In the game’s last play on Saturday, Australia defeated Argentina. played in a soggy La Plata, Australia emerged victorious 20-19. Ben Donaldson’s penalty kick with time up gave the Wallabies the victory. Mayco Vivas was given a penalty by referee James Doleman for leaping over a ruck. Even though the Puma caught the ball in midair, the call seemed dubious, but Doleman decided that it was not in open play.
Rain remained relentless for the whole game. Argentina had to make quick modifications as a result. Pedro Rubiolo, the starting second-row player, sustained an injury in the first minute of play. Gonzalo García replaced Lautaro Bazán Vélez, the scrum-half who had been declared out prior to kickoff.
Early on, the Wallabies were impressive. Australia won the scrum penalty after winning the Pumas offensive lineout. They attacked and kicked long. Argentina drove Australia back, and Wallabies runs were contested in waves. The Australian onslaught concluded with a goal-line drop-out after 27 phrases.
Now that they had survived the early pressure, it was Argentina’s time to shine. Santiago Carreras’ penalty kick from a wide angle started the scoring. Gonzalo Bertranou, his half-partner, then pried open an Australian pass, allowing Los Pumas to venture far into Australian territory. Juan Martín Gonzalez scored from a lineout to maul after an offensive penalty. Carreras scored from wide to give his team a 10-0 lead.
In 26 minutes, the Wallabies made a comeback. Before fullback Tom Wright made a half break and placed Jake Gordon beneath the posts, charging forwards gained the hard yards. When it came to converting the regulations, Noah Lolesio made no mistakes.
Eight minutes later, Argentina answered by Santiago Carreras’ penalty. In general, the first half of the match was evenly matched. The Wallabies were superior in the scrum and lineout, while Los Pumas excelled in open play. Nevertheless, Carlo Tizzano’s possible knee-to-head collision with Santiago Carreras and Marika Koroibete’s possible head-to-head contact with Marcos Kremer did not receive the approval of referee James Doleman and TMO Glenn Newman, who left Argentina looking less than pleased.
In the second half, Los Pumas could not duplicate the first half’s energy. The South Americans did, however, have a strong start to the half. They gained their own kickoff and proceeded to put together many phases before captain Julian Montoya made the final play. During the game, Santiago Carreras was able to maintain his 100% goal-kicking percentage after Thomas Gallo won a scrum penalty. News for The Daily Rugby
Australia retaliated strongly. Rob Valetini scored after the Wallabies’ quick ball created space and he raced down the middle like a tractor. After 50 minutes, Noah Lolesio scored a conversion, making the score 16–14.
Australia significantly undermined Argentina’s dominance of the game with the use of substitutions. Argentina’s lineout jumped against the throw, and Allan Alaalatoa protested to Doleman about it, leading to a penalty.
A few minutes later, Argentina managed to secure a point. Despite Argentina’s near-goal from a five-meter lineout to maul, Tomás Albornoz’s penalty goal proved to be inadequate.
With ten minutes remaining and a 19-17 lead, Argentina had to win the game. For the most part, although not always, they tried to do so. Albornoz attempted to kick past the defensive line and recover, but he just missed the bounce. After Argentina kicked out for a Wallabies lineout throw-in on the Pumas 22-meter line, Australia launched a counterattack. After a string of raids, Mayco Vivas was called for a penalty and Ben Donaldson, his replacement, kicked the winning basket.
Referee James Doleman had notified Los Pumas that there would be a restart after Donaldson’s kick to penalties. Nevertheless, Doleman blew his whistle for full-time, therefore this did not happen.
On September 7, a Saturday, the teams reunite. The rematch is scheduled for Santa Fé, France, and Pierre Brousset will officiate. Marius Jonker will be the TMO, and Doleman will serve as an assistant referee. Argentina will be seeking for a way to close out chances, while Australia will be hoping for a rematch of last year’s triumph.
