Welcome to Round Six of the 2017 Rugby Championship between Argentina and Australia.
This season has not been one that Argentina rugby fans will look back on with much pride.
The Jaguares finished in the bottom half of the Super Rugby standings, while Los Pumas have not won in the Rugby Championship.
Australia has improved despite winning one Test, but Argentina continues to frustrate.
Yet again, their ill-discipline and inconsistency, has been an issue. Argentina has conceded an average of more than one card per game, five yellows and a red.
However, both teams have registered one victory between them; expect a close encounter in Mendoza.
History is against Los Pumas in the Rugby Championship against Australia.
The Wallabies has won 14 of their last 15 games against Argentina, winning on four of their last five in South America.
Argentina will be looking for their first win of the tournament. The last time they finished a Rugby Championship campaign without a win was in 2013.
Daniel Hourcade makes four changes to his team.
Martin Landajo replaces injured Tomas Cubelli at scrumhalf. Marcos Kremer and Matias Alemanno take over from Guido Petti and Tomas Lavanini in the boiler room.
Petti and Lavanini lose their place because of their poor disciplinary record. Both were penalty machines last weekend against the All Blacks.
In a back row shuffle, flank Tomas Lezana switches to No 8 in place of Leguizamon with Javier Ortega Desio drafted in.
Hooker Julian Montoya, prop Santiago Garcia Botta and utility-back Santiago Cordero survive from the bench versus the All Blacks.
Wallabies name an unchanged team for the first time since 2014.
Michael Cheika makes no changes to his match-day 23 that drew with the Springboks in Bloemfontein.
Earlier, the All Blacks beat the Springboks 24-25 to claim their fifth Rugby Championship title in six years.
Although this is a dead-rubber, both teams will want to end the tournament with a victory.
If Australia wins, they will finish second above South Africa. Los Pumas will get the wooden spoon whether they win or lose.
Match detail
We are waiting for the kick-off.
1.00: BEEP! BEEP! We are underway in Mendoza for the final match of the 2017 Rugby championship. Bernard Foley kicks deep and Argentina carries the ball forward before clearing to their 10-metres line.
3.00: Kurtley Beale claims the mark, kicks deep and the ball is returned with interest. Beale takes a quick throw and Australia counter-attack from deep. Israel Folau and Beale combining early on, but the ball is lost in touch.
4.00: Australia gets the first put into the scrum. It collapses and referee Mathieu Raynal tells the front rows to “wait for my call” before engaging.
5.00: Wallabies get the penalty for pulling the scrum down. Foley kicks into the Pumas’ 22.
6.00: Australia goes to a driving maul, but Adam Coleman is penalised for obstruction.
7.00: Argentina attacks wide but they lose the ball forward; scrum to the Aussies.
9.00: Jack Dempsey rumbles forward, but after several phases, Coleman loses the ball in contact. The hosts will have a defensive scrum about seven metres from their goal-line.
10.00: BIG SCRUM from Los Pumas’ pack; they are awarded the penalty and clear their lines.
11.00: Oh dear, another knock-on, this time by skipper Agustina Creevy. argentina has not had more than two phases in the game. Both sides’ handling has been poor in the opening stages.
13.00: Another penalty to the visitors; Foley kicks to the corner.
15.00: Dempsey collected Tatafu Polota-Nau’s throw and the Wallabies set up a driving maul. The hooker peeled to the right but the maul was pulled down by Matias Alemanno. Foley calls for the tee.
16.00: PENALTY! Foley can’t miss from in front: 0-3
17.00: Australia going through the phases. Scott Sio and Sekope Kepu combined with a one-two but the ball is lost forwards. Scrum to the home team just outside their 22.
18.00: BIG SCRUM from the Wallaby pack; their earn the penalty and Foley will look to double his side’s lead. The kick is right in front, 27 metres out.
19.00: MISS! Foley, like Elton Jantjies and Lima Sopoaga in Cape Town, misses from in front: 0-3
20.00: TRY Marika Koroibete! It came from Foley and Beale, both straighten before contact, sending the pass wide. The winger gathers on the touchline and hands off Javier Ortega Desio before running away to score in the corner: 0-8
21.00: Another miss from the standoff: 0-8
23.00: Argentian has an opportunity from 10 metres out after the Aussies give away a penalty. Somehow, they botch the lineout but get another penalty. Nicolas Sanchez kicks to the corner.
25.00: TRY time for Argentina! Matias Alemanno stretches out and scores under the posts. Pablo Matera and Jeronimo de la Fuente went close before the lock got his five-pointer: 5-8
26.00: Sanchez makes no mistake from in front: 7-8
28.00: Beale goes for a stab-kick and De la Fuente intercepts the kick. Argentina breaks from their 22 and starts a counter-attack. eventually, the move breaks down and Foley clears deep.
29.00: Sanchez darts through a small gap, is tackled but Michael Hooper is penalised for going off his feet. The standoff will take a shot from 15 metres in front.
30.00: PENALTY is good and the Pumas lead for the first time: 10-8
32.00: After a slow start, the home team has found a foothold in the game. Australia despite going behind, still look good on attack and are winning penalties at the ruck. Again, they kick to the corner.
