BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — An embarrassing loss a year ago in Santa Fe inspired a resurgence in the Wallabies that will be only truly assessed in a rematch against Argentina on a steamy Saturday afternoon in Australia's tropical north.
“It hurts. It still stings,” Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt said of that 67-27 loss the last time the teams met in the Rugby Championship. “You never want to be beaten like that."
The Wallabies were coming off two home losses to South Africa and a narrow 20-19 win over the Pumas at La Plata before blowing a 20-3 lead at Santa Fe, Argentina last September and losing on a record scale — the most points ever conceded in a test by Australia.
It's a vastly different scenario heading into the Townsville heat.
All teams in the Rugby Championship are 1-1 following Australia's upset win over the World Cup champion Springboks at Ellis Park and narrow loss in Cape Town, and Argentina's first ever home win over the All Blacks.
Old rivals
The coaches are well acquainted after regularly crossing paths, and full of respect for each other. The opposing players know what to expect from each other, too.
Schmidt rates the rugged Pumas backrow among the best in the world, acknowledges the kicking game and strong midfield and the threat posed in counterattack from the back.
Pumas coach Felipe Contepomi said the Australians bring a strong, athletic challenge across the field and he knows there's pace out wide. Plus, he's expecting things he hasn't yet seen from a Schmidt-coached team.
“He is so detailed on everything he does," Contepomi said. “He will have under his sleeve a trick, or two or three. We don’t know, that’s why we are expecting a really, really tough game.”
Momentum
The Pumas are coming off an impressive win over the No. 1-ranked All Blacks, they're confident after their record win over the Wallabies last year and they also won their last match in Australia, 34-31, at Sydney in 2023.
They've won three of the last four tests against Australia, and one of the big reasons is Contepomi's attitude toward results.
“For me, I hate more losing than what I love winning,” he said. “For us, it’s start from zero the following day.”
Pivot points
Both teams have relatively fresh playmakers, with 22-year-old Tom Lynagh returning from a concussion sustained in Australia's narrow series loss to the British and Irish Lions and relegating veteran James O'Connor to the bench.
For Argentina, Santiago Carreras will start after a composed and assured performance as flyhalf replacement against the All Blacks after Tomos Albornoz went off injured.
Lineups
Contepomi made three changes. Schmidt also had to shuffle his lineup to accommodate returning skipper Harry Wilson, who will start at No. 8, moving Rob Valetini to blindside flank, and shifting Tom Hooper into the second row in the absence of giant lock Will Skelton.
Pumas captain Julian Montoya celebrated his 100th test cap in that big win over the Wallabies last year. He's expecting a different kind of game this weekend.
“That was one year ago. You see the path where (the Wallabies) are now,” he said. “They beat the Springboks at Ellis Park and they almost beat the Springboks again last game. So it’s a world-class team. We’re expecting the best from them.”
Wilson on Friday said Argentina's form has been “unbelievable.”
“This year, they’ve already beaten the British and Irish Lions and the Kiwis, two of the best teams in the world. So, we know what we’re up against," he said, before adding that confidence is also building within Australian rugby.
“When you’re putting out consistently good performances, the confidence grows in the group.”
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
John Pye, The Associated Press
