Joe Schmidt reckons there won’t be knee-jerk reactions ahead of the Wallabies’ date with New Zealand after they “fell off a cliff” in a historic 67-27 Argentina mauling.
Fresh off a 20-19 win in pouring rain against Los Pumas a week ago, Australia led 20-3 after 30 minutes in brilliant Santa Fe sunshine on Sunday (AEST).
The hosts then rattled off nine tries to one in the next 50 minutes, including four in the last nine minutes, to rack up the biggest score of any Test nation against the Wallabies.
A try in the final minute eclipsed the 61-22 hammering against South Africa in 1997, with the Wallabies now last on The Rugby Championship ladder with one win and no bonus points from four games.
The 40-point margin was their second-largest loss, behind only a 53-8 Johannesburg drubbing in 2008.
They’ll return home for a Bledisloe Cup battle with an All Blacks outfit who are also 1-3 in the TRC, that begins with a Sydney Test on September 21.
“We probably put three reasonable halves together, then fell off a bit of a cliff,” disappointed coach Schmidt said of their two-Test tour.
“We over-reached at the back end (in Santa Fe) and it didn’t look good.”
Schmidt said he’d take a typically “pragmatic” approach to the flogging, pointing out the youth of a side that’s featured a record 16 debutants this year and their positive patches of play.
“I’m not going to bury the squad on the basis of that one half,” he said.
“It’s really the way the team respond now; they’re proud young men … it’ll be a sombre flight home
“A bit of a breather and try to hit the ground running … try to steel ourselves for what’s coming.”
Australia looked on song when five-eighth Ben Donaldson, in for the injured Noah Lolesio (back), found joy down the blindside to set up fullback Andrew Kellaway for their second try and create a 17-point buffer.
Back-rower Carlo Tizzano had earlier barged over for the game’s first try after a Los Pumas’ penalty goal.
The tactical exits of props Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou before halftime seemed to shift the contest, with the hosts flicking the switch after 30 minutes with tries to Mateo Carreras and 100-Test skipper Julian Montoya exposing an increasingly ragged Wallabies defence.
Unforced errors to begin the second half gave Argentina the platform to edge ahead and then speed clear, with seven more tries only offset by replacement halfback Tate McDermott’s probing tap-and-go that reduced the margin to 14.
But Argentina emphatically shut the door in a devastating final 10 minutes, as James Slipper’s record-equalling 139th Wallabies Test didn’t go to script.
Los Pumas (2-2) began the TRC with a 38-30 defeat of New Zealand in Auckland, the most points the All Blacks have conceded in a home Test.
“Records are going to happen,” Schmidt said.
“That’s what they’re capable of. They can score quickly and as soon as you’re not making the first tackle and scrambling … it’s very hard to plug the holes.”
