Australia 31-34 Argentina: Rugby Championship 2023 – as it ...

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Thank you for joining me tonight for a landmark victory for Argentina, the Pumas running out deserved victors against Australia in Sydney.

I’ll be back here in a fortnight to see if the Wallabies can restore some pride against the All Blacks at the MCG, but for now I’ll leave you with Angus Fontaine’s match report.

As I mentioned earlier on, this match-up is a likely World Cup quarter-final in Marseille. Jo Higgins emails in: “Pumas proving to have a far better and more focussed coach. Could be dangerous opponents in World Cup.” Indeed, Jo, indeed.

And on that subject, Michael Cheika will be thrilled at getting one over his old sparring partner Eddie Jones. These appear to be a pair of evenly matched sides heading in different directions, thanks in no small part to the two Sydneysiders in charge.

The inquest for the Wallabies will be painful. The discipline issue has been years in the making. But that crucial aspect of the game should still not gloss over how Argentina dominated that match in almost every aspect.

Considering how the ARU jettisoned Dave Rennie for Eddie Jones at such a crucial moment in the international cycle, a lot rests on how Australia bounce back. But there are only three matches to go before the World Cup – and the next is against the All Blacks.

Will Jones be able to change the narrative again and palm off another press conference question as coming from a “smartarse”?

Australian captain for the night James Slipper can’t ignore the penalty count.

Ill-discipline really hurt us tonight again. Yellow card, a couple of penalties put us at the wrong end of the field. You can’t win Test matches playing that sort of rugby. We’ve got to turn that around, we have to train it. There’s quite a few of us who have to look at those individual penalties and rectify it quickly. Performances like that, we won’t go far at the World Cup.

Over to Argentina captain, Julian Montoya:

First, a thank you to all of the Argentinian people here. We thought we were in Argentina it was so loud. I would you say thank you and to all of the people in Argentina. And thank you to the team members, still things to improve and that’s a good thing. We need to enjoy this win because we worked really hard over the week and bounce back from a tough game.

We want to be fighting for every ball every metre and every contact. We know the game is not going to be perfect, there are going to be bad moments. We need to enjoy this win because we worked really hard but straight away we need to get better.

Discipline again so costly for Australia. They lost the penalty count 14-10, and so many of those were at the breakdown, stalling forward momentum and allowing Argentina to attack with impunity. It was ultimately an indiscretion late on that invited the Pumas to kick to the corner from where they scored the clincher.

Mark Nawaqanitawase is the man the host broadcaster pulls over for comment. Five minutes from time he was the matchwinner. His brilliant intercept try looked decisive, but Argentina would not be denied.

A tough game, credit to them. Right to the end they dug in. A few things we need to work on but obviously disappointing… If we can get rid of a few discipline errors we can hold the ball a bit more, we can use it and attack. I think they had most of the ball whole game.

Massive, massive win for Argentina. They thoroughly deserved it over the course of the 80 minutes, but the manner of their resilience at the death will be recalled for years to come.

What an ending.

Full-time: Australia 31-34 Argentina

The Pumas pinch it at the death!

TRY! Australia 31-34 Argentina (Gonzalez, 80)

Phase seven, eight, all the same, drive after desperate drive towards the line. AND THE WHISTLE BLOWS FOR A TRY! Gonzalez eschews the underground route, opting instead to leap over the top, and the big backrower has done it!

The conversion is good too!

79 mins: Argentina secure the lineout at the front. The maul forms and inches towards the left corner. Two drives, three, the line in sight, Can they burrow over? There’s a gold wall on the line…

78 mins: Now the TMO is involved. They’ve spotted Kerevi catching Carreras after the whistle had blown. The scrum becomes a kick downfield for a 5m lineout throw. One final roll of the dice for the Pumas.

77 mins: Argentina win the kick-off but they can’t build any momentum before play is halted for a penalty in their favour. There’s a delay too while a Puma is treated for a rib injury.

TRY! Australia 31-27 Argentina (Nawaqanitawase, 76)

Everything’s got a little desperate and frantic in Parramatta. The Wallabies backs try to do too much coming out of defence and concede a knock-on and a turnover on their 22. The Pumas get their heads down and cut from left to right, then back the other way. 5m out, the pressure building – and wow! – Nawaqanitawase steps out of the line, intercepts and jogs 95m for an improbable and breathtaking try. Deary me, this is unbelievable.

Cooper converts. The Wallabies are stealing victory from the jaws of defeat.

