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The Wallabies’ World Cup preparations lay in tatters after a demoralising 34-31 Rugby Championship loss to Argentina in Sydney.
A final-gasp attempt to Pumas quantity eight Juan Martín González broke Australian hearts after recalled winger Mark Nawaqanitawase appeared to have saved the Wallabies’ blushes with a 95-metre intercept strive with 5 minutes remaining on Saturday night time.
A dangerous choice name from coach Eddie Jones harm Australia badly as former Wallabies mentor Michael Cheika masterminded the historic Pumas victory at Western Sydney Stadium.
Jones faces the grim prospect of taking the Wallabies to France for this 12 months’s world showpiece and not using a win.
Except Australia can rebound from the defeat to the Pumas and a 43-12 hammering by the hands of South Africa with success in both of their two looming Bledisloe Cup clashes with the All Blacks, Jones will probably be winless in his second coming as Wallabies coach heading to the World Cup in France this October.
Early on, Jones’s 5 crew adjustments from final week’s pounding in Pretoria seemed like a masterstroke as Nawaqanitawase, Samu Kerevi and Will Skelton all excelled to assist the Wallabies to their 10-0 lead.
A fast faucet and sharp footwork from Nawaqanitawase put Australia deep on the assault and — with the Pumas defence stretched — Quade Cooper discovered Kerevi lurking out broad and the centre’s inside ball was sufficient for Len Ikitau to dive over within the nook within the fourth minute.
However the strive got here at an enormous value, with Ikitau compelled off shortly after with a shoulder damage sustained whereas scoring and despatched to hospital for scans.
His departure and having no exterior backs on the bench compelled the Wallabies right into a reshuffle with Carter Gordon’s introduction at inside centre breaking apart the potent Cooper-Kerevi midfield partnership.
The whole complexion of the match modified.
Out of the blue the Wallabies’ assault was clunky and disjointed whereas Cooper and Gordon defensively seemed susceptible alongside one another.
Gordon tried his coronary heart out and was solely denied a breakout strive by a determined ankle faucet, however the 22-year-old was taking part in out of place within the largest match of his life.
The Wallabies discovered themselves hanging on at half-time and a participant down after Richie Arnold’s yellow card for intentionally slowing the ball down.
The Pumas had fought their means again into the match via a attempt to fullback Emiliano Boffelli, who transformed and added a penalty to go away the match evenly poised at 10-10 on the interval.
The guests hit the entrance for the primary time when hooker Julian Montoya compelled his means over 5 minutes into the second half earlier than Wallabies halfback Nic White darted over to stage the scores once more.
When winger Mateo Carreras beat a fatiguing Dave Porecki to attain out broad within the 68th minute, Argentina led 26-17.
However a Kerevi strive, then Nawaqanitawase’s rousing solo effort had Wallabies followers in raptures earlier than the Pumas snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
AAP
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