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Argentina U20's forward pack dominates Australia U20 for historic win
After a convenient 80-minute break for the opening game of the day, the rain returned to welcome Australia and Argentina to the field at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
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In trying conditions, it was inevitably the stronger forward pack that won the contest, and that honour comfortably went to Argentina.
The teams had learnt from the match prior, a 13-all draw between New Zealand and South Africa, that points would be hard to come by in the conditions and so opted to take the three points when on offer.
The sodden pitch made accuracy around the breakdown a little extra challenging and both teams were guilty of penalties around the ruck early.
The inaccuracies saw the game reach a 3-all scoreline by the 10th minute. The wind was in favour of the Australians but the territory game didn’t necessarily reflect that.
Argentina’s forward pack proved dominant early on in the scrum and the team used it to their advantage, charging forward with lineout maul drives that covered 20-odd metres.
The Argentinian team struggled to capitalise on their dominance though, with two missed penalties, the latter from a favourable angle leaving the game tied.
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Things got worse for the Australians when No. 8 Jack Harley was handed a yellow card, leading to an Argentinian try just a minute later. Santino Di Lucca added the extras. Halftime score 10-3.
Argentina started the second half in fine form with a try to Juan Pedro Bernasconi from close range. The conversion went awry but just moments later Di had a chance at redemption and landed a penalty to make the lead 15.
The hosts then found their feet on attack, with an ambitious chip and chase collected by centre Jarrah McLeod, spurring a classic Australian chant from the crowd.
Execution issues saw the chance to capitalise on that momentum go begging, with both handling and lineout troubles to blame.
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Argentina remained composed under the pressure but with the wildest downpour of the day drenching the field, the ball was spilled off a 22m drop-out and Australia charged upfield once more.
The attack finally earned a penalty and Australia opted to take the three points, cutting the lead to 12.
Argentina’s reserve front row may not have offered the same dominance as the starters but they earned a timely penalty in the 63rd minute, pushing play into Australia’s half.
The rain made handling errors almost inevitable and scrums dominated the action. Although the Australian pack stepped up for a period, the visitors went back to the scrum time after time.
The final quarter of the contest was slow with more time spent setting for scrums than playing with the ball in hand.
Argentina set up camp in the Australian 22 for the final 10 minutes, and just after Australia was issued a warning for their indiscretions at scrum time, there was just two phases needed to score a game-sealing try. Final score: 25-6.
Comments on RugbyPass
I reckon it may be Jordan at 10 and Nohamba at 9, both players have played together alot and both have been on the Radar for a long time. After Pollard got injured in 2022 with Elton sidelined on a path of self destruction Erasmus and Nienaber indicated that the other options in the country at the time were thin but that Jordan and Manie were the 2 they were looking at. In the end Frans steyn played flyhalf, Willemse slotted in there on the end of year with Libbok as back up. Jordan was right there in the thinking back then so expect him to take the Jersey either as the starter.
1 Go to commentsHaha did he always say it in a sarcastic teacher sort of manor or was it the petulant English snob sort of wail?
37 Go to commentsWell said Mils. It is a big boost at last having Fergus Burke back at 10 for the Crusaders. Had a great season last year as the article says. Mils is also right about captain Codie Taylor’s performance in his return to the Crusaders last week. He was all class.
4 Go to commentsLet’s make them both Capt. I think we'd get the best of both of them and it would help alleviate some of the pressures of the role. They'd have to confer over on field decisions which should lead to “ learnings “ for both. They are our two best consistent performers.
16 Go to commentsOur best player by far..but not a good Captain..poor tactician cost the AB'S and Canes games by not taking the easy points and going for tries when the lineouts were a shambles..can he read a game? And his throat slitting gesture should disqualify him from the AB Captaincy..it is not the appropriate behaviour of an AB Captain.
16 Go to commentsForget what was said or how many players said it. TONY BROWN IS THE NEW ATTACK COACH. That’s the only story worth freaking out over. The springboks are going to grow their game an awful lot over the next cycle and it’s not just the 19 disgustingly arrogant Irish players who refused to shake Ebens hand and said “see you in the final if you can cheat your way past France” who will find that out first hand.
122 Go to commentsOn one hand I think it's a bit ridiculous that this gar into the season and with only 2 wins the Crusaders may make the finals. On the other hand if it was only top 4 or 5, then that last several weeks may be mainly dead rubbers. Nope, 8th place after round robin shouldn't be able to lift the trophy.
4 Go to commentsI do think the media in NZ treated him badly. Sam is a legend. He is humble, a great rugby mind and leader. What happened in the final could happen to anyone. The margins is so fine these days. I lay blame at the feet of the coaching staff and NZ rugby. The stats tell’s all. The AB’s was the worst disciplined side in the WC with more red and yellow cards than anyone else. Problem is NZ rugby is not training their players to play safer. And thats the danger a fast game brings. More yellow and red cards. But Sam Cane in my eye was and still is a great ambassador for the game, that just had a stroke of bad luck.
6 Go to commentsI hope Jim and co. Add this to their list of icebreaker questions they can ask all their guests going forward. So we can eventually hear what everyone thinks about this subject. “What do you think Ireland meant…”
122 Go to commentsHe’s a dominant personality. That might be both a good and bad thing in team dynamics. Certainly it ruined Smith’s first crack at 10 with Owen at 12. BTW, Bristol flatter to deceive. When things really matter, they tend to deliver less rather than more. Farrell would have been good for them
37 Go to commentsGot a lot of over the top abuse from Crusader fans, in particular, who thought every 7 they had was miles better. Now we will see if anyone is better? Laid his body on the line every game so finishing early makes sense. A lot of life left after rugby.
6 Go to commentsA poor decision to appoint Carley as not only is Pearce a better referee but also importantly speaks French.
2 Go to commentsHe is 100 % on the mark. Malicious arrogance with a lack of respect for the other teams mostly the south. they must learn from True rugby nations like the Boks and Kiwis
122 Go to commentsThis Outiniqua boy has played sublime rugby and deserves a spot in BI LIONS team. Well played son
4 Go to commentsI don’t like to see players miss big matches but this ban looks to be tailored to allow him to compete in the final. In principle a suspension for a very dangerous tackle in a semi should warrant missing the relevant final. Done now. One the flip side having both teams with very strong squads/teams available for the final will add to the occassion hopefully.
1 Go to commentsTalent to burn and a huge engine..hope he gets a shot at higher honours
2 Go to commentsIf anything like his dad he has a bright future, Soane was the best ball carrying props ive ever seen using a combination of pace power and footwork.
1 Go to commentsThose who saw Sharks vs Clermont and Ox N'Che vs Rabah Slimani should have a good idea of the best scrumagers… May be not the best props…
2 Go to commentsIt's been an unusual era of unpopular, highly competitive, domineering, fairly big fly halves in the home nations with Farrell, Sexton and Biggar. Russell is different in personality and player I think. I'd rank Sexton first of the three because he is just as good a game controller but also has a great passing game. And his competitiveness never seems to cause problems with refs.
37 Go to commentsThank goodness he wasn't born in Scotland, he'd have been a great candidate for the Scottish Barbarians. I wouldn't put it past them to push for a “where the player was conceived” rule 😂
2 Go to comments