Carreras and Montoya inspire Pumas to narrow win over Wallabies
Julian Montoya was one of the try scorer for Argentina
©Steve Haag
Australia 26-28 Argentina, Sydney Football Stadium
Argentina edged Australia in a thrilling Rugby Championship clash at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, holding off a late Wallabies comeback to claim a 28–26 victory.
The match was dominated by the boot of Santiago Carreras, but Australia’s second-half fightback through Andrew Kellaway and Filipo Daugunu ensured a nail-biting finish.
Argentina struck first in the 3rd minute when Santiago Carreras landed a penalty to make it 3–0. The Wallabies responded quickly: Joseph Suaalii powered over in the 4th minute, and Tane Edmed added the conversion in the 5th to give Australia a 7–3 lead.
The Pumas hit back almost immediately. In the 7th minute, Julián Montoya charged down Edmed’s clearance and crossed for a try, with Carreras converting in the 8th to restore Argentina’s advantage at 10–7.
Carreras extended the lead with another penalty in the 14th minute, and the Wallabies’ evening worsened when Max Jorgensen was shown a yellow card in the 17th for a deliberate knock-on. With Australia down to 14 men, Carreras punished their indiscipline further with penalties in the 22nd and 37th minutes.
At halftime, Argentina held a commanding 19–7 lead.
The second half began much like the first ended, with Carreras in control from the tee. He added penalties in the 42nd and 49th minutes to stretch Argentina’s advantage to 25–7.
When Carreras slotted another penalty in the 63rd minute, Argentina looked safe at 28–7. However, a twist followed: Carreras himself was sin-binned in the 64th minute, and momentum swung sharply to the Wallabies.
Within two minutes, Andrew Kellaway broke through to score in the 66th, converted by James O’Connor, reducing the deficit to 28–14. Just a minute later, Filipo Daugunu finished off another Australian attack in the 67th minute, although the conversion was missed, leaving the score at 28–19.
The Wallabies continued to press and were rewarded again in the 78th minute when Daugunu grabbed his second try. O’Connor converted to bring the game to 28–26, setting up a dramatic finale. Despite heavy pressure in the dying moments, Argentina held firm to secure the win.
