The Australian men’s national rugby union team defeated Argentina 27-21 in Argentina on Sunday, securing their fourth victory for the first time since 2021. The win lifts the team into seventh spot on the World Rugby rankings after surpassing Los Pumas.
Les Kiss replicated the feat achieved by Joe Schmidt by winning his first three Tests in charge of the squad. Despite what Rugby World Cup-winner Matt Burke described as a “clunky” attack, the team held on during a tense finish marked by a vital turnover from Fraser McReight in the 76th minute.
Match Summary and First-Half Performance
The Wallabies established a 22-14 half-time lead built largely on the performance of their forward pack. Brandon Paenga-Amosa opened the scoring out wide following buildup play from second-rowers Josh Canham and Jeremy Williams. Playmaker Carter Gordon and flanker Fraser McReight also crossed the line for tries in the first half.
The forward pack outplayed an Argentinian side that played without several regular contributors, including hooker Julian Montoya. Second-rower Josh Canham delivered an athletic performance, while Rob Valetini returned to physical form in a restructured back-row.
Second-Half Defense and Closing Stages
Tom Hooper added a fourth try for the Wallabies in the second half while also securing crucial turnovers at the breakdown. Argentina applied sustained pressure in the final quarter, but defensive efforts from Billy Pollard, Angus Bell, and Fraser McReight halted a late attacking raid.
With time expired and Argentina pressing, a knock-on allowed Tate McDermott to kick the ball into touch to end the match. Players acknowledged the difficulty of playing away from home against a resilient Argentinian side.
Post-Match Assessments
“That’s Test rugby, isn’t it? We weren’t perfect, neither were they. I thought it was a good industrious effort,” Les Kiss told Stan Sport. Kiss noted that Argentina’s defense tested the squad and stated that improvements are required ahead of upcoming fixtures.
Acting captain Allan Alaalatoa addressed the team’s discipline and execution during the post-match review. “The way that Argentina got into that game was probably through our own errors, so they’re things we can improve on heading into next week,” Alaalatoa said.
Player of the match Fraser McReight described the encounter as a back-and-forth contest. “Argentina were very good. I thought we were poor in some areas, but I’m really proud of the group and happy to have got the win over here,” McReight said.
Related reading