The Wallabies have defeated Argentina 33-21 in Twickenham to secure second place in the Rugby Championship. It was a tight and firey affair at times with the Wallabies overcoming two yellow cards to claim the win. Samu Kerevi had an impressive game claiming two tries with Dane Haylett-Petty also putting in good showing.
The Match
It was a nervous start from both sides with Matias Moroni from Argentina dropping the kick off but the Wallabies were unable take advantage from the scrum as they knocked on in attack.
Argentina thought they had scored the opening try within two minutes to Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias after a Will Genia kick was charged down but the Aussies were let off the hook after the TMO ruled the Puma player was in front of the player charging down the kick.
The Wallabies were first to score to a try to Adam Coleman after a nice run from Dane Haylett-Petty down the right wing that needed a look at from the TMO where it appeared he may have lost possession as he landed awkwardly in the tackle.
The pace of the game in the opening ten minutes was fast with the Wallabies prepared to spread the ball wide with Samu Kerevi getting involved heavily.
The Wallabies extended their lead to 10-0 as Foley converted a penalty goal as the Argentinian discipline around the ruck was starting to cause them problems.
The Wallabies had problems of their own around high tackles with Adam Coleman pinged and he was followed by Michael Hooper who was given a yellow card by French referee Mathieu Raynal for his infringement.
This allowed the Pumas to get into the Wallabies 22 and they went close on one occasion but knocked on but they wouldn’t be denied again as Matias Alemanno was awarded the try on the back of pick and drives following another high tackle penalty, this time from Rory Arnold, to make it 10-5.
The Wallabies were able to settle themselves with Foley kicking his second penalty of the night but Argentina had a chance to hit back immediately but Iglesias missed his third kick of the night to leave the score at 13-5.
Adam Coleman then joined the yellow card club for a high tackle after the Wallabies were caught napping off a sneaky 22m restart from Landajo with some nice handling and offloads allowing Argentina to make easy metres.
Just before half time, Australia had great attacking chance from a scrum but the Argentina scrum held up well and pushed them back to earn a relieving penalty but they couldn’t keep them out before the break after good work from Quade Cooper and Haylett-Petty lead to Samu Kerevi going over in the left corner to make it 18-5 before Iglesias finally found his kicking boots for his first penalty goal to make it a ten point margin at the break.
Argentina were first to score in the second half with again the Wallabies discipline letting them down. They spurned a shot at goal and a quick tap from Landajo had the Wallabies on the back foot and Jeronimo De La Fuente spun through the tackle to score and the conversion from Iglesias made it 18-15.
It took a turnover from the Pumas for the Wallabies to score next with line speed pressure from Hooper causing the Pumas to drop the ball and he re-gathered the ball and popped the pass to Kerevi who set sail for the line under the sticks for his second try of the night. Foley’s conversion restored the ten point margin at 25-15 with only around 30% of possession.
Iglesias reduced the margin with another penalty goal as the ref’s whistle seemed to be the main attraction.
With 20 minutes to go both side rung the changes and the Pumas combination of Tomas Cubelli and Landajo was causing problems for the Wallabies defence as they found gaps around the edges. Argentina went close again but a knock on right near the line ruined that chance.
Wither over ten minutes there was an interesting moment as Nick Phipps gave the Argentinian physio a good shove as he attempted to retrieve the ball and after the obligatory push and shove which there had been far too much of, Argentina were awarded the penalty and Iglesias converted to make it a four point game at 25-21.
With the game winding down, the Wallabies finally got their hands on the ball and another Foley penalty made the game safe for the Wallabies at 28-21 then Dean Mumm sealed the deal with an intercept try with three minutes to go for the final score of 33-21.
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The Game Changer
Samu Kerevi’s second try. The Wallabies didn’t have much of the ball and that try made the points margin enough that the Puma’s could not wind in.
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[one_half last=”yes”]
The G&GR MOTM
Samu Kerevi Scored two tries and could have had three. Made good metres every time he had the ball, particuarly in the wide channels. Haylett-Petty a very close second after some solid runs, including the one to set up Coleman’s try.
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The Details
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”]AUSTRALIA 33
Tries: Coleman, Kerevi 2, Mumm
Conversions: Foley 2
Penalties: Foley 3
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[one_half last=”yes”]ARGENTINA 21
Tries: Alemanno, De La Fuente
Conversions: Iglesias
Penalties: Iglesias 3
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Cards
16 min – Hooper (Australia) – Yellow
30 min – Coleman (Australia) – Yellow
Crowd
48,515
