CHAMPIONSHIP Australia 23 Argentina 19:AUSTRALIA NEEDED tries from Pat McCabe and Digby Ioane in the last quarter to overturn a 13-point deficit and edge Argentina in a dramatic encounter at Skilled Park on Saturday.
The Pumas looked to be on their way to a first victory in their maiden season in the Southern Hemispheres international championship after tries from Tomas Leonardi and Julio Farias Cabello inside two minutes early in the second half.
The error-prone Wallabies, however, dug deep and battled back with McCabe finally breaching the Argentine defence on the hour mark and Ioane following suit after a break from scrumhalf Nick Phipps nine minutes later.
The victory put the Wallabies second in the championship standings with eight points from four matches behind runaway leaders and world champions New Zealand, who have secured 16 points after winning all four of their matches.
Argentina stay bottom of the standings with three points but, along with the 16-16 draw with the Springboks and an encouraging display against the All Blacks, the match was further evidence they will be competitive in the championship. “It was close, we’re very disappointed,” said captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe. “We got a good lead but this has to be another step forward. We need to try and learn how to close these types of games.”
The visitors went in 6-3 up at half-time before Berrick Barnes levelled with his second penalty of the game after 49 minutes but the parity was to last only seconds.
A clearance from Quade Cooper was brilliantly charged down and collected by replacement loose forward Leonardi, who touched down. Two minutes later and winger Juan Imhoff returned a poor Barnes kick, racing through the midfield and down the sideline before flipping the ball inside for Farias Cabello to score .
Juan-Martin Hernandez’s fourth penalty attempt put Argentina 19-6 ahead with 24 minutes remaining. McCabe finally found a way through the Puma’s defence in typically direct style to score Australias first try after 60 minutes with Barnes adding the extras.
Phipps made the second try by bursting down the blindside before passing to Ioane, who cut inside the final defender to score. The conversion from Barnes put the home side ahead for the first time with 11 minutes to go before Kurtley Beale eased home nerves with a penalty a minute from time.
AUSTRALIA: B Barnes; D Shipperley, A Ashley-Cooper, P McCabe, D Ioane; Q Cooper, N Phipps; B Robinson, T Polota-Nau, B Alexander; K Douglas, N Sharpe; D Dennis, M Hooper, S Samo. Replacements: J Slipper for Robinson (30 mins), S Higginbotham FOR Samo (52 mins), K Beale for Shipperly (67 mins), A Faingaa for Barnes (70 mins), L Gill for Dennis (75 mins).
ARGENTINA: L Gonzalez Amorosino; G Camacho, M Bosch, S Fernandez, H Agulla; JM Hernandez, M Landajo; R Roncero, E Guinazu, J Figallo; M Carizza, P Albacete; JF Cabello, JM Leguizamon, JM Fernandez Lobbe. Replacements: J Imhoff for Camacho (39 mins), JP Orlandi for Figallo (41 mins), T Leonardi for Leguizamon (48 mins), N Vergallo for Landajo, A Creevy for Guinazu (both 61 mins), Figallo for Cabello, L Senatore for Roncero (both 73 mins).
Referee: W Barnes(England).
