Wallabies v Los Pumas: Five takeaways as Argentina prove their ‘elite’ status while Joe Schmidt rues discipline ‘imbalance’
Following Argentina’s 28-26 victory over Australia, here are our five takeaways from the Rugby Championship clash at Allianz Stadium.
The top line
History almost repeated itself in Sydney in a thriller of a Test, but the difference this week was Argentina won as they refused to break despite an incredible display from the Wallaby bench.
Los Pumas led 16-7 at half-time, absorbed a furious Australian comeback, and found the composure to close it out when the game was on fire. This was a Test match that swung, surged, and demanded clarity under pressure, but one the visitors fully deserved to win.
The scoreboard told its own story. Joseph Suaalii struck early for Australia in the fifth minute, finishing a sharp move and converted by Tane Edmed in the sixth. Argentina responded with a burst of precision and intent; Julian Montoya crashed over in the eighth, Santiago Carreras converted in the ninth, and added penalty goals in the fourth, 14th, and 26th minutes. Carreras’ late penalty in the 69th minute gave Argentina the breathing room they needed to manage the final exchanges.
Argentina’s scramble defence was immense. Marcos Kremer, Juan Martin Gonzalez and Mateo Carreras made critical interventions when the line was broken, when the shape had fractured, and when the game demanded heart over structure. Discipline mattered. Argentina conceded seven penalties across the match, while Australia gave away 14, many of them in key zones and under scoreboard pressure.
S. Carreras controlled territory with the boot and tempo with the ball, playing flat when needed and deep when required. Australia’s bench brought punch as Angus Bell carried with venom, Carlo Tizzano hit everything, and Filipo Daugunu chased, harried, and threatened. But Argentina absorbed it all.
S. Carreras’ third penalty in the 26th minute gave Argentina the scoreboard edge and his strike in the 69th minute gave them the win as Australia did everything they could to run out of defence and to repeat their heroics of Townsville.
The result lifted Argentina to nine points in the Rugby Championship table, while Australia top the standings with one game to go this weekend after collecting two from today.
Santiago Carreras boots Argentina past Wallabies to blow Rugby Championship wide open
Argentina’s attacking evolution
Argentina’s attacking shape against Australia was a clear reflection of Felipe Contepomi’s fingerprints; measured, layered, and laced with ambition. From the opening whistle, Los Pumas played with width and tempo, using Carreras’ boot and flat passing to manipulate the Wallaby edge defence. They did not just play expansively for the sake of it; they earned the right as the forwards worked hard in tight, drawing in defenders before releasing the ball into space, compressing the Wallaby defence.
Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Cinti operated as dual threats in midfield, one carrying hard, the other ghosting into seams. Their timing was sharp, their angles intelligent. Out wide, Mateo Carreras and Rodrigo Isgro were relentless; hugging the touchline, staying alive in broken field, and punishing any lapse in spacing. Juan Cruz Mallía, as ever, was the glue, floating into the line, offering a second set of eyes and hands, and keeping the defence honest.
One moment summed it up. Midway through the first half, Argentina launched a strike move off a midfield scrum. Gonzalo Garcia hit Carreras flat, who shaped to pass but instead stepped off his left and accelerated through a half gap. Chocobares looped around, took the offload, and fed Isgro on the outside. Isgro beat one, chipped ahead, and forced a five-metre scrum. It was layered, instinctive, and beautifully executed.
Argentina did not just win the breakdown; they dominated it. Quick ball allowed Garcia to dictate rhythm, and S. Carreras to play flat to the line. It was not flawless, but it was confident, cohesive, and full of intent, and it’s safe to say Los Pumas are truly one of the elite sides in the game right now.
Won and lost
Argentina had the ball, the shape, and this time, the composure to match their ambition. They finished with 59 per cent possession, 56 per cent territory, and out-ran Australia by nearly 100 metres. They carried with intent, passed with clarity, and offloaded with purpose. On the surface, they controlled the game. But this win was not built on surface; it was built on grit, on timing, and on a refusal to break when the pressure came.
