Settle for a draw? Not today, say these brave Wallabies

3 months ago 6

Opinion

September 6, 2025 — 6.00pm

Ashes to ashes,
Dust to dust,
If Jorgo don’t get’em,
Suaalii must!

What a match.

In the heat of Townsville, the Wallabies were up against a rampant Argentina side that was good enough to beat the All Blacks last month.

From the first, the visitors proved that result was no fluke. After two successful penalties early to the Pumas, a subsequent Wallaby try scored by halfback Nic White put the home team up 7-6. But it never remotely felt like the Wallabies were in control.

So it proved, for as the match went on, it was beyond question: Argentina has well and truly arrived on the international rugby stage as serious global contenders. They are robust and skilled in the forwards, and slick and dangerous in the backs, as witnessed by the two fabulous tries they put together before half-time totake a 21-7 lead.

Could the Wallabies come back from here? They had, after all, put on 38 points against the Springboks just three weeks ago. They had to be a chance.

Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Angus Bell react after a great Wallabies win.

The answer was, decidedly, yes.

For coming back on the field, the Wallaby side that had beaten the Lions and Boks in successive matches turned up, and immediately looked dangerous, with Max Jorgensen looking lethal every time he touched the ball. Five minutes after the resumption, though, it was not he who struck, but Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii who went over for a fabulous try after great work by White and Len Ikitau.

Fifteen minutes later, it was Suaalii again – and once more off a pass from Ikitau as those two centres develop a wonderful combination – who went over. It was converted by James O’Connor to bring it back to 21-21 and set up a wonderful finish.

In these final 20 minutes, both sides threw everything at it, and if the Wallabies had both the rub of the green and the referee’s decisions, Argentina never wavered and kicked a penalty goal with 90 seconds to go to a 24-21 lead. The crowd went quiet. So close, and yet so far? We were going to lose after all that?

But wait!

The Wallabies have regathered the ball from the kick-off, and are a chance here. As they test the Pumas defence on their line, the ref awards a penalty goal, right in front, to the Wallabies.

What do you do, Wallaby skipper Harry Wilson?

Go for the try and the win, or nail the penalty and get away with 24-24?

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii takes a carry against Argentina.

Say what? A draw?

Please. We are Wallabies. With an echo of the words of cricket commentator Kerry O’Keeffe long ago – we are Australians, we’re not here for silver medals, we want the gold, and we want it now!

Wilson eschewed the easy penalty goal not once, not twice, but – count ’em – three times, as the Australians kept challenging the exhausted but still courageous Argentinians. One dropped ball, and it was over, but they never dropped it and just kept going.

Extra time blew out to six minutes, with the Wallabies camped on the visitors’ line, before the ball came to centre Len Ikitau – AGAIN – who delivered a superb pass to reserve prop Angus Bell on the burst.

Try! Try! TRY! – ah, sing it, Ray Warren, one time for rugby – a try for your life, I’ll tell a man it is!

Wallabies win, 28-24!

It was a fabulous win in what is a wonderful competition. It is not that The Rugby Championship has equalled the Six Nations in terms of producing great rugby.

It has surpassed it.

Every match, a beauty, making headlines around the world. And right now, the Wallabies are in the box seat!

Watch every match of The Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup live and on demand on Stan Sport kicking off 17 August.