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Wallabies accused of 'taking the bait' by responding to Pumas 'dirty little tricks'

Nicolas Sanchez of Argentina and Taniela Tupou of Australia exchange words during the 2020 Tri-Nations match between the Australian Wallabies and the Argentina Pumas at McDonald Jones Stadium on November 21, 2020 in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Argentina should be the darlings of world rugby, after overcoming pandemic hurdles to score an historic win over the All Blacks.

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But their heart-warming story is taking a turn for the worse with their outstanding captain Pablo Matera at the centre of the storm.

Matera has been widely criticised for pulling the hair of the Wallaby hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa during the boring 15-all Tri-Nations draw with the Wallabies in Newcastle.

And one Australian writer has turned the heat up further, accusing the Pumas of operating a dirty tricks campaign.

Julian Linden, in the Daily Telegraph, wrote: “Discipline remains Australia’s biggest problem. The Wallabies still give away too many stupid penalties and cough up possession by pushing passes that aren’t on.

“Worst of all, they keep taking the bait and retaliating to off the ball incidents that blow up in their faces.

“The Pumas get a lot of praise for their passion but they deserve plenty of stick for their dirty little tricks – which include pulling hair, kicking players and blatantly lying on the ball.

“The Wallabies know that but still fall for it every time and it cost them dearly in Newcastle.”

It raises the spectre of a spiteful return bout between the All Blacks and Pumas in Newcastle on Saturday.

Veteran All Black hooker Dane Coles was roundly criticised for losing his cool against the Pumas, conceding a penalty reversal after slapping an opponent in the face. And the once invincible All Blacks get rattled under pressure, something all opponents will play on.

The Argentinians are using a spoiling game suited to their strengths and weaknesses which increases the chances of bad blood flowing in their matches.

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Argentina coach Mario Ledesma and captain Pablo Matera reflect on their sides 15-all draw with the Wallabies in Newcastle.

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Argentina coach Mario Ledesma and captain Pablo Matera reflect on their sides 15-all draw with the Wallabies in Newcastle.

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Tom 4 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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