Highlights - Argentina end 35-year wait for win over Wallabies in Australia
Argentina ended a 35-year wait for victory in Australia with a gutsy 23-19 Rugby Championship victory at the Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday.
The Wallabies had won 15 of the past 16 matches between the two teams, including the last six, and had not been beaten by the Pumas on home soil since 1983.
But, on a day that had already seen South Africa shock New Zealand in Wellington, a second upset came to pass as head coach Mario Ledesma – a former member of Michael Cheika's Australia backroom team – masterminded a famous victory.
Argentina have now won two matches in the Rugby Championship for the first time, while more questions will be asked of Cheika and an Australia side that have now lost three of four matches and only scraped past South Africa last time out.
Emiliano Boffelli nailed a penalty from inside his own half to put Argentina on the board first, but sensational hands from first Dane Haylett-Petty and then Reece Hodge sent Will Genia over.
Argentina responded in kind with Nicolas Sanchez, who last week became the Pumas' all-time leading points scorer, receiving Jeronimo De La Fuente's pop pass.
The action-packed start continued when Israel Folau found a gap to score a fine solo try and Argentina were denied a second five-pointer when Ramiro Moyano was deemed in touch when offloading to Sanchez.
But Argentina were ahead by the break when Pablo Matera's bulldozing run was supported by Marcos Kremer, who in turn offloaded to Bautista Delguy to race over.
The Pumas had another try disallowed early after the restart when Delguy was adjudged to have passed forward before Boffelli sprinted over the line.
A Sanchez penalty stretched the advantage, but Australia moved within a point when the ball was worked right from a rolling maul for Haylett-Petty to dot down in the right corner.
Sanchez once again eased the tension with a nerve-settling three-pointer, but it took a huge tackle from Tomas Lavanini to deny Folau with the last play of the game.
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The author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
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