- Records broken in embarrassing Wallabies defeat
- Argentina scored 67 points against the Australian defense
- It is the most points the Wallabies have ever collected in a Test match
Argentina handed the Wallabies a historic defeat in Santa Fe, scoring nine goals to come from 17 points down to win 67-27.
The home side trailed 20-3 but stepped up a gear with 10 minutes left in the first half on Sunday morning (AEST), scoring four times in the final nine minutes.
It is the most points the Wallabies have ever conceded in a Test match, surpassing the 61-22 defeat they suffered in South Africa in 1997.
The punishment followed a hard-fought 20-19 victory over Argentina in pouring rain seven days ago.
This time, in glorious sunshine, Australia looked back on form as Ben Donaldson had fun on the blindside to allow fullback Andrew Kellaway to score their second try and open a 17-point lead.
Defender Carlo Tizzano had earlier in the evening scored the first try of the match after a penalty from Los Pumas.
But 10 minutes before half-time the hosts turned things around, with Mateo Carreras finishing off a fine performance from Pablo Matera, before captain Julian Montoya broke through the Wallabies’ weakened defence.
They came close to scoring before half-time, but they didn’t give up at the restart. An early, unnecessary foul by Marika Koroibete gave the ball a position on the pitch, leading to a goal by Juan Martin Gonzalez.
Australia suffered a humiliating 67-27 defeat, with Los Pumas scoring nine times
The Wallabies had a 17-point lead before conceding the most points in Test rugby
Pablo Matera’s try came after Schmidt had replaced his players, who could only watch as Argentina went into overdrive and Joaquin Oviedo’s try made it 38 points in a row.
Koroibete was taken out after halfback Tate McDermott threw him through a gap, with the replacement half doing the same by tagging him through traffic and shooting to stop the mess.
There was a glimmer of hope with 10 minutes remaining as Argentina finally slammed the door shut in a devastating final phase that made unwanted history for Schmidt’s men.
Juan Cruz Mallia ran over it twice in a few minutes and Oviedo added another to complete the carnage. Australia’s next assignment is New Zealand in Sydney on September 21.