The Wallabies have landed a major blow in their redemption story under Les Kiss, defeating Argentina 27-21 in a thrilling showdown in San Salvador de Jujuy. The hard-fought victory gives Australia their first four-match winning streak since 2021 and means Kiss remains unbeaten in his three Tests in charge.
That winning run has come against Italy and Japan, teams ranked No 11 and No 12 in the world. Punching up against Los Pumas, the world No 7, was always going to be tougher. But despite a yellow card and repeat errors in the second half, the Wallabies defied a hostile home crowd and showed enough flair and fight to grind to a gritty triumph.
After a fierce opening stanza, Australia scored first via fast hands and direct lines. A Carter Gordon short ball allowed Rob Valetini to bend the line and his backrow partner Tom Hooper thundered free, sending it wide to free up Josh Canham on the wing. Dragged down, he popped a pass to Brandon Paenga-Amosa who clambered over.
Reunited halves Ryan Lonergan and Gordon were zipping crisp passes out the back but when Lonergan varied the theme with a box kick, winger Max Jorgensen chased hard and crunched the sweeper to win a penalty. Magic Max stayed on the scene with a darting run down the blindside to create the overlap for Gordon to power over.
Even at 0-12, the home side weren’t rattled, and found a response in quick time, with a short lineout that split the Australian line and set Los Pumas rolling up the middle. Faustino Sánchez Valarolo led the charge, Simón Benítez Cruz switched the play and Santiago Carreras’s sweet pass found Gerónimo Prisciantelli racing through to score.
The San Salvador de Jujuy arena sits 1,250 metres above sea level and as players slowed to draw rasping breath, Australia struck. Repeat raking kicks from Gordon pinned Argentina in their red zone and, under pressure, they leaked two penalties. Australia made them pay, peppering the line for Fraser McReight to burrow over.
The altitude was muddling minds too. Canham and Boris Wenger scuffled over the sideline and then Australia went a man down after Harry Potter rushed up in defence and threw his hands at a Valarolo pass. The one-man advantage eventually paid off when two quick tap-and-runs from Pumas No 8 Joaquín Moro found the line.
Although a penalty on half-time extended the lead to 22-14, the contest was even, with Australia winning the ruck battle but Argentina’s pace and guile keeping them in it. But when Lonergan was injured saving a try early in the second half, Los Pumas broke away with brilliant hands and ragged angles to score a superb try.
Forward passes by Prisciantelli and Cruz scratched those points but Los Pumas cut the margin to almost nothing when Wenger drove over. Sensing the game slipping, Kiss emptied his bench and the fresh legs settled the tempo enough for old heads Valetini and Hunter Paisami to hammer upfield where Tom Hooper iced the opportunity.
Ben Donaldson’s first involvement was to botch the conversion from close range, yet another sign the Wallabies were losing the kicking battle. Instead they ran, launching crazy-brave raids with little effect. The injection of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii calmed things enough for Jeremy Williams to scrape the paint but replays showed a fumble.
With eight minutes to go and six points the margin, both teams went for a knockout. Instead, the game fell into an arm wrestle as errors and fatigue crept into both sides. Tate McDermott’s tap’n’go looked to ice the win but he was held up. Argentina reefed it into the red zone but a rib-rattling tackle by Billy Pollard allowed McReight to steal.
It proved enough. The Wallabies bolted the door and kept Los Pumas at bay in the final moments. It was a heroic effort led by Valetini, who charged from the first to the last minute, but underpinned by Kiss’s ploy to switch his young squad around from Test to Test. The tactic is building depth, momentum and, more importantly, belief.
