Many people, along with a few experts, had felt Argentina’s time had finally come to win their first game since being admitted to the Rugby Championship against Australia in Rosario.
The signs were there: Argentina had pushed Australia in Perth last month, as well as making spirited performances against the All Blacks in Hamilton and La Plata.
Moreover, Australia had suffering a rut of bad performances, with their scrum a weakness that the Pumas felt they could exploit like they did in Perth.
However, those hopes were torpedoed under the clear skies of Rosario as the Wallabies blew apart the Pumas and emphatically won 54-17.
The brutal loss will hurt Argentina deeply especially on Felipe Contepomi’s last international game.
What’s galling for the Pumas is they suffered from the same flaws: ill discipline with the sin binning of Pablo Matera but more importantly being unable to capitalise on pressure.
The Argentineans had several scrums in the first half that battered the Wallaby scrum.
The powerful pack inflicted multiple penalties and led to Australia having prop James Slipper yellow carded after repeated scrum infringements.
However, they were unable to exploit Slipper being sent to the sin bin, with the Pumas scoring 0 points while Slipper was in the sin bin, as well scoring no points whatsoever when Rob Simmons was yellow carded in the second half.
Meanwhile, when Australia had a one man advantage after Pablo Matera was yellow carded, they were able to score 15 points and put the game to bed.
Argentina’s inability to capitalise on sustained pressure is seriously hurting their chances of winning a game and their development as a team.
They actually enjoyed more possession than Australia – 54% to Australia 46% and in terms of territory by the same number.
In addition, the Australians conceded more penalties: 11 to the Pumas 8. Santiago Phelan, as well as his players, must have been frustrated not to be able to convert repeated line breaks and penalties into a lead in the first half.
Their inability to score in the first half when the game was still close meant the game was soon lost. Though Argentina’s game is based on their dominant pack the backs need to finish off good pressure the scrum has created.
After Joe Tomane’s try the Pumas seem to give up like against South Africa in Johannesburg and wilted away.
However, credit must go to Australia who was quick to impose their mark on the game, with full back Israel Folau scoring the first of his hat trick of tries within a few minutes.
The Wallabies were able to win the game because they were able to convert their chances to points.
Their resounding win in Rosario will give confidence to Ewen McKenzie’s team: especially as they embark on their grueling schedule of six Tests within seven weeks away from home that starts with the dead rubber Bledisole Cup tie against New Zealand in Dunedin on October 19th.
For the Pumas injecting youth into their backs is a must for the upcoming end of year Tests in November.
The young talent within the backs is there in the form of Santiago Cordero and Patricio Fernandez but it seems that head coach Santiago Phelan is reluctant to use them.
New Zealand, Australia and South Africa have not been afraid to blood new players within the backs and its high time Argentina do the same.
In terms of the future it is likely Argentina will employ a new coach once Santiago Phelan’s contract expires in December.
The UAR’s decision in who replaces him is vital for Argentina’s progression especially with the World Cup two years away. Within the pack the Pumas are strong and have one of (if not the) best scrums in the world but the backs have to be improved.
Argentina could take the example of Italy. The Azzurri’s coach Jacques Brunel has been able to make Italy’s backs far more potent than in the past, which led them to victories in the Six Nations over Italy and France.
However, without the backs firing, the Argentineans will find it hard to win any games in the 2014 Rugby Championship.
That would be a crying shame, as Argentina during the past two years of the competition has certainly deserved to win a game.
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.
South Africa have managed to grind out victory in a "proper Test match", edging Argentina 22-21 in their final Rugby Championship fixture at Ellis…
Argentina's rugby union players believe Michael Cheika is instilling belief into them that they can be world beaters. The Australian coach is having an…
A tournament that was positioned perfectly at the mid-point, with all four sides having won and lost twice, eventually split into two, with New…
This year’s Rugby Championship has been fantastic for its closeness, and even if it probably did open up a bit with last weekend’s results,…
Sack all the tipsters. With all sides entering Round 3 with a win and a loss to their name, all conventional wisdom pointed to…
The second Test between Argentina and Australia hit many people like a bucket of ice water. The first Test was a rollercoaster that had…
