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The Wallabies have finally opened their account in the 2017 Rugby Championship, running away in the second half to bag a 45-20 win in Canberra.
An Israel Folau double helped the Australians to six tries, picking up the bonus point against the Pumas who were able to run it just two.
It was far from smooth for the Wallabies though, struggling through a tough opening half where the Pumas were able to dominate at the breakdown and make a mess of the Wallaby scrum in the opening exchanges.
A pair of penalty goals from Nicolas Sanchez and a 23rd-minute try to halfback Martin Landajo had the Argentines on top of the contest.
Argentina were able to hold the pill inside the Australian half for the most part, pressuring the Australian line and working over the big men through the middle.
They weren’t able to make the most of their dominant possession and field position count in the opening stanza though, taking just a three-point lead into the break, the second time in as many weeks they led at the break against a much more fancied side.
Coach Michael Cheika must have given the Wallabies some outstanding oranges at halftime because it was all the Wallabies coming out of the sheds.
Australia ran in 35 points to seven in the second 40 minutes, including three tries inside the final eight minutes after the Australian scrum completely ran over the Pumas pack.
Argentina lost a man to the yellow card and the Pumas were forced to play with 10 men for the final nine minutes.
Will Genia took the lead out of the Pumas grasp with eight minutes to go, but it was another two tries to Nick Phipps and Jordan Uelese that really sunk the visitors in the dying moments.
After copping flack for his kicking performance against the All Blacks in Dunedin, Bernard Foley slotted seven from seven off the boot on the way to a bonus point for Australia as they try to keep their chances of moving up above South Africa in the standings alive.
It was truly a game of two halves, and while the Pumas showed again that they can hang with the top teams in world rugby with their first-half performance, their inability to finish out the game cost them for the second week running.
Australia will head to South Africa in two weeks to try and break their deadlock with the Springboks.
For Argentina, they will host the All Blacks with redemption on their minds.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.