Wallabies pull off gutsy victory over Argentina

Sat, Sep 25, 2021, 9:49 PM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
Wallabies win comfortably in Townsville against the Pumas

The Wallabies have produced a commanding 27-8 win over Argentina in Townsville.

In front of a packed-out crowd, Dave Rennie's men overcame a second-half fightback as they secured their third win in a row, the first time they have achieved the feat in four years.

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They got off to the perfect start as tries to Hodge and Kerevi gave them a 17-3 lead at the break.

However, Argentina hit back through Julian Montoya as they search for their first win of the tournament.

As they fought for a way back into the contest, a yellow card to Kremer and a Kellaway try would help the Wallabies seal the victory.

With new fullback Reece Hodge at the back, the Wallabies got off to the perfect start with some picture-perfect counter-attacking, delighting the near-packed Townsville crowd.

This would be set up by a barnstorming run by Samu Kerevi, with Hodge holding the ball up and going himself to open the scoring.

As the Wallabies looked to exert themselves on the game, the class of Quade Cooper shone through as the Pumas failed to deal with their explosive attack.

Pressing the line, Cooper found space behind the backline for a grubber, with Len Ikitau scooping it up, allowing Kerevi to barge over in the following phase.

Argentina looked to maintain pace with the Wallabies and immediately opened their account after the restart via the boot of Boffelli

However, it was all Australia in the first half as the Pumas looked to repel waves of attack, with a late penalty to Cooper gifting the Wallabies the 17-3 half-time lead at the break.

With their backs against the walls, Argentina worked their way back into the game as they crashed over from a 5 metre maul.

They would proceed to frustrate the Australians as they looked to put pressure on their line.

In the end, they would be their own worse enemy in the half, twice seeing a penalty reversed after some foul play from Marcos Kremer with an advantage.

The second incident would see Kremer trip Hodge, sending him to the bin for ten.

This allowed the returning James O’Connor to control the contest and kick a penalty to extend the margin as the fresh faces helped turn the momentum.

O’Connor would find Andrew Kellaway late to seal the result and the win for the Wallabies, continuing their recent winning streak.

The win vaults the Wallabies into second-place in the Rugby Championship after the All Blacks claimed a last-gasp 19-17 win over the Springboks.

WALLABIES 27

TRIES: Hodge, Kerevi, Kellaway

CONS: Cooper 2, O'Connor

PENS: Cooper, O'Connor

ARGENTINA 8

TRIES: Montoya

PENS: Boffelli

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