New Zealand added another southern hemisphere tournament trophy to their cabinet after defeating Argentina to claim the 2020 Tri-Nations Rugby Championship.
The All Blacks, who lost their World and Rugby Championship crowns last year to the Springboks, added the Tri-Nations to their 2020 Bledisloe Cup triumph.
- Australia has lost only one of their last 10 Tests against Argentina (W8, D1); however, they’ll be out to avoid back-to-back winless games against them for the first time since 1987 after stalling to a 15-15 draw in their last meeting (November 2020).
- The Wallabies have won only one of their last six Tests heading into this fixture (D2, L3), their only win was by a margin of just two points (vs New Zealand in November 2020).
- Australia has won both of their previous two Tests played in Parramatta, including a 34-15 win over Samoa in their only previous appearance at Bankwest Stadium (September 2019).
- Argentina has lost only one of their last four Tests against opposition from Oceania (W2, D1), conceding more than 15 points in a game only once in that stretch.
- Los Pumas have been kept tryless in each of their last two Tests, after having failed to score a try in just one of their 43 matches prior; the last time they went longer without a try was a three-Test span against France in 1988.
- Argentina has conceded just one try within the opening halves of their games during the 2020 Tri-Nations, fewer than any other team; however, their six tries conceded in their second halves of games are more than any other nation in the competition.
- The Pumas have won the most (6.3) and conceded the fewest (11) turnovers per game in the 2020 Tri-Nations.
- Australia (15) have conceded more turnovers per game than any other team.
- The teams have met 33 times, Australia has won 25, lost six, and drawn twice.
Tri-Nations Rugby Championship player stats:
- Nicolas Sanchez boasts a goal kicking accuracy of 85.7% in the 2020 Tri-Nations, the highest of any player.
- Sanchez’s tally of 40 points is the second-most of any player at the tournament.
- Tom Wright has carried for 9.9 metres in the 2020 Tri-Nations, the most of any player to have 10 carries.
- Marcos Kremer has made 57 tackles throughout the 2020 Tri-Nations campaign.
- Francisco Gomez Kodela (20/20) has made the most of any player yet to miss.
Match detail
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1.00: PEEEEP! The Welcome to Country and national anthems are done, and we are underway in Parramatta, Western Sydney.
2.00: Reset scrum to start the match.
4.00: Francisco Gomez Kodela goes off his feet at the ruck. It follows an 11-phase attack by the hosts. James O’Connor kicks to the 22 to set-up an attacking lineout.
7.00: Australia on top in Western Sydney. Another 10-phase attack comes to naught, however, and the Pumas manage to clear their lines.
9.00: Offsides against Julian Montoya on the halfway line. O’Connor bangs the ball down the field and out inside the visitors’ 22.
12.00: Australia is camped on the Pumas’ try line, they go through the phases before the ball is turned over by Argentina. Superb defending. Argentina is not flooding the breakdown, just standing off and waiting for the right time to pounce.
15.00: Los Pumas are struggling in the early stages, they have given away five in the opening quarter of an hour. The Wallabies have them under the pump.
16.00: Marcos Kremer with a big hit on Matt Philip, who knocks-on. Argentina clears their lines after a mazy run by Bautista Delguy.
16.00: YELLOW CARD! Kremer is off for a dangerous cleanout on O’Connor. The TMO gets involved with the play; a poor call! 0-0
16.00: PENALTY! Reece Hodge, who has now played every position in the Wallaby backline, opens the scoring. 3-0
17.00: Philip concedes a penalty straight from the restart. Nicolas Sanchez calls for the tee from about 52 metres out.
18.00: PENALTY! Sanchez levels. 3-3
20.00: SO CLOSE! Hunter Paisami drops the ball around halfway, and the ball is booted forward by Rodrigo Bruni, but the No eight cannot gather the rolling ball. Nic White gets back to carry the ball over his in-goal, but it’s an Aussie scrum.
22.00: A big hit by Harry Wilson on Facundo Isa leads to an Australian counter-attack, but Jordan Petaia’s sideways run takes away the space leading him to kick the ball into touch. That’s not great from the outside centre.
24.00: Francisco Gomez Kodela gets low and over the ball, winning the penalty because O’Connor holds on. Australia has made 47 runs to two as they dominate both territory and possession.
26.00: Kremer returns to the field, his time off the field cost his team three points but no net loss thanks to Sanchez’s boot.
28.00: YELLOW CARD! Michael Hooper enters the ruck from the side but cleans out Sanchez with a high shot to the shoulder and neck area. It is a similar shot to Kremer on O’Connor. It isn’t malicious, but it is dangerous. Sanchez leaves the field for an HIA, he’s unhappy about it. 3-3
29.00: Domingo Miotti, on for Sanchez, cannot find touch, but Argentina wins a penalty because Philip is offside at the lineout. Miotti calls for the tee.
