Ten summers ago, Joe Schmidt embarked upon his first tour as an international head coach on Ireland’s two-Test trip to Argentina.
Unlike the losing adventures to Argentina in 2000 and 2007, both Tests were played outside Buenos Aires, around 1,000k north in Resistencia and Tucumán.
They were an altogether different and welcome contrast to the more built-up, if socially unequal, Buenos Aires. The sight of a family of three without helmets on a motorbike on rough roads which had the appearance of a lunar landscape springs to mind, as do kids with their smiles ‘selling’ cheaply-made little toys and mementos.
Indeed, it was striking how much more native-looking the two cities to the north were compared to the more cosmopolitan and ‘Europeanised’ Buenos Aires, a feature of South America generally which was highlighted in Che Guevara’s Motorbike Diaries.
But with the Irish squad based in Buenos Aires initially, this meant their two rest days were also travel days. Coming at the end of a long Six Nations-winning season, even stalwart Schmidt loyalists in the 30-man squad were grateful for the tour to end when a laboured 23-17 win in Tucumán completed an expected if historic first series win after the 29-17, Johnny Sexton-inspired victory a week earlier in Resistencia.
A decade on, Schmidt was thus thoroughly au fait with the demands placed on his Wallabies squad when attempting to back up their 20-19 arm wrestle in the heavy rain of La Plata after travelling over 450k north to Santa Fe for the second leg of their Rugby Championship ‘mini tour’ last Saturday.
As the old back-to-back Heineken Cup matches – sadly no more – regularly highlighted, in rugby the meeting of the same two opponents can witness huge turnarounds with a whiff of cordite in the air a week later. Los Pumas’s desire for redemption was underlined by hooker and captain Julian Montoya winning his 100th cap.
Schmidt had forewarned of a backlash and spoke of his genuine ‘respect’ for his counterpart Felipe Contepomi. As if to further underline the sharp contrast in Santa Fe last Saturday, the game kicked off under brilliant blue skies in 30 degrees’ heat. But no one could have envisaged the extent of the turnaround.
Schmidt’s decision to call up Ben Donaldson at outhalf for the injured Noah Lolesio was vindicated and he capped a fine display with a late switch from the open to the blindside for Max Jorgensen to put fullback Andrew Kelloway over.
Donaldson’s conversion put the Wallabies 20-3 ahead on the half-hour but thereafter Argentina outscored Schmidt’s team by 64-7 and nine tries to one.
The 67-27 final scoreline marked the most points Australia have conceded. It could have been 81-27. Marcos Kremer had a try disallowed and Pablo Matera was also fractionally short when reaching out for the line.
First and foremost, this stunning result was about Argentina’s brilliance. After cutting his teeth with Leinster and then as Michael Cheika’s assistant, Contepomi has liberated Los Pumas. The variety, simplicity and slickness of their strike plays was telling. Having also beaten France at home and New Zealand away this year, Contepomi’s Argentina will make for intriguing visitors to the Aviva Stadium on Friday November 15th.
They clearly have licence to attack from everywhere and their gifted backs and rampaging back-row were lethal in transitioning into attack. Once the passes began to stick their square lines of running and catch-and-pass skills were almost like a throwback to French backlines in the 80s and 90s.
Contepomi’s decision to promote the young Benetton left-footed Tomas Albornoz at outhalf in advance of Santiago Carreras, after the failure to close out a winning position a week previously. was even more thoroughly justified.
That said, Carreras was also part of a more impactful bench, as when setting up the first of a late brace by their brilliant Toulouse fullback Juan Cruz Mallia. These were also the first two of four Pumas’ tries in the last 10 minutes as the wilting Wallabies were pummelled in the scrums and the collisions.
Schmidt admitted his team’s performance ‘fell off a bit of a cliff’ and that their defence was exposed out wide in transition from their own mistakes. Yet there had been warning signs in that first half-hour in the ease with which Los Pumas outflanked the Wallabies bunched midfield and made easy inroads on soft edges.
Nor was this a one-off, witness that record 40-6 Wallabies’ loss to Wales which capped the cantankerous and disastrous Eddie Jones reign featuring two wins against Georgia and Portugal, and six different captains, in nine Tests, as well as a first ever World Cup pool exit.
The decision to sack Dave Rennie and hire Jones looks an even bigger mistake now than it did then and compounds years of apparent mismanagement.
Competing against the might of both Rugby League and Aussie Rules didn’t prevent Australia winning the 1991 and 1999 World Cups, and they still have four professional teams, whereas there are none based in Argentina. But they have long since ceased to be the global leaders in cutting edge of rugby and are now World Rugby’s problem child.
Rugby Australia is hard-pressed financially and they don’t have the depth to pick only home-based players. However, in addition to the flight of players to European club rugby, in a disconcerting trend, young outhalf Carter Gordon, on whom the Wallabies’ future hinged, has defected to rugby league, as has winger Mark Nawaqanitawase. And Jordan Pateia, the gifted 24-year-old, 31-times capped centre, who is currently injured, is rumoured to be on the verge of switching to American Football.
Schmidt has a huge task now in circling the wagons for the forthcoming Bledisloe Cup matches in Sydney and Wellington, not to mention their end-of-year ‘Grand Slam’ tour which culminates in him returning to the Aviva Stadium on November 30th.
Then, of course, there is the prospect of what should be a very strong Lions tour under Andy Farrell next year. Rugby Australia badly need the injection of money that a Lions tour will ensure, but there must be a very real concern as to the competitiveness of the Wallabies.
Indeed, as things stand, the Lions’ most difficult match will be their warm-up game against Argentina in Dublin.
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