34.00: SOFT TRY as Reece Hodge strolls in for the score after taking Will Genia’s long, skip-pass before beating Emiliano Boffelli: 10-13
36.00: Foley misses from the corner: 10-13
37.00: The referee tells Kepu to move away from the tackle, he does not, so Mr Raynal awards the home team a penalty.
38.00: IT’S GOOD FROM SANCHEZ and Argentian level the scores: 13-13
39.00: Martin Landajo takes the penalty quickly and begins an attack from deep.
40.00: WHAT A TRY BY ARGENTINA! Joaquin Tuculet goes over after Creevy and Sanchez combine on the sideline. It was great vision by the skipper and a good angled run by the fullback before crossing the whitewash.
41.00: Wait, it’s gone to the TMO and it has been struck off for a knock-on in the build-up. However, the Pumas get a penalty on halfway for a high tackle by Dempsey. Sanchez kicks to the Aussies’ 22.
42.00: Argentina goes to their driving maul, but some good defence by Australia stops them.
The half-time score was Los Pumas 13 Wallabies 13
41.00: BEEP! BEEP! Nicolas Sanchez starts the second-half, kicking high to his left. Sean McMahon collects, the ball is recycled to Beale, who strikes a beautiful kick to Argentina’s 10.
43.00: Australia has started with a bang, going through the phases. It helps when the ball is quick and the defenders are scrambling. They get close to the try-line but Sio loses the ball forward with the goal-line at his mercy.
45.00: Australia gets awarded a scrum-penalty. Foley will kick at goal.
46.00: It’s wide again; he has missed four kicks and as a result, the scores are still tied: 13-all
48.00: Genia shows his class and composure. He is dictating the pace and tempo of the game. Folau is tackled near the touchline, but the Aussies have another penalty. Hooper is getting frustrated due to all the infringements, but the referee is having none of it.
50.00: Penalty to the visitors, who opt for a scrum instead of taking the points. Do teams ever learn? Scrum reset.
52.00: The Wallabies go wide, Jeronimo de la Fuente tackles Folau, but Australia recycles and switches play.
53.00: FOLEY CROSSES FOR THE TRY! It came from quick ball and some poor defending by Argentina’s outside backs: 13-18
53.00: The standoff converts his try: 13-20
55.00: Beale is tackled into touch and the home team has a five-metre lineout. Wait, it’s a scrum. Huge opportunity for the hosts.
56.00: Matias Orlando takes crash-ball, but is stopped by two defenders.
57.00: TRY TIME! Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias takes Sanchez’s pass, cuts back inside Koroibete and is in for the score: 18-20
58.00: Sanchez levels the scores with another easy conversion: 20-all
59.00: Tomas Lezana is taken out by a high tackle from Koroibete. The referee is conferring with TMO Marius Jonker. The winger’s shoulder makes contact with the No 8’s head, but it looks accidental.
There is some confusion as Creevy looks for a penalty. The ref is not giving a penalty, instead, he awards a scrum to Australia.
60.00: Lezana was stretchered off with a neck-brace. The scrum is reset before an early engage sees the Pumas get a free-kick.
61.00: The game has entered the final 20 minutes. Argentina goes wide but the ball ends up in touch.
61.00: GENIA CRASHES OVER FOR THE TRY! It came from Hodge’s break after the lineout. It was a great run from the winger to set up his scrumhalf: 20-25
63.00: Foley slots the difficult conversion: 20-27
64.00: Australia gets another penalty, this time for offsides at the ruck. Foley kicks into the Pumas’ 22.
65.00: Hodge goes through a gap, but the ref is looking for a forward pass in the build-up. The first pass from Genia to Tevita Kuridrani was forward. No try, therefore we still have a one-point game.
66.00: Both front rows being spoken to by the referee. Argentina has the ball, yet they kick it away.
69.00: Stephen Moore charges forward, but is stopped by some big D. Australia continues to go wide, however, the tackling by Argentina is good. There is no way through.
70.00: YELLOW CARD Marcos Kremer, who lifted a Wallaby above the horizontal, as a consequence, the lock is off. Hooper points to the posts.
70.00: The kick is good and as a result, Australia has a 10-point cushion: 20-30
73.00: MISS! Hodge can’t add a long-range penalty: 20-30
77.00: HODGE GOES OVER FOR HIS SECOND! It came from Moore and Kerevi on the touchline and that is the game: 20-35
78.00: The conversion is good: 20-37
80.00: Australia goes close, looking for a sixth try, but the ball is out, as a result, the ref ends the game.
Full-time
Final Score: Argentina 20 (13) Australia 37 (13)
Scorers
Argentina
Tries – Alemanno, Iglesias
Pen – Sanchez (2)
Con – Sanchez (2)
Drop –
Cards – Kremer (Yellow, 70th minute)
Australia
Tries – Koroibete, Hodge (2), Foley, Genia
Pen – Foley (2)
Con – Foley (3)
Drop –
Cards –
Match Officials
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Ref 1: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Ref 2: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Teams
Argentina
15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Matias Moroni, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Tomas Lezana, 7 Javier Ortega Desio, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Marcos Kremer, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy (captain), 1 Lucas Noguera Paz.
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Benjamin Macome, 20 Leonardo Senatore, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 23 Santiago Cordero.
Australia
15 Israel Folau, 14 Marika Koroibete, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Reece Hodge, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 Sean McMahon, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Jack Dempsey, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Lukhan Tui, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Samu Kerevi, 23 Henry Speight
