Argentina delivered a historic blow to the Wallabies in Santa Fe, scoring nine tries to come back from a 17-point deficit and winning 67-27 in the Rugby Championship. The match saw the hosts trailing 20-3 before they found their rhythm late in the second half, scoring four tries in the final nine minutes.
This defeat marks the highest points conceded by the Wallabies in a test match, surpassing the previous record of 61-22 against South Africa in 1997. This heavy loss followed a narrow 20-19 victory over Argentina just a week prior, which was played in challenging weather conditions.
On a day of bright sunshine, Australia initially looked strong when Ben Donaldson set up fullback Andrew Kellaway for their second try, stretching their lead to 17 points. Loose forward Carlo Tizzano scored the opening try after a penalty goal by Los Pumas.
However, Argentina shifted into high gear just before halftime. Mateo Carreras capitalized on excellent work from Pablo Matera, and captain Julian Montoya took advantage of a disorganized Wallabies defense to further narrow the gap.
Before the break, Argentina nearly scored again, and after the interval, an unforced error by Marika Koroibete allowed Juan Martin Gonzalez to find the try line. Following a substitution of the halves by Australian coach Schmidt, Argentina kept the pressure, with Pablo Matera and Joaquin Oviedo contributing to a remarkable 38-point scoring streak.