TRY! Australia 24-27 Argentina (Kerevi, 73)

Australia hit straight back! Quick ball just after halfway allows the Wallabies to throw flat passes wide to the left. Koroibete straightens the line, looks inside to Cooper who is hauled down inches from the line. The support play is rapid and Kerevi dives over.

Cooper with a superb conversion. Game on again!

72 mins: Argentinian songs reverberate around Commbank Stadium in western Sydney. The Pumas have outplayed the Wallabies in their own backyard. Can they seal the deal?

TRY! Australia 17-27 Argentina (Mateo Carreras, 70)

Argentina win their own ball and get back to the attacking phase-play. This time they do get the penalty advantage they craved which liberates the midfield and allows Mateo Carreras to cut inside from the left, hit the line on a lovely curving run to evade Porecki in the line and arc around the fullback and over the line!

Boffelli nails the touchline conversion. Argentina in dreamland!

67 mins: Argentina get back to their work, building through the phases and hitting Australia’s 22. The Pumas are furious at Australia’s breakdown tactics but there’s no penalty advantage. Phase nine becomes ten but territory is conceded and they have to kick to restore their ascendancy. It’s a good call too because the low skidder to the left corner is knocked on by Wright and Argentina have a scrum on attacking 22.

65 mins: Meanwhile, there were some handbags off the ball, which results in the TMO getting involved to unpick the script and conclude there should be a penalty against Valetini. Australia’s discipline, for time immemorial, has been a handicap.

65 mins: Argentina win their own scrum 25m out and boot long. Australia join the kick-to-kick for a while, until Koroibete fancies a run – and why wouldn’t he? His burst into bodies sets up the Wallabies but there’s a knock-on. Jones tosses his headset to the ground. I hope his calls are not monitored for training and quality purposes.

64 mins: The camera cuts to Eddie Jones, who, with his headset and microphone get-up, looks like an irate call centre middle-manager.

64 mins: The lineout is safe but slow and it needs Kerevi’s bulk to create some go-forward. The phases grow as White directs traffic left, then right, until Cooper shakes things up on his own. Then everything unravels as play heads to the left with Argentina forcing the move back behind the 22. Two stultifying phases later and a handling error gifts the Pumas respite.

62 mins: The sound of singing South Americans is the dominant noise in Commbank Stadium as Argentina sniff a mighty result. Australia are not out of it by any means though, and Cooper kicks them inside the 22 with an attacking lineout to follow.

Penalty! Australia 17-20 Argentina (Boffelli, 60)

From 45m out on a slight angle, Boffelli just about clears the crossbar and kicks the Pumas back in front!

60 mins: The Wallabies can’t capitalise because the Pumas steal lineout ball for the first time tonight. Play returns to an arm-wrestle at ground level on halfway, which inevitably means a technical infringement by an Australian.

58 mins: Australia secure their own lineout ball but tread water on halfway and are forced to enter a kicking contest. It works in their favour though with Boffelli launching his punt out on the full.

56 mins: Kerevi comes off his line and nails a Puma but Argentina keep the ball alive with swift hands. Six phases takes them across halfway but a superb counter-ruck on the right wing featuring Koroibete, Gordon and Valetini sends the attack into touch.

TRY! Australia 17-17 Argentina (White, 54)

5m scrum under the posts for Australia. Peyper implores Nic White to use it, so he looks to his left, doesn’t like what he sees, spins on his heels and instead cuts around the right of the mass of bodies in front of him to find the seas have parted. The Wallaby scrum half scampers a few paces then dives over for a solo try.

Cooper kicks an easy couple more and scores are level.

52 mins: Lineout, maul, penalty advantage. White and Cooper marshal their forwards with one-out hit-ups in the red zone but the defence holds firm, there’s a loose carry and play is called back to the earlier indiscretion.

51 mins: Another scrum penalty to the Wallabies who are dominating that set-piece. Play shifts quickly to the right where Nawaqanitawase accepts contact. The momentum threatens to stall but Australia do well keep the energy going crossfield, Koroibete again to the fore. The penalty advantages mount and eventually White is pounded off the ball and the whistle blows. Cooper kicks to the left corner.

49 mins: Since Ikitau’s early try everything has gone Argentina’s way. And the Wallabies still have only 14 men on the field. However, spirits are raised when the Pumas fail to execute a midfield scrum. That should give Arnold the opportunity to return to the fray and set up a massive last half-hour.

TRY! Australia 10-17 Argentina (Montoya, 47)

Argentina go back to the penalty advantage and kick back to the left corner. Another lineout, another maul, and now repeat drives under the posts. This is relentless from the Pumas. Wave after wave of albiceleste jerseys smashing into gold defenders. Surely the dam breaks. Finally! Finally it does! Captain, hooker, Julian Montoya does the business, getting low, pushing hard and touching down.

