Sun 16 Sep 2012 | 11:52

Wallabies avoid defeat with come from behind win over Argentina

27 Comments

• brunogiandi

  8:50 AM 05/10/2012

  I really want to thank you all people for supporting Argentinian rugby with such respect. I feel proud of the sport itself when I see comments and replying with such a good manner.
  
  I am proud also for Los Pumas, personally I DID thought that we were going to get our ass kicked, but their performance, especially the heart and sweat they leave in the field, fills me with honour..
  
  Thank you all for letting us be part of this. Cheers
• valar

  3:27 AM 27/09/2012

  Well played Aussies! You've surpassed us this time. The match was very interesting, but it still shows The Pumas's weakness. Past the 65 min Mark my country's team can't handle the pressure anymore. The same happened vs the Blacks as well.
  Lets hope we can snatch a win as Locals. Hopefully we will.
  
  To all Kiwis and Aussies going to see the matches in Argentina, i hope you enjoy our country, it is very beautifull, has a BS government, but beautifull nonetheless.
  BTW, i apologize in advance if the crowd starts cheering/chanting/Booing.
  
  Regards.
• oso

  4:18 AM 21/09/2012

  Jon,
  that is why I will be eternally grateful to Rugby: that it made me know people from everywhere better and go beyond first impressions, even now as a fan a former player!
  It is exciting to see the way in which this Rugby Championship will help thousands of kids from so distant countries to know and appreciate each other's culture and differences with a lot of shared values.
  All the best.
• oso

  4:08 AM 21/09/2012

  Jon,
  maybe I did not express myself rightly. It was an impression, what seemed to me as an attitude in declarations by some rugbiers like Paul Campese during the last World Cup ("Argentines are not ready for a Four Nations") and what I read in some websites by some Australian rugby fans. I recognize I am ignorant of the facts that you point out, and for that I say thanks a lot! also to the ARU.
  Actually, after writing what I wrote, buuum! I found that article by John Eales that really touched me for his generous comments about the Pumas' spirit and sacrifice.
  
  http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/pumas-show-commitment-is-in-their-dna-20120916-260t6.html
  
  Therefore my apologies and thank you for your post.
• oso

  5:38 PM 20/09/2012

  This an interesting article that I totally endorse. It couldn't be said better.
  
  http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/pumas-show-commitment-is-in-their-dna-20120916-260t6.html
• ak-nz

  1:14 AM 20/09/2012

  Well said that man!
• ak-nz

  12:41 AM 20/09/2012

  I don't know where you're getting this idea that people in the South consider Argentina unworthy for inclusion the Southern Hemisphere competition. I have honestly not heard a single person in my group of friends and family say anything disparaging about Argentina. Quite the opposite actually. Since their performance in the 2007 World Cup I've been hoping that they would be included in an annual competition. Even in the media here in NZ I haven't heard anything negative about this. It's been known for a long time that Argentina would be included in the Tri Nations, and my impression is that people (in NZ anyway) have simply been eager to see how Argentina would fare. And so far from what I can tell, most people are pleased with the Pumas' efforts. Please don't think that just because we are from the Southern Hemisphere that we look down on other rugby nations, because for most real fans, that simply is not the case. Cheers.
• 9:28 PM 19/09/2012

  In that two tmos australia was not even close to score, accept you were lucky.
  
• 9:28 PM 19/09/2012

  In that two tmos australia was not even close to score, accept you were lucky.
  
• colombes

  1:11 PM 19/09/2012

  always more easy to comment on argies courage just after a very tight victory... what the point with rugbydump? what an insane deformation
  
  i was referring to harsh comments from nz and aussie medias and fans saying argentina hadn't its place in the 4N. ignoring it is just hypocritical. and you don't have to be argie to constate that....
  
  not a question of being argie, it's a question of: what rugby we want for the next years?
  - the same party between the same 8 or 10 major nations since 30 years
  - or encourage a stronger and global rugby with teams like argentina as flagship, and spain, portugal, madagascar, kenya, russia as emergents. all these teams need top-level matchs between world cups, rather to discover and be trashed every 4 years.
  it took 15 years for argentina to be accepted, it says a lot...
• colombes

  1:31 PM 18/09/2012

  Like many, i'm supporting the argies, not because it's fashionable, but because we need a strong argentina team in the world.
  i'm supporting the seleccion since many years, even whenh they narrowly beated "my" team, France. Stronger will be argnetina, stronger will be world rugby.
  
  Furthermore, this "aussie" highlights don't give any good vision of the argie perf. it sums up the lack of consideration of argentina in the south.... i really can't wait to see argentina gives a good slap to SA or Australia, and it will be very very soon some smiles will then disappear (the same smiles who said that argentina would be beaten by 50 at every match...)
  
  Fuerza pumas!
• rugby08

  5:59 PM 17/09/2012

  Lol Tito's a bit precious ain't he?
• guy

  8:40 AM 17/09/2012

  Tito, please take that kind of behaviour to youtube or sissyballdump.com. We are all rugby supporters and although we are from different countries, support different teams and have different opinions, we basicly treat eachother with a lot of respect.
  
