Los Pumas beat Australia in Sydney, hope still alive | OneFootball

This time, they were finally able to celebrate. The Pumas suffered again at the end, but kept their cool to close out the match at Allianz Stadium in Sydney without letting Australia put them on the ropes as they did last week in Townsville. Argentina won 28-26 after an extraordinary first half and a second half filled with adversity—a yellow card and, once again, some unclear refereeing decisions—that were overcome successfully, though not without some suffering for Felipe Contepomi’s team. Once again, as happened in 2024, the national team will head into the last two matches of the Rugby Championship with a chance to fight for the title.

The Pumas made adjustments and picked up exactly where they left off in the first match, the one that ended badly exactly a week ago. Contepomi’s XV played in Sydney as they did in the opening period in Townsville. Even better, because they were even more disciplined in defense. In attack, meanwhile, they showed great pragmatism, opting for penalty kicks to score early and increase the lead, rather than constantly seeking the lineouts as a path to tries.

The team was well-oiled, with many individual performances at their peak. Once again, Santiago Carreras did a great job at fly-half. And he didn’t just make good decisions with the ball in hand, but was also highly effective with his kicking. The Cordoban, flawless, contributed 23 of the 28 points in a victory that will be remembered for a long time. If Contepomi took note of anything, it’s the competition he finally has for the number 10 jersey.

In his 50th match as captain—just one short of the record still held by Agustín Creevy—Julián Montoya blocked a free kick and, after a run worthy of a back, ended up scoring what was the first and only try for Los Pumas.

Carreras converted, making it seven crucial points. Because the Cordoban had opened the scoring with a penalty, but the Wallabies responded quickly with a try from the formidable Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who scored with ease, dragging Argentine players into the in-goal. Tane Edmed extended the lead with the conversion and made it clear what kind of match was being played: pure speed and no respite.

After the break, Carreras remained flawless with his kicks at goal. And Los Pumas kept pulling away until they were up 28-7. But the fly-half also spent 10 minutes off the field. He saw yellow for a play identical to the one that had sent off Jorgensen. And that was a turning point. Because Australia grew in confidence like never before in the match. They scored two consecutive tries—Andrew Kellaway first and then Filipo Daugunu—while Los Pumas went through their worst moment on the field. Darkness was looming.

Argentina’s collective performance dropped, though not as much as last week, and it was individual efforts that stopped Australia. Lucio Cinti and Marcos Kremer were tackling machines. But just like in the last match, refereeing decisions once again tipped the scales. Because the Wallabies got within striking distance at the end, but did so with a try that was inexplicably awarded: because although Daugunu once again scored with class, he was assisted by a forward pass that French referee Christophe Ridley didn’t see, nor did the TMO.

Controversies aside—Contepomi left furious—Los Pumas held on and won a great match. And they also kept their chances alive to, just like last year, fight for a tournament they have never won. Now there will be a week of “rest” before facing the last two rounds against South Africa: first as visitors in Durban and in the final round as hosts, although in London.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.