The Pumas closed a week full of controversies with another draw against Australia in the closing of the Three Nations. It was a 16-16 that allowed the Argentines to stay with second place, behind New Zealand, the champion.
The Pumas, who had Rodrigo Bruni from Tandil as their starter, performing well, once again became strong in their defense and ended up responding well emotionally, after the shocks of the last few days, where they had to take on a serious conflict that seems to have just begun. The beginning of everything was the failed tribute to the late Diego Maradona, who officiated as the first step towards a chaotic week marked by the differences between the players of the selected team and the leaders of the UAR.
Then there were the racist and xenophobic messages written on social networks eight years ago by Pablo Matera, who was removed from the captaincy of the team and later restored, Guido Petti and Santiago Socino, which led to a sanction by the UAR, although later he backed off.
Trying to correct last week’s mistake, the Argentine national team played with a patch with the number “10” on the left arm of the shirt as a tribute to Maradona.
Argentina played with an alternative blue house, instead of the traditional blue and white with horizontal stripes, and the patch, with a blue number on a white background, was on the shoulder.
The Pumas felt the absence of the questioned players, but they knew how to replace them with players who were up to the task.
Two penalties and a conversion by Domingo Miotti, another by Nicolás Sánchez and a try by Bautista Delguy added the Argentine points, who ended up playing with one more man due to an expulsion from Salakaia-Loto.
It was the second tie between Australians and Argentines in this contest, since on the second date they had finished 15-15.
SYNTHESIS
AUSTRALIA (16)
Reece Hodge; Tom Wright, Jordan Petaia, Hunter Paisami and Marika Koroibete; James O’Connor and Nic White; Harry Wilson, Michael Hooper and Ned Hanigan; Matt Philip and Rob Simmons; Allan Alaalatoa, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Scott Sio. Trainer: Dave Rennie. Ingresaron: Folau Fainga’a, Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Rob Valetini, Jake Gordon, Irae Simone, Tom Banks.
ARGENTINA (16)
Santiago Carreras; Bautista Delguy, Matías Orlando, Jerónimo de la Fuente and Emiliano Boffelli; Nicolás Sánchez and Felipe Ezcurra; Rodrigo Bruni, Facundo Isa and Santiago Grondona; Marcos Kremer and Lucas Paulos; Francisco Gómez Kodela, Julián Montoya and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro. Coach: Mario Ledesma. They entered: José Luis González, Mayco Vivas, Juan Pablo Zeiss, Lucas Paulos, Francisco Gorrissen, Gonzalo Bertranou, Domingo Miotti, Santiago Chocobares.
Stadium: Bankwest Stadium, Sydney. Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand). So many: PT: 16 ‘and 40’ penalties from Hodge (A); 18 ′, Sanchez penalty (LP); 30 ′ penalty Miotti (LP); 35 ′ goal by Miotti by try by Delguy (LP). ST: 10 ′ penalty Hodge (A); 20 ′, Penalty by Miotti (LP), 26 ′ goal by Hodge by try by Hooper (A). Yellow: Kremer (LP), Hooper (A) y Paulos (LP). Expelled: 10 ′, Salakaia-Loto (A).
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