  At one point we will all learn the names of that bold flyhalf, that old prop, that excellent number 8 and the banana-kick-man. Just give it some time... ;-)
• frenchie

  3:28 AM 17/09/2012

  I never doubted the Pumas would be a very tough team to beat, that they will compete with all the other teams in the 4N. And they will get better and better.
  GO PUMAS!
• 3:17 AM 17/09/2012

  Old Bill Mclaren didn't only learn there names, he dug up a story about each of them to personalize the players. I fear that those days of a more intimate rugby experience are gone. the wallaby commentattors remind me of homer journos covering professional sports teams in north america. more interested in the aussie systems and idiosyncracies that learning the name of the valiant team they are facing.
  
  here's to the pumas hopefully taking an ozzie scalp in buenos aires, they've done it before to big teams, i for one would be thrilled to see that (not has much as if ireland had finished their game against the ab's, but thrilled)
  
  vamos los pumas!
• 2:48 AM 17/09/2012

  Agreed.
• pacovidela

  1:39 AM 17/09/2012

  Although I admire the Pumas and their commitment a lot I am gladly surprised by the way the have played so far. Before this tournament it was a real mystery wether they would be able to perform in a competitive way or not. But they have really proved that they are up to the task. They still need to get that extra ruthlessness and belief the other top tier teams have in order to win a game, but I am sure they are going to get that much sooner than we all expected.
  For those who don't know about argentinian rugby, it is an amateur sport in Argentina. Nevertheless, most of the players who participate in this Rugby Championship play professionally in Europe. Those who don't but have been eligible to represent the country have financial support and special training from the national rugby union. So the B-Team that defeated France in June (and lost to the same team one week later) had still a majority of amateur players on the field, because the A-players were preparing for the Rugby Championship. It is just a matter of time until all the argentinian rugby get a quality and intensity boost, motivated by the performance of the Pumas so far. It will be very interesting to follow up on that evolution from now!
• joeythelemur

  10:19 PM 16/09/2012

  A bit oversensitive here. Clearly you're an Argentina fan who knows the players names, but you can't expect every other fan to know your players, especially when they've probably only seen them once or twice in the last several years. Tell me, do YOU know who played 22 for Australia?
• eggman

  9:42 PM 16/09/2012

  A really mixed bag by Australia I thought.. at times they looked good, especially with ball in hand and when they didn't knock it on or lose it at the breakdown every 2 minutes or so..
  
  Their defense was very poor.. They weren't tested too often as they had most the posession, but when they did their line broke way too quickly. Especially around the time the two tries were scored they were just terrible in defense.
  
  Quade Cooper once again did what Quade Cooper does. He was at times horrible (forward passes, intercepted passes, the charge down that led to the try, dropped balls etc.), but his passes in attack were usually pretty good, and he did spark something in the Australian attack that was missing before..
  
  In the end I thought the better team won.. Had Australia been a bit more ruthless and used their chances better (i.e. hitting the post twice with penalties and going over the try line twice without scoring) they could've (and should have) put another 20 points on Argentina. But because they failed to do that it got much closer than it should have been. Should be an interesting game in Argentina anyway!
• eggman

  9:36 PM 16/09/2012

  Calm down.. Just because he doesn't know the name of every Argentinian player doesn't mean people look down on Argentina.. It's just a fact that people in the South don't know them well since most of the players play in France (personally I don't follow the competition).
  Add to that that Argentina has not played as often as the other tier 1 nations because they only just were included into the "rugby championship". I'm sure that now that they are playing more often people will also get to know their players.
  
  As for the highlights of the second half: Not too much happenend in the first half. The only highlights I can remember are the two missed tries by Australia and great Argentinian defense. The rest was more like a blooper reel with all the knock ons by both teams.
  
  And how is it a bad thing that everyone's talking about Argentina? Isn't that what you want? And I must also congratulate your team. I was one of those that expected them to not be able to compete abroad. I never said 50 points, but they do play a lot better than I expected.
  
  For future posts, it might not be a great idea to finish with "fuck you all" if you want people to take you seriously though..
• gallego

  9:11 PM 16/09/2012

  Wayne Barnes, I really wish you Hell right now...
• pretzel

  8:58 PM 16/09/2012

  Because that sort of comment is really promoting Argentina... I can understand frustration but you could hardly expect anyone to realistically believe Argentina currently number 8 in the world to really put up a great fight against the top 3 in the world (all according to the IRB rankings)...
  
  I think Argentinian fans need to be careful with their reactions. In fact I have seen a few comments saying Argentina WILL be the best team in the world soon... It swings both ways, don't be silly, be happy with the achievements so far, and don't be unrealistic. You'll end up with the commentators curse: "He'll get this kick easily, he never missed from this distance, and the angle is so easy for him......oh he missed"
• rugby08

  6:16 PM 16/09/2012

  Well in the build up to Argentina's 2nd try, no 22 (the winger) steps in to touch.
  
  So no they weren't unlucky. Australia were just able to put themselves in a position to win the game
• ando

  5:35 PM 16/09/2012

  Not your best highlights reel, Rugbydump... For example, what about the two times the Wallabies went over the goal line but didn't score (I think I read they were in the first half)? I'd be more interested seeing that than a penalty or conversion being kicked!
• rememberthemer

  3:22 PM 16/09/2012

  They were also a little unlucky here as the winning try was scored because Phipps ran through the gap created when Polata-Nau reached out from the bottom of the ruck and grabbed the defender's ankle.
• pretzel

  2:14 PM 16/09/2012

  Well, I do feel sorry for the Argies, but at the same time I ask myself why? They're highly successful team, although they have no won many competitions, they still produce major wins/upsets, and it is just a matter of time before they become a real pain in the *** (more so) for other teams...
  
  I remember reading about Wimbledon and Roger Federer saying don't feel too sorry for Andy Murray, he is a highly successful player in his own right. I feel that does reflect Arg.
  
  They have already achieved more this tournament that most people (myself included) expected. They've been ahead against NZ, they've been ahead against Aus, they've drawn with the boks... that is more than the "whipping boys for the first few years" that I predicted...
• guy

  2:04 PM 16/09/2012

  I feel sorry for the Argentinians. On the other hand: well played by Australia!