Australia fall short of huge comeback in Rugby Championship defeat to Argentina | Australia rugby union team

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Australia fall short of huge comeback in Rugby Championship defeat to Argentina | Australia rugby union team

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“How was that last try given?” asks an incredulous Andrew Sparrow. “The most obvious forward pass you’ll ever see. I can see how the ref might miss it, but what was the TMO doing?” I agree Andrew, it looked forward out of the hand to me, and very forward on reception. I’m glad it didn’t have a bearing on the result.

The celebrations continue as the immense Julio Montoya is presented with the bronze Puma Trophy.

Beautiful scenes in Sydney as fans are invited onto the Allianz Stadium turf. The Pumas players are instantly swamped by visiting supporters in a raucous mosh pit of blue and white.

“We didn’t lose that game because of the ref,” asserts Tate McDermott under questioning about the performance of the referee from the host broadcaster, “we lost it because of our ill-discipline in contact at the breakdown.”

Improbably, despite being on the backfoot for most of the day, Australia outscored Argentina four tries to one. However, they conceded 13 penalties to Argentina’s five, and Santi Carreras kicked 8/8 from the tee.

Although for the most part Australia’s performance didn’t live up to it, the crowd in Sydney today was phenomenal. A full house for a Test against Argentina is not to be sniffed at, there was plenty of noise throughout, and an audible knot of visiting fans added plenty of energy.

As game as Australia were at the death, Argentina thoroughly deserved their victory. They are evenly matched sides and a 1-1 result from their mini-tour is a fair outcome. Their battle for sixth spot on World Rugby’s rankings is going to go to the wire ahead of December’s World Cup cut-off.

They don’t do simple, the Wallabies, do they? Poor for 65 minutes, they still managed to find a grandstand finish to turn a humdrum defeat into a valiant contest.

Updated at 08.14 CEST

Full-time: Australia 26-28 Argentina

Australia try to expand to the left. Sua’ali’i’s pass leaves Jorgensen too much work to do. He’s mauled on by a pack of Argentinians. The penalty is theirs – as is victory!

80+1 mins: Nine phases, still inside the 22…

80 mins: Australia secure the restart then, as the siren sounds, try to keep the ball alive on their 22…

CONVERTED TRY! Australia 26-28 Argentina (Daugunu, 79)

Australia win the lineout and cut infield. 20m out, where can they go? Back to the left, through hands, and it’s clearly forward out of Kellaway’s hands to Daugunu, who runs over in the corner. Even the cheerleaders on the TV can’t believe it’s been given! “That looked bad” is the verdict.

O’Connor makes it a two point game.

78 mins: Play resumes at pace with Australia hurtling into the contest, but it’s too fast and helter-skelter and the ball goes to ground. But there’s a Deus ex machina as an earlier high tackle is called by the TMO and the Wallabies can kick downfield to the left!

77 mins: It gets to phase six then Tizzano wins the breakdown contest and Australia have three minutes to rescue something.

77 mins: Scrum on halfway to Argentina. It wheels around but holds long enough for the Pumas to exit to the right and start grinding through the phases in tight to milk the clock.

76 mins: It’s 15 v 15 again as Australia try to build on halfway though O’Connor. It’s Sevens-style stuff from the Wallabies to keep the ball alive but there’s one tip-pass too many and the ball is knocked forward by McReight. It seems clearly knocked forward by the backrower, called uncontroversially by the touch judge, but the cheerleading on TV does its best to gaslight us that it was some enormous travesty of justice.

75 mins: Brilliant from Mallia! McDermott kicks a rare beauty ahead for the Wallabies that Jorgensen almost gets onto. The Argentina fullback is there first though before he’s flattened by the Australian winger. Still, he manages to offload to a teammate and the Pumas kick clear.

74 mins: Scrum penalty Australia and the Wallabies streak clear on the right. Argentina repel them at halfway and the phase work begins infield but the Pumas lay a couple of msasive hits and put their hosts on the back foot.

74 mins: Argentina appear to win their lineout ball 30m from Australia’s line but the ball comes free on the way down and Australia have a scrum feed.

73 mins: Australia secure their own scrum 5m out and try to break through Tizzano. They make little ground so Jorgensen and Nonggorr accept slow phase contact in tight before McDermott clears to touch.

72 mins: The Pumas delayed their decision following the award of the penalty, then dawdled their way to the lineout. Once their they form a maul and threaten to drive over – but Williams goes from villain to hero – wrestling back possession just inches from the line!

Argentina have four minutes left to defend with 14 men.

70 mins: Australia accept the restart and try to run their way out of their 22 with the man advantage. They reach the 30m mark before McDermott box kicks. Jorgensen steams through but Argentina take a superb contested mark on halfway. That was clinch. Now the Pumas box kick and win an obstruction penalty against Williams for shepherding the chasing winger. The penalty is awarded by the touch judge. Argentina kick to the left corner.

