Argentina Draws with Australia in Mendoza, Leaving a Mixed Impression

The final kick left Mendoza divided. When Nicolás Roger sent the ball into touch, some supporters applauded the Pumas’ effort while others whistled the decision to settle for a 28-28 draw with Australia.

“Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest thing to play from there,” Pablo Matera said. The result ended Argentina’s run of defeats, but the way it arrived left a distinctly mixed impression ahead of the Nations Championship’s return in November.

Argentina spent the first 30 minutes static and short of initiative. Australia, no longer the overwhelming force of earlier eras, kept its attack close to the pack through Angus Bell and Rob Valetini. That pressure produced tries from Harry Wilson and Max Jorgensen, giving the Wallabies a 14-0 lead with little resistance.

Argentina’s response grew from the scrum and Matera’s command. The captain supplied the energy, leadership and communication that lifted his teammates, then scored the Pumas’ first try and another in the final period to put them ahead late. His five tries against Australia now equal Juan Martín González’s record for Argentina against the Wallabies.

Ignacio Mendy also finished a carefully designed move that began from a line-out, with Matera involved and Joaquín Moro releasing the elusive wing at exactly the right moment. But Argentina’s playmakers remained inconsistent. Simón Benítez Cruz and Roger struggled to connect the team, while Gonzalo Bertranou also failed to make a clear impact in his brief appearance. Before kickoff, the players wore shirts calling for justice for former Argentina international and CASI player Federico Martín Aramburú, whose murder case was approaching trial in Paris.

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Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest thing to play from there.