Each of the last two Tests between Australia and Argentina has ended in a draw; only once in Test history have any two Tier 1 nations drawn three consecutive encounters (England vs France from February 1959 to February 1961).
Australia has lost only one of their last 17 Tests against Argentina in Australia (W14, D2); although, seven of their last nine encounters in Australia have been decided by a margin of seven points or fewer on the day.
- Australia come into this Test on the back of two consecutive wins against South Africa and will now be searching for a third straight win in men’s Tests for the first time since a four-game winning streak from October to November in 2017.
- The Wallabies have lost only three of their last 10 Tests on home soil (W5, D2) and have picked up four home wins already in 2021; the last time they logged more home wins in a calendar year was in 2014 (W5).
- Argentina has lost their last four consecutive Tests, scoring no more than 13 points in any game in that span; the last time they went longer without scoring more than 15 points in a Test was a five-game stretch from March to August in 1990.
- Australia has made 41 offloads through the first four rounds of The Rugby Championship in 2021, the most of any team in the competition and nearly twice as many as Argentina (21).
- Marika Koroibete and Samu Kerevi have each made three break passes in The Rugby Championship in 2021, the joint-most of any players in the competition alongside New Zealand’s Damian McKenzie.
- Julian Montoya has won six turnovers so far in The Rugby Championship in 2021, the most of any player in the competition and two more than second-ranked Michael Hooper (4).
- Michael Hooper has scored four tries across his last five home Tests against Argentina as well as making one assist in that time.
- Marcos Kramer has made 31 carries and 48 tackles in The Rugby Championship in 2021, making him the only player to have logged 30+ in both carries and tackles thus far.
Match detail
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1.00: PEEEEP! We are underway in our Saturday Rugby Championship double-header in Townsville, Queensland.
3.00: Michael Hooper is pinged for not releasing, Emiliano Boffelli calls for the tee.
4.00: MISS! Emiliano Boffelli cannot open the scoring, he should have got that. 0-0
5.00: TRY! Reece Hodge takes Quade Cooper’s pass and cuts through the Argentina defenders to open the scoring. Hodge straightened, slipped Lucio Cinti’s tackle before cutting inside Juan Cruz Mallia to claim his 13th Test try. 5-0
7.00: CONVERSION! Cooper adds the extras. 7-0
9.00: It’s not too humid in Townsville, giving the home crowd coolish conditions to watch the first-ever Wallabies’ Test match at Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
10.00: Australia wins the first scrum penalty of the night.
11.00: Hooper is again pinged for playing the ball off his feet.
14.00: Another bulldozing scrum earns the home team another penalty. Tempers flare as both sets of forwards get involved in a bit of push and shove. Hooper started the mêlée when he pulled a Pumas defender away from the ruck.
16.00: Taniela Tupou comes around the back of the lineout, but loses possession as he took contact from Marcos Kremer. Pumas get the scrum under their poles.
17.00: Pumas get the penalty and clear the danger.
19.00: TRY! Samu Kerevi is held up over the line, but Kerevi dotted the ball down on the chalk for his seventh Test score. Dave Rennie’s charges are playing with pace and tempo. Kerevi chased Cooper’s grubber behind the defenders before barging over the whitewash. They are sending the ball wide at every opportunity, using their outside backs to stretch the visitors. 12-0
20.00: CONVERSION! Cooper adds two more. 14-0
21.00: PENALTY! Boffelli puts his team on the board from distance. 14-3
24.00: Referee Luke Pearce pulls Cooper away from another scuffle, this Test is feisty.
26.00: The Wallabies pack win their third scrum penalty, Hodge kicks to the middle of Los Pumas’ 22, but Juan Martin Gonzalez steals the lineout, and Argentina clears the danger.
29.00: Argentina survives another Australia attack inside their 22. Cinti wins Los Pumas a relieving penalty.
30.00: The hosts win a penalty at the ruck, kick to the corner for the driving maul.
32.00: NO TRY! Nic White darts around the ruck to score, but the scrumhalf puts the ball against the base of the left post before knocking on. Juan Martin Gonzalez is pinged for tackling off his feet at the ruck. 14-3
32.00: PENALTY! Cooper extends from in front. 17-3
36.00: It’s all Australia but the home team cannot break the blue line.
41.00: Argentina keeps the Aussies out, and go into the break trailing by two converted scores.
The halftime score was Wallabies 17 Los Pumas 3
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway in Queensland, Australia.
42.00: Hodge is taken out by Boffelli but the wing’s challenge is legal as both players were in the air. The fullback drops the ball which leads to a penalty for the visitors, who kick to the corner.
44.00: TRY! A bulldozing driving maul ends in five after Julian Montoya flops over the line. There was no stopping that wrecking ball! 17-8
45.00: MISS! Boffelli’s kick hits the left post and bounces out. 17-8
47.00: Hooper knocks on Tupou’s pass; that would have been a score had the skipper held on to the ball.
53.00: It’s all Pumas since the restart, the Aussies are under the pump.
55.00: The Pumas are playing hard and fast, they are winning penalties frequently as they heap the pressure on the home side.
56.00: YELLOW CARD! Marcos Kremer is off for tripping. 17-8
57.00: Cooper is off, James O’Connor is on at standoff.
60.00: PENALTY! James O’Connor knocks over the kick. 20-8
63.00: Argentina on the march, winning several penalties to stay camped in the Wallabies’ 22.
70.00: TRY! Australia go 16 phases before O’Connor put Andrew Kellaway in for the match-winning try. 25-8
71.00: CONVERSION! The kick is good. 27-8
74.00: A linebreak by Australia almost ends with Kellaway almost grabbing his second try of the night.
79.00: Aussies win a penalty and kick for one last attack.
81.00: The hooter sounds, the game is over.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Australia 27 (17) Argentina 8 (3)
Scorers
Australia
Tries – Hodge, Kerevi, Kellaway
Pen – Cooper, O’Connor,
Con – Cooper (2), O’Connor
Drop –
Cards –
Argentina
Tries – Montoya
Pen – Boffelli
Con –
Drop –
Cards – Kremer (Yellow, 56′)
Match Officials
Referee: Matthew Carley (ENG)
Assistant Ref 1: Jaco Peyper (RSA)
Assistant Ref 2: Nic Berry (AUS)
TMO: Brett Cronan (AUS)
Teams
Australia
15 Reece Hodge, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Nic White, 8 Rob Valetini, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Rob Leota, 5 Matt Philip, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Feleti Kaitu’u, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Darcy Swain, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 James O’Connor, 23 Jordan Petaia
Argentina
15 Juan Cruz Mallia, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Santiago Carreras, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Pablo Matera, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 1 Facundo Gigena
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Rodrigo Martinez, 18 Enrique Pieretto, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Joaquin Oviedo, 21 Gonzalo Garcia, 22 Domingo Miotti, 23 Mateo Carreras