TRY! Australia 19-28 (Daugunu, 68)

THIS IS MAD! Sua’ali’i again to the fore, this time finding the cute pass on the inside before returning as the support runner. The ruck is swift and in the blink of an eye Daugunu has 50m to run into after sidestepping Isgro on the touchline! He burns the turf as dives over in the corner to make it two tries in two minutes! Allianz Stadium is on fire!

O’Connor hooks the touchline conversion attempt narrowly wide.

CONVERTED TRY! Australia 14-28 Argentina (Kellaway, 67)

Australia continue to pound their way into Argentina inside their 22. Is this the start of another late comeback? It might be you know! Play doesn’t seem to be going anywhere until the Wallabies go through hands to the left and Sua’ali’i is like a magician, accepting possession then offloading to Kellaway to dash through the line unopposed! Brilliant hands.

O’Connor can’t miss the conversion from under the crossbar.

Yellow Card! S Carreras (Argentina)

66 mins: Kellaway makes a dash through the line and the Wallabies belatedly have attacking field position! Play slows as it reaches the 22, then a pass out wide is knocked down by Santi Carreras and, like Jorgensen in the first half, he has to go to the bin!

Penalty! Australia 7-28 Argentina (Carreras, 64)

The lead grows to three converted tries as Carreras strokes over yet another penalty.

63 mins: This has been a game littered with skill errors, especially off the boot. From the latest Argentina run the ball back into contact and earn a penalty for Wilson obstructing at the breakdown. Of course, the old boys on the telly are furious because the referee allegedly ignored similar infringements in the first half by Argentina. Their endless cheerleading benefits nobody.

62 mins: McDermott is again busy, collecting the loose ball and darting back towards the touchline on the left near halfway. Out of room he has to hurl the ball infield but it lands in Argentinian hands. The visitors then work their way to the left and inside the 22. Salakaia-Loto makes a huge hit, stopping the attacking momentum, then McReight is quick to the breakdown to earn the penalty and the Wallabies can clear… but O’Connor doesn’t find touch. Sad face.

60 mins: The ball comes back Australia’s way so McDermott again goes to the short side, the left, where Wilson is the latest Wallaby to kick weirdly and Argentina can mop up. But then they cough up possession on halfway as they attempt to raid down the right only to find Toole in the way. It’s chaos out there with neither side establishing a defensive line and bodies from both sides seemingly offside. Eventually, much to the chagrin of the crowd, the mayhem ends with a Puma penalty.

58 mins: The scrum is secure but not for the first time today the outlet runner – Paisami – does the hard work then almost undoes it with a wild pass. O’Connor does well to hold on and the Wallabies grind to the 22 before McDermott box kicks down the line.

56 mins: The lineout is poor and show land in gold hands but Nonggorr kicks possession away on the ground. Argentina get into their work in midfield but they have struggled all afternoon to make anything happen with slow ball in tight. They grind a repeat phase drive left and right, shuffling barely beyond the gainline as Australia’s defence lays hit after hit. Eventually Kremer spills the ball in contact and Australia get a scrum feed 5m from their own line.

55 mins: Australia win lineout ball 30m out then McReight is absolutely monstered on the ground by Montoya to earn the Pumas a penalty. This time they kick to the left corner! Are Argentina showboating in Sydney?

O’Connor now enters the fray.

54 mins: Schmidt has nearly emptied his bench as the Wallabies try to find a way back into a match in which they have been second best since the kick-off. Argentina milk more time and safeguard their territory with a handy kick to touch on the left.

Penalty! Australia 7-25 Argentina (Carreras, 53)

40m out, just to the right of the posts, and Carreras just doesn’t miss. Nerveless goal kicking from the Argentinian No 10. The lead is now 18.

52 mins: Argentina’s fans are making a racket in the stands as Matera and Molina come onto the field to give the Pumas some finishing power. They’re both involved as the Pumas just about win their own lineout throw on the left then expand to the right until Sua’ali’i nails a powerful tackle. But there’s the latest in a series of breakdown offside penalties, Pollard this time, and Carreras can take time off the clock while he lines up a long range shot for goal.

50 mins: Both teams try to keep the ball alive in Australia’s half of the field but it’s all a bit chaotic. Australia’s attacking platform is continually built around isolated counter attacking runners, quickly mobbed by visiting defenders. Argentina meanwhile look blistering when they go wide but are finding momentum harder to come by in tight.

48 mins: On their own 22 Argentina secure scrum ball then set off on a burst down the left. The brilliant Chocobares is again influential as play settles down on halfway. The lofted crossfield kick to Isgro is threatening but the Puma agonisingly knocks on in the aerial contest with a scintillating try almost in the offing.

47 mins: Argentina kick clear but the Wallabies mount another charge, Bell again to the fore, but he’s trapped underneath and the drive fizzles out.

46 mins: McDermott feeds Hooper on the short side and the Wallabies are in motion on the left wing. Bell then busts through the line at pace after the offload from Valetinin. This is promising – then Nonggorr knocks on!