The conversion is unmissable. Argentina deservedly lead.

44 mins: Argentina finally kick the penalty to the corner. They win the lineout and are awarded an immediate penalty advantage as the maul forms. Carreras seizes the opportunity and darts through the line to set up momentum. the recycle is quick and Argentina fly down the right, surely they score! No! As the ball hits the right wing, the step inside looks decisive but Isgro somehow can’t fall forwards and is held up by Wright over the line!

44 mins: The big lock is in a bit of a pickle. He stands up and tries to run off his injury but he’s soon back on the deck with trainers around him. A frustrating delay in play. Eventually the imposing Lucas Paulos lumbers on.

44 mins: Argentina secure their lineout 35m out but Australia’s line defence is solid and repeat phases go nowhere – until a penalty advantage for a headlock is quickly accepted because Alemanno is stricken in midfield with what looks like a knee injury.

42 mins: 14-man Australia get first use and immediately fling the ball from right wing to left until Koroibete straightens up with purpose. Play then slows down at the breakdown and a couple of phases later there’s a penalty to Argentina at the ruck. The Wallabies are getting punished in this facet yet again.

The teams are back out for the second half.

The Pumas may regret not accepting three easy points just before the interval. They dominated that half but have only parity to show for it.

The Pumas led carries 81-27, passes 109-39, and territory 70-30. The Wallabies laid 115 energy sapping tackles to just 32 for Argentina. Australia’s finishers are going to have plenty of work to do.

Half-time: Australia 10-10 Argentina

Scores are level at the break, but no doubt Argentina had much the better of the opening half.

40+4 mins: The Pumas, with the man advantage, go for another 5m scrum in the right corner. But it’s the wrong call as the Wallabies win a penalty against the feed! the front row of Alaalatoa, Slipper and Porecki are pumped!

40 +2 mins: Argentina play on with a 5m scrum, rejecting the penalty. They win their own ball and spin off on the blindside until they’re held up over the line. Play comes back for a penalty advantage.

Yellow Card! (Australia - Arnold, 40)

From the lineout on the right the Pumas cut left at pace. The passes all hit their targets and by the left wing there’s only 10m to go but there’s no room on the outside and Gordon does superbly to position himself in the way of the only option inside. But Argentina soon force the turnover and continue their hunt for a score. This time it’s towards the right where there’s an overlap, and by the time the ball gets over to that flank a try seems inevitable. Australia do well to scramble defence but it comes at the cost of a yellow card for Arnold deliberately playing at the ball off his feet to deny a certain score.

39 mins: Off the lineout Gordon tries to break in midfield but he’s hauled down. Valetini then smashes into the line like a Mack truck as Australia start to move. But the ill discipline costs them once more with a ruck infringement allowing Argentina to kick defence into attack.

38 mins: The Pumas win their own scrum feed and then try to run their way out of their own red zone. Well, for one phase anyway, before a mighty box kick sends play towards halfway.

37 mins: Superb quick lineout and rolling maul. The Wallabies are rumbling linewards with menace. But in a split second the momentum stalls, the pack of bodies end up on the deck and the referee’s arm points in favour of the Pumas. Argentina’s players are delighted with their defensive work.

35 mins: Australia’s scrum wheels 360º and the Wallabies are awarded the penalty. Plenty of slaps on the back for Alaalatoa. Cooper belts the free-kick miles downfield to set up a 5m lineout.

34 mins: Argentina win their own scrum ball just inside their own half and run expansively down the right with space opening up in front of them – until there’s a loose carry and both sets of forwards have to trudge over and pack down once again.

32 mins: Argentina nail their own lineout ball and attack off the back of a splintering maul. The one-out running phases resume and the Pumas look set for another long series of play – but for some reason they change script, look for a second pass, and it goes to ground, where Carter Gordon is alert to the situation, scoops up, and hares off for the left corner. It’s a 70m foot race. Gordon, blond mullet flying behind him. Can he make it? No! The covering defender Cinti steams across and gets enough on the ankle tap to force the substitute into touch. The most thrilling moment of the night so far – and so close to a magical intervention from the youngster.

29 mins: Argentina have enjoyed the better of open play in the opening half hour and deserve to be level on the scoreboard. But the try scorer Jeronimo de la Fuente is penalised for getting stuck on the wrong side of the ruck after tackling Koroibete and the Wallabies kick over halfway.

The lineout remains efficient, but a set-play a phase later is called back for a sneaky obstruction by Alaalatoa. That was excellent refereeing.