New captain Harry Wilson confident Wallabies are improving after late Argentina win
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Argentina prop Joel Sclavi tackling Australia No. 8 and skipper Harry Wilson in the Rugby Championship Test in La Plata on Aug 31.
PHOTO: AFP
LA PLATA – Australia captain Harry Wilson is confident the Wallabies can continue to make improvements after notching a last-gasp 20-19 win over hosts Argentina in the Rugby Championship in La Plata on Aug 31.
Ben Donaldson’s late penalty earned Joe Schmidt’s side their first victory in this edition, after opening with comprehensive back-to-back defeats by South Africa, giving Wilson belief the Wallabies are on the right path.
“It gives us a lot more confidence,” said the 24-year-old, who was captaining the Wallabies for the first time. “We’re a young group and we’ve been building since the start of the year.
“We played some decent footie against the Boks, but they’re the best in the world and we didn’t get the results there.
“It felt as if we improved in those games and then, tonight, we showed some more improvement. Just to get the win gives us that little bit more confidence to keep improving.”
The Australians trailed going into the dying minutes, despite scoring two tries to Argentina’s one in abysmal weather conditions, before Donaldson slotted over from close range with the final kick of the game.
The win was Australia’s first in the Rugby Championship since a 25-17 victory over South Africa in August 2022 but, despite picking up four points, Schmidt’s side remain rooted to the bottom of the standings.
“We stayed in there in that second half, it was a tough grind for 80 minutes,” said Wilson. “The way our backs put us in good field position late in that second half to give us an opportunity was awesome.”
The win was Australia’s fourth in six matches since Schmidt took over in the aftermath of the Wallabies’ dismal showing at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, when the Eddie Jones-coached side were eliminated in the group phase.
Earlier on Aug 31, South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus admitted that conceding four tries annoyed him after a 31-27 comeback victory over New Zealand in Johannesburg.
“We gave them a couple of easy tries, and their turnover attack hurt us the most when our defence was not quite set,” he told a press conference.
“But we defended really well when things were structured,” added Erasmus, who played key roles in the Springboks’ 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup victories.
“If the All Blacks had won the Test, then they would have deserved it. We know the result could have gone the other way, we could easily have lost. But our character was there.”
New Zealand coach Scott Robertson bemoaned moments of ill-discipline as South Africa overturned a 10-point deficit in the final 12 minutes, with Kwagga Smith and Grant Williams scoring tries.
The All Blacks, beaten 12-11 in the 2023 final in Paris when the Springboks won their fourth World Cup, had looked likely winners in Johannesburg, outscoring the hosts by four tries to one at one stage.
Robertson said: “I am so proud of the effort and the way we defended, it was just a little bit of ill-discipline by the lads that cost us. But those are the fine margins in Test footy.”
Seeking a second Rugby Championship title, South Africa have 14 points from three victories. New Zealand trail with six points after two losses. Argentina are third on five points, with bottom-placed Australia one point adrift. REUTERS, AFP
