The Wallabies suffered Australia’s heaviest defeat in a Test match as they were crushed 67-27 by Argentina in Santa Fe on Sunday morning AEST.
Australia went ahead 20-3 after just 30 minutes, but both sides capitulated after half-time, with Los Pumas trailing by 38 points.
Tate McDermott’s dive in the 68th minute was the only highlight of a disastrous second half for Australia, with Argentina scoring four more tries in the final 10 minutes.
The home team effectively won the last 50 minutes 64-7, nine of which came in a draw with Argentina.
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Last weekend, the Wallabies held on to a hard-fought one-point win over Argentina in La Plata, but the 40-point defeat leaves Australia bottom of the Rugby Championship table.
It was also the most runs Australia had conceded in a Test match.
“Obviously there was an aspect of us leading the game 20-3, but then to get pushed back and the way we did it was really disappointing,” Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt told Stan Sports.
“We will look at the whole game. There were some positives in the first 30 minutes, but we cannot let the game get away from us and fall off a cliff like this.
“I thought our defensive line was disconnected. We kept chasing them. We didn’t put enough pressure on the breakdown.
“They move with lightning fast ball and it’s so hard to keep a team on the move without the ball on a hot day.”
Earlier, the Springboks recorded a stunning win for the second week in a row, beating the New Zealand All Blacks 18-12 in the Rugby Championship at Cape Town Stadium.
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi, who played with a broken nose, scored South Africa’s first try as his team overturned a 9-3 first-half deficit.
Substitute hooker Malcolm Marks scored the only try with six minutes remaining, with the All Blacks reduced to 14 men after prop Tyrell Lomax was booked.
The win was South Africa’s fourth win of the tournament, a game that almost guaranteed them a title. New Zealand’s third defeat sent them out of the competition.
South Africa’s four-game winning streak against New Zealand is also their first since 2023. They haven’t won four games in a row against their rivals since 1949.
