MY ACCOUNT
A hat-trick from in-form Andrew Kellaway saw Australia close out their Rugby Championship campaign with a 32-17 victory over Argentina on Saturday.
Kellaway moved onto seven tries for the 2021 tournament in a one-sided contest on the Gold Coast as the Wallabies followed up last week’s 27-8 win in style.
Dave Rennie’s men have now won four Tests in a row for the first time since November 2017, while Argentina are on a six-match losing run, their worst such streak in two years.
Quade Cooper’s 10th-minute penalty set Australia on their way against an Argentina side missing six players due to an unauthorised trip to Byron Bay.
Tomas Lavanini’s repeated infringements in the lineout earned him a yellow card and Folau Fainga’a darted over for the first try from the resulting play.
Fainga’a and Rob Valetini combined to free Kellaway for his first try of the contest, with Samu Kerevi bursting through after patient build-up to make it 20-3 after the break, Emiliano Boffelli having kicked a penalty.
The Wallabies by now were in cruise control, Kellaway finishing with aplomb after more good build-up, and his hat-trick try in the same corner was served on a plate by Len Ikitau’s clever lay-off.
A weary Pumas side had something to celebrate when debutant Thomas Gallo powered through near the posts, as Australia brought on 38-year-old Greg Holmes – now the oldest player to feature for the Wallabies since World War II – for his first cap since 2016.
Gallo got a late second after a pile-on at the try line to make the scores a little more respectable.
Rennie’s men showing great promise
Kellaway, who now has more than twice the number of tries of anyone else at these championships, was a good advert for Australia’s renewed vibrancy under Rennie.
This is the first time they have won four Rugby Championship matches in a row and the third Test in 2021 in which they have scored at least 30 points.
Little pride for Pumas
Argentina, meanwhile, are on their worst losing run since a 10-game span from September 2018 to September 2019 and sit bottom of the standings on zero and with a points difference of minus 135 from their six matches.
They have also taken just one win from their past 13 Tests against Australia.
