Deja vu for Hodge as Wallabies and Pumas play out one other draw

The Wallabies’ yr that began so promisingly has ended with one other deflating Tri Nations draw with Argentina.

The Wallabies and Pumas completed deadlocked at 16-16 on Saturday night time after fullback Reece Hodge missed with a long-range last-minute penalty purpose try – but once more.

Hodge additionally had the possibility as well Australia to victory with three minutes to go of their 15-15 draw with the Pumas two weeks in the past in Newcastle.

The luckless star additionally struck the uprights with an after-the-siren shot within the Wallabies’ season-opening 16-16 stalemate with the All Blacks in Wellington in October.

He may solely dangle his head in despair after his newest miss in driving rain at Bankwest Stadium.

Reality be identified, although, it may have been a lot worse for the Wallabies had Hodge not slotted three earlier penalty targets plus a strain conversion from out extensive 12 minutes from fulltime to tie the scores up.

The Pumas, roundly written off after final week’s 38-0 drubbing by the hands of New Zealand after which having inspirational skipper Pablo Matera and two teammates stood down for disciplinary causes, seemed like protecting the Wallabies try-less for the second sport working.

However the draw nonetheless consigned Australia to the match’s picket spoon and an unflattering one-from-six profitable document in 2020 underneath new coach Dave Rennie.

One coach left smiling was ex-Wallabies mentor Michael Cheika, working as an assistant for the Pumas.

Rennie mentioned pre-game he’d accept the Wallabies profitable ugly to complete the yr off on a excessive.

As a substitute, the Wallabies virtually misplaced in atrocious trend, fumbling their manner by way of a lot of the 80 minutes, half an hour of which they performed a person down.

Captain Michael Hooper, in his final outing in Australia earlier than taking a sabbatical in Japan, was yellow carded within the first half for a no-arms deal with earlier than substitute ahead Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was despatched off for making harmful contact to Santiago Grondona’s head on the hour-mark.

Salakaia-Loto was making his return from an ankle harm that dominated him out of Australia’s final two video games, however lasted simply 9 minutes earlier than receiving his crimson card for a deal with gone flawed on the Pumas flanker.

The Wallabies seemed down and out after they misplaced Salakaia-Loto.

However Hooper and Hodge restored hope with a attempt to the skipper within the 67th minute because the Wallabies finally battled again from a 10-point first-half deficit to salvage a draw.

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