Discipline was the difference. Argentina conceded just seven penalties across 80 minutes, while Australia gave away 14, many of them in key zones and at critical moments. That imbalance handed Los Pumas field position, scoreboard pressure, and the kind of momentum that builds belief. S. Carreras, calm and clinical, kicked four from four and controlled territory with 571 metres from the boot. He did not just manage the game, he shaped it and was rightly named Player of the Match in a superb outing.
The scramble defence was nothing short of heroic. Kremer set the tone physically and emotionally. Gonzalez covered the width of the pitch, plugging gaps, slowing ball, and buying time when Argentina looked stretched. M. Carreras tracked back twice to shut down overlaps that looked nailed on. It was desperate, but it was brave. And it kept Argentina alive when Australia threatened to break.
Suaalii was dangerous throughout. He carried for 77 metres, broke four tackles, and finished clinically. Hunter Paisami punched holes in midfield, Rob Valetini bent the line and gave Australia front-foot ball. But Argentina absorbed it all. They scrambled, they reset, and they refused to fold.
The final blow came in the 69th minute. S. Carreras stepped up, nailed the penalty, and sealed the win. Argentina did not just survive, they executed. They won the moments and this week they won the match.
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Bench impact again
Australia’s bench arrived with intent for the second week running and, with remarkable symmetry, they almost turned the result around. They brought energy, urgency, and a late surge of belief that briefly threatened to tilt the match. Bell was the standout. He entered with 20 minutes to play and immediately added weight to the scrum, bite to the carry, and clarity to the breakdown. His footwork in contact was sharp, his body position low, and his timing precise. He scored the try that gave Australia hope; six minutes into added time, a one-phase finish off a short ball, powered through two defenders with a kind of defiance that deserved more than it got. It was a moment that lifted the crowd, but not the scoreboard.
Tizzano brought edge and intent. He hit hard, carried with venom, and looked like a man playing for something more than minutes, focused purely on result. His entry lifted the tempo, especially around the ruck, where he disrupted Argentina’s clean ball and forced a couple of messy exits. He did not just add physicality, he added urgency, but the Wallabies could not convert that urgency into control.
Daugunu added spark and threat. He chased everything, beat two defenders, and nearly broke the line off a wide switch. His footwork was sharp, his lines aggressive, and his intent clear, but Argentina’s scramble defence held firm. He looked dangerous and his two tries almost delivered the unthinkable.
The bench brought punch, and it brought momentum. But Argentina absorbed it, reset, and closed the game with composure. Australia’s finish was brave but Argentina’s was better.
Theatre
From the moment the teams emerged, Allianz Stadium pulsed with colour, noise and intent. Argentina’s supporters brought the rhythm. Drums, chants, flags waving in unison. It was not just support, it was identity. Every carry, every tackle, every turnover was met with a roar that felt personal. You could feel the pride in the stands, the belief that this team represented something bigger than sport.
Australia’s travelling support played their part too. Pockets of gold scattered through the crowd, defiant and vocal. But this was Argentina’s afternoon.
The atmosphere was electric, not just loud but alive. It surged with every break, dipped with every missed chance, and exploded when Isgro chipped ahead and forced the five-metre scrum. That moment lit the place up.
The spectacle was not just on the pitch. It was in the faces, the flags, the rhythm of the crowd. It was a reminder that rugby, at its best, is not just a contest of skill and structure; it is a shared experience. And in this match, Argentina’s supporters turned a match into a movement. They did not just watch, they lived every second and it’s great to see rugby passion from a country where football competes as a religion.
With 42,000 packed into Allianz Stadium, the noise was relentless. It was not orchestrated; it was organic and wonderful. A living, breathing wall of sound that lifted the players and framed the occasion.
This Test was exactly the statement of spectacle and support Rugby Union needs in Australia, and credit to both teams for such a spectacular event.
