding several penalties and losing Richie Arnold to a yellow card, Argentina came back strongly, and the sides were level at 10-10 by half-time.
Australia’s woes continued after the interval, and that impressive start during the game’s opening exchanges was the only time they would hold the lead until Nawaqanitawase scored a try against the run of play in the game’s dying moments.
The Wallabies’ final match of the Rugby Championship is against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand, who are sitting pretty at the top of the table, and they will have to show considerable improvement in all departments if they want to run the All Blacks close in that match in Melbourne on July 29.
It’s not been a happy return for Eddie Jones…
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Up next: All Blacks (TWICE!) 😬 https://t.co/aApJIHpka5
— RugbyInsideLine (@RugbyInsideLine) July 15, 2023
Six-two bench split backfires
The injury to Ikitau on 18 minutes gave boss Jones his most unwanted headache as his gamble on the bench came back to haunt him. With no back-up centre in reserve, Australia had to rejig their backline as Gordon played alongside Samu Kerevi, leaving scrum-half Tate McDermott as their only remaining bench option.
Early on after Ikitau’s exit, the Wallabies’ midfield defence looked all at sea, and Los Pumas duly capitalised in those wide channels. While Gordon did impress with ball in hand, it was a big ask of the youngster and an Australian backline lacking in familiar relationships to become watertight under the circumstances.
On the back of last week’s decision to select Suliasi Vunivalu over Nawaqanitawase, who starred today, Thursday’s bench call has come back to haunt Jones.
Superb debut by Rodrigo Isgro
The new cap in the Pumas side, Isgro looked like he’d been around on the international scene for years as he put in an excellent performance in this famous win. He was incredibly unfortunate to come up just short of a try on debut, but thankfully, for Isgro it didn’t impact on the result as he can celebrate a special day.
The Sevens speedster finished the match with a team-high 82 metres from his 10 carries and looks right at home at this level, with Mateo Carreras on the other wing chipping in with a superb try and 52 metres of his own. The pair, alongside the steady Jeromino de la Fuente and Lucio Cinti in midfield, had solid games.
24-year-old Isgro though, was the standout in the backline as his power, pace and calmness in possession was evident throughout. His debut was one to remember.
READ MORE: Argentina player ratings: Michael Cheika’s selection call pays off as Rodrigo Isgro stars
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