MENDOZA, Argentina – In a tense, physically demanding second rugby test that went down to the final seconds, a penalty try awarded to Australia with 10 minutes left on the clock locked in a 28-28 draw against Argentina Saturday. The result was enough for the Wallabies to secure a 1-0 series win, capping a match defined by dramatic momentum swings, disciplined defensive resilience from 13-man Argentina, and missed opportunities for Australia that left the side frustrated with its performance.
Australia dominated the opening half-hour of the match, jumping out to a commanding 14-0 lead that looked set to deliver a series sweep and a fifth consecutive test victory. Though Australia got off to a rocky start when winger Filipo Dauguna dropped the opening kickoff, gifting Argentina an immediate attacking chance, the Wallabies weathered the early pressure. Argentina dominated aerial play in the opening minutes, finding success with quick set-piece possession from lineouts and scrum second-channel plays, but Australia turned its first sustained opportunities into points.
Returning Australian captain Harry Wilson crossed the try line in the 20th minute, capitalizing on a scrum penalty and powerful forward carries from Rob Valetini, Len Ikitau and Angus Bell to open the scoring. Eight minutes later, the Wallabies added a second try after another penalty: working through forward phases near the goal line, Jorgensen received a sharp pass from Ryan Lonergan on the right wing and darted across the line to stretch the lead to 14 points.
That advantage evaporated in the final four minutes of the first half, sparked by the bold decision-making of Argentina captain Pablo Matera. With both teams down one lock due to sin bin rulings, Matera called for a scrum from a penalty instead of kicking for points, and the gamble paid off with his first try of the match. On the stroke of halftime, Argentina winger Ignacio Mendy leveled the scores after a well-executed lineout play: Argentina spread the ball wide first, before flyhalf Ignacio Moro shifted play back to an open gap for Mendy to score, making it 14-14 at the break.
Australia reclaimed the lead seven minutes into the second half, when industrious flanker Fraser McReight crossed the line after a tapped penalty. But from that point, Argentina began to take control of possession, forcing the Wallabies into increasingly deep defensive positions. Pumas hooker Ignacio Ruiz leveled the scores again at 21-21, attacking from another tapped penalty to cross the line. With 16 minutes remaining, Matera powered over for his second try, the result of a grueling 23-phase attacking sequence that saw Argentina take its first lead of the match at 28-21.
The match’s final turning point came in the 69th minute, when Argentina was reduced to 13 men: first center Lucio Cinti was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on, followed a minute later by fullback Santiago Carreras for the same offense. The repeated infringement led to a penalty try being awarded to Australia, leveling the scores at 28-28.
For the remaining 10 minutes of play, 13-man Argentina mounted a heroic defensive stand, holding off repeated Australian attacks that sought to break the deadlock. Despite having a numerical advantage, the Wallabies could not break through the Pumas’ forward pack in the closing moments, unable to force a match-winning score.
For Australia, the result means the side claims its first ever series win on Argentine soil, following a 27-21 victory in the first test. But the result left Australian head coach Les Kiss, who remains unbeaten through his first four matches in charge, disappointed that his side let a winnable match slip. “It’s difficult to come here and do what we did, but just talking to a couple of the lads, we let them off the hook a couple of times,” Kiss said post-match. “We were up two tries to nil in that first half and just gave them field position, gave them opportunity and that brought the crowd back in and brought energy back into their game. It was always going to be a dogfight from then on in.”
Argentina can take pride in the hard-fought draw, which denied the Wallabies both a fifth straight test win and a first series sweep in Argentina, in front of a raucous home crowd that lifted the Pumas through their late defensive stand.