30.00: PENALTY! Miotti, with his first shot at goal in Test rugby, puts his team ahead as the rain begins to fall. 3-6
33.00: Rob Simmons torpedoes the ball down the field from a lineout, pinning the visitors inside their 22; superb.
34.00: TRY! Felipe Ezcurra sets up Bautista Delguy after a massive 20-metre rolling maul from inside the Pumas’ 22. Ezcurra breaks down the blindside, turned Marika Koroibete, and drew Hodge before sending Delguy away. The winger cut inside Koroibete and fended off Hunter Paisami before diving over for the score. Vamos! 3-11
36.00: CONVERSION! Miotti adds the extras. 3-13
38.00: Hooper returns, but unlike the Pumas, his card cost 10 points. Sanchez also returns, Miotti’s cameo is over for now.
40.00: A lot of reset scrums. The ref is talking to the front rows. Both front rows come up; reset yet again. Snooze.
43.00: Australia has two penalty-advantages, but nothing comes from the attack. Hooper will take the points.
43.00: PENALTY! Hodge doubles his team’s tally from in front. 6-13
The halftime score was Australia 6 Argentina 13
41.00: PEEEEP! We are back underway down under.
44.00: The mistakes continue to hamper the hosts; first, Philip knocked-on in contact, then a mix-up by Hodge and a support player at the ruck leads to a Pumas scrum.
47.00: The game has slowed down even more than the first stanza. Australia wins a free-kick and opts for a scrum.
49.00: BIG scrum by Dave Rennie’s pack; they win a penalty and will take a shot at goal from in front, but 45 metres out.
51.00: PENALTY! Hodge lands his third goal to reduce the deficit to four points. 9-13
53.00: Another big scrum by the home team, winning a penalty. Hodge boots his team out of danger.
56.00: The conditions are wet and slippery as the rain continues to fall. The handling errors are mounting, especially in contact and from high kicks.
59.00: More mistakes see both teams playing the percentages, kicking everything from inside their half.
60.00: RED CARD! Lukhan Salakaia-Loto is sent off for a dangerous tackle on Santiago Grondona, who leaves the field for an HIA. 9-13
61.00: PENALTY! Miotti slots the kick in the pouring rain. 9-16
64.00: Australia kicks a penalty deep inside the opposition’s 22.
66.00: Another penalty to Australia, who go to their lineout again. Argentina under pressure on their line.
67.00: YELLOW CARD! Lucas Paulos is off for cynical play on his try-line. 9-16
68.00: TRY! Michael Hooper flops over the whitewash with the help of Taniela Tupou after a powerful driving maul for his record-setting 20th international try, the first forward to do so for Australia. 14-16
68.00: CONVERSION! Hodge levels from the corner. 16-16
71.00: Both benches have been emptied, and both teams shuffling their backlines.
73.00: Wallabies have the throw on the Pumas’ 10m. The next score should surely settle this Test.
75.00: Australia pinged for a dummy throw at the lineout, it’s a free-kick to Argentina.
77.00: Time is running out for both teams to claim the win and avoid the Wooden Spoon. We have more reset scrums.
79.00: Australian referee Angus Gardner awards a penalty to the hosts; Hodge has a chance to win it from 47 metres out.
80.00: MISS! Hodge, for the third time this season, misses a chance at victory at the death. 16-16
82.00: The Pumas try for one last attack, but nothing comes from the final flurry.
FULL TIME
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The final score is Australia 16 (6) Argentina 16 (13)
Scorers
Australia
Tries – Hooper
Pen – Hodge (3)
Con – Hodge
Drop –
Cards – Hooper (Yellow, 28′), Salakaia-Loto (red, 60′)
Argentina
Tries – Delguy
Pen – Sanchez, Miotti (2)
Con – Miotti
Drop –
Cards – Kremer (Yellow, 16′), Lucas Paulos (Yellow, 66′)
Match Officials
Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)
Assistant Ref 1: Nic Berry (RA)
Assistant Ref 2: Jordan Way (RA)
TMO: Damon Murphy (RA)
Teams
Australia: 15 Reece Hodge, 14 Tom Wright, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Nic White, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Matt Philip, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Scott Sio
Replacements: 16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Rob Valetini, 21 Jake Gordon, 22 Irae Simone, 23 Tom Banks
Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente (captain), 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Felipe Ezcurra, 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Facundo Isa, 6 Santiago Grondona, 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Matías Alemanno, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Jose Luis Gonzalez, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Francisco Gorrissen, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Domingo Miotti, 23 Santiago Chocobares