Updated at 07.28 CEST

Penalty! Australia 7-22 Argentina (Carreras, 44)

The lead creeps up to 15. The Pumas have been the better side so far, and they have more firepower on the bench than last week to defend their advantage late on.

43 mins: Argentina return fire from halfway, passing flat from right to left then forming a mini-maul to grind towards the 22. Chocobares is dumped by a strong Paisami tackle, but almost immediately there’s an offside penalty and another simple three pointer.

41 mins: A rare kicking duel to start the second half – and it goes Argentina’s way with Carreras taking a brilliant contested mark on Australia’s 22! The Pumas then forget to secure the breakdown and the Wallabies pilfer easily and box kick to halfway.

With the entirety of the Allianz Stadium field now in shadow, the players are back out for the second half. McDermott and Bell are on the ground for the Wallabies.

More from Scott Probst: “Good to see that at last Paisami has started to learn how to pass the ball, but I think he needs some skill development. His running has been good though.”

Paisami’s running has indeed been the highlight of the half for the Wallabies. His power, along with Sua’ali’i outside him, give Australia a massive weapon in midfield. However, the attacking phases through the backline feel a little frenetic. Eventually Sua’ali’i needs to form a playmaking partnership with his five-eighth but so long as the 10 jersey keeps changing hands that familiarity is going to be difficult.

On the often risible TV coverage beforehand, the pundits identified this pattern yet used it as a means of illustrating how good the Wallabies were at the back end of games, implying early scores are overrated so long as the fundamentals of the game were being applied.

As Scott Probst correctly emails: “The usual early game pattern from the Wallabies, early mistakes, a quick strike back, followed by softening defence.”

Half-time: Australia 7-19 Argentina

The Wallabies execute the scrum and find the dynamic Paisami yet again on the burst. His running has been exhilarating. His offloading, not so much. He got away with one a few minutes ago but this time his Hail Mary lands in the wrong hands and that ends the second first half in succession dominated by Argentina. Can they hold their nerve this time?

39 mins: Argentina make a mess out of clearing their lines following the restart and Australia have a scrum just inside attacking territory with a minute left on the clock.

Penalty! Australia 7-19 Argentina (Carreras, 38)

Argentina’s lead grows to 12 as Carreras continues his perfect day off the tee.

38 mins: Australia secure their own scrum and find the bullocking Paisami again. Thereafter everything goes horribly wrong. The passing along the line to the left is clunky and after the breakdown is recycled slowly the ball is hurled deep to Sua’ali’i who tries to run out of trouble, concedes ground, and finds himself isolated on the ground. The gimme penalty is inevitable.

36 mins: Before the Australian penalty, play is referred to the onfield referee by the TMO for a potential high tackle by Wilson. The Wallaby skipper does hit the ball carrier in the head, but it’s adjudged to be off the shoulder via an acceptable technique and play continues.

36 mins: Back to 15 men Australia settle things down on halfway and White box kicks. Argentina get nowhere in tight so Carreras goes to the sky. His garryowen is dangerous but Chocobares knocks it on in the contest with Edmed.

34 mins: Another awful mistake form Argentina. From the lineout on the left they go through hands to spiral passes all the way to the right wing, where Isgro steps into touch. The Pumas have not punished 14-man Australia despite plenty of half-chances.

34 mins: Contepomi is absolutely furious with that kick ahead, screaming into his walkie-talkie. The Pumas could easily be ten or 20 more points to the good here.

33 mins: Australia enjoy some confidence-building multiphase play in midfield until another awful kick spoils the build-up, this time a weird chip ahead from Edmed. Argentina kick long, turn the Wallabies around and establishing territorial advantage. Into Australia’s 22 Isgro senses the moment, chips and chases but Slipper (that’s right!) is there to take the sliding defensive mark.

32 mins: The lineout is pinched and the energy ebbs out of Allianz Stadium.

31 mins: Paisami does incredibly well to beat the first line of defence then continues to pump his legs and drive into the next wave of tacklers. The offload to McReight is risky but the backrower holds on. With momentum Edmed then nails a perfect 50-22 to set the Wallabies in motion and get the crowd involved.

Updated at 07.21 CEST

30 mins: Both teams look a little lost as they trade possession either side of halfway. Then Edmed box kicks meekly to allow Argentina room to run out of defence to the left. With the man advantage they make repeat gains with Australia backpedaling. A three-man sortie on the right exchanges passes until Chocobares is brought down close to the line. The Pumas must surely score from here as they mass bodies around the breakdown with repeat one-out shoves inches from the line. Certain they’d drawn enough bodies into the melee they release the ball to the backs but Carreras spills it with a many-man overlap to feed! Massive let-off for 14-man Australia.

Updated at 06.59 CEST

28 mins: Argentina secure the restart and clear towards halfway. Australia knock-on so the Pumas can regather and box kick into Australian territory. The Wallabies are eager to attack so run the ball from left to right until Paisami elects to kick. It’s an awful decision and execution, allowing Mallia to mark uncontested 15m from his own line.