Reviewing Argentina vs Australia

The Top line

Australia finally broke their Rugby Championship duck, in wet conditions with their control of the basics that saw them home with a last ditch penalty goal in La Plata.

Juan Martin Gonzalez opened the scoring for Los Pumas but the Wallabies answered through Jake Gordon shortly afterwards and sealed their comeback with a short range effort from Bobby Valetini.

However, it was left to replacement Ben Donaldson, a man rated highly both as a 10 or a full-back, to seal the victory as Los Pumas transgressed under the pressure of some crazy ruck work in the last moments. In truth, you might wonder about the legality of some of those breakdowns, with gold jerseys flying in from all angles to clear at the end, but Donaldson got the crucial opportunity to slot the three-pointer under the posts to see his side home.

Schmidt continuity

Joe Schmidt’s love of close quarter pop passes to maintain continuity in a very structured game plan is thought by some to be against the natural philosophy of Wallaby rugby, and Len Ikitau putting in one of his best displays so far at Test level, the visitors smashed and crashed their way forward off nine, with their loose forward trio, aided by the huge Lukhan Salakaia-Loto doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

Jake Gordon's crucial26th minute try, despite the final pass looking forward, saw him orchestrate his pack, where he made over 30 short passes to get them carrying into contact, that was one of the key differences as the Aussie half-back put in his most impressive Test performance to date.

The first seven minutes saw a massive shift from the Aussie carriers against a brilliant defensive set from Los Pumas as 27 phases of close quarter work underlined the way that Schmidt’s men were looking to approach the game. It wasn’t pretty, but it was mightily effective, and although it might not please the advocates of expansive rugby, it was the perfect strategy for the wet conditions in La Plata.

Set-piece basics

In all three areas of the set-piece, the Wallabies managed to find an edge. Whether it be in lineout legality where they enjoyed a rich harvest, scrum engagement where they were rewarded on a number of occasions, or the aerial contest, they won each of those micro battles by the smallest of margins.

Los Pumas may be a little perplexed in regards to some of the engagement calls – one in particular in the last quarter where Allan Alaalatoa appeared to be on his knees on the hit yet somehow won the penalty, but there’s little doubt that overall, Australia had the better of the scrum contest, a crucial battle identified earlier this week by Planet Rugby pundit David Campese.

The real key, however, was the dominance of the Aussies in the air. As the rain came down so Marika Koroibete went up and he simply dominated the space to create havoc in reclaiming the kicking strategy of Noah Lolesio and Gordon. The veteran wing had a monstrous match both sides of the ball, abrasive in defence, accurate in the air, and his contribution to this win was absolutely huge.

Argentinian fatigue

For some reason, Los Pumas have failed, in their last two matches, to show the energy and passion that they delivered in the opening Test of the Rugby Championship against New Zealand in Wellington.

The likes of Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer who had huge matches in round one, didn’t get close to the standard they delivered a couple of weekends ago, although Kremer took a massive hit above the shoulder early in the match and seemed to suffer as a result.

Only Gonzalez, the other member of that world class trio, stood up to the standards expected, but he spent time off with a head assessment and it was in that period that the Aussies mounted their comeback.

There will be questions asked about their front-row, although other questions may well be asked about the way the scrum was interpreted. Los Pumas have always prided themselves on their power in the scrum and, for all his brilliance with ball in hand, Thomas Gallo is still a long way away from being a Test quality scrummager.

Argentina might also learn a lot from the way the Aussies controlled their exit. It was calmness from the Wallaby halfbacks, together with control in the reclaim or chase, that kept Los Pumas away from red zone scoring areas, whereas for the hosts, it was all too rushed and frenetic by comparison.