Having slipped up on the second leg on their past two visits to Argentina, Wallabies coach Les Kiss has once again hinted at overhauling his side to ensure their winning run doesn’t stop.
In 2022 and 2024, former Wallabies coaches Dave Rennie and Joe Schmidt copped hammerings by the unpredictable Pumas on Argentine soil.
Les Kiss congratulates Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Rob Valetini following the win over Argentina. Getty Images
After Quade Cooper was injured in the Wallabies’ win over Argentina in Mendoza, Rennie’s Wallabies capitulated a week later in San Juan to lose 48-17 in a match that looked like spelling the end for James O’Connor.
Two years later, Schmidt’s Wallabies scraped home 20-19 in the wet in La Plata, before melting under the Santa Fe heat as Felipe Conteponi’s men ran riot 67-27 after being behind at half time.
Now, having held on 27-21 in Jujuy in what the new Wallabies coach described as a “clunky” win, Kiss is keen to ensure his side doesn’t suffer a similar fate and is already looking ahead for their second Test on tour in Mendoza.
“We know that the second game in Mendoza will be tough. It’s tough for teams to come here and play two games in a row,” said Kiss, who has won his first three Tests in charge since taking over from Schmidt.
“History tells any team that comes to Argentina, the second game is something that you have to be ready for. We’ve got a full week to prepare, knowing that they’re going to come after us.”
Ever since replacing Schmidt, Kiss hasn’t hesitated to test the depth of his squad. It comes after the Wallabies fell off a cliff late last year, losing their last four Tests to go winless in Europe for the first time in more than half a century.
He came away with an important first-up win in Osaka, before smashing Eddie Jones’s Japanese a week later in Townsville despite resting several Test regulars, including Allan Alaalatoa, Josh Canham and Rob Valetini.
The rotation continued in Jujuy, with captain Harry Wilson, star tight-head prop Taniela Tupou and reigning John Eales Medallist Len Ikitau all left out of the six-point win. Fiery lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was another left out.
Despite the potentially risky selection thinking, the moves paid off and the Wallabies recorded four straight wins for the first time since 2021.
Kiss also got to see the exciting back-row combination featuring Tom Hooper alongside Fraser McReight and Rob Valetini, where the trio excelled. Explosive back-rower Charlie Cale also excelled off the bench, pinching a crucial lineout late in the Test to scupper the home side’s hopes of winning it late.
“His [Hooper] work rate was good, a couple of his pass options I’ve questioned, however he kept coming,” Kiss said.
Tom Hooper crosses for a crucial try for the Wallabies. Getty Images
“I thought Bobby [Valetini] did some really good things and when Charlie came on, I thought he made a difference as well. Frase was just Frase and he pulled the right reins.
“We’re building options. Despite the fact we’re moving things around a bit, they understand what we’re trying to do. We’re managing but also trying to grow deeper. That back-row can only get stronger. We’ve got Harry [Wilson] sitting there. We’ve got options, which is great.”
Asked specifically about his plans next week, Kiss didn’t shy away from suggesting more changes were on the way.
“Isaac [Kailea] had his first game in a while and did a great job in that first half. Belly [Angus Bell] came off the bench, so maybe there could be changes in that area,” Kiss said.
“We needed to see the two locks [Canham and Jeremy Williams] together and Lachlan [Shaw] also did a good job, but we’ve also got Lukhan there and I’ve got to find some game time for him as well.
“In the back-row, we’ll probably see Harry.
“The changes aren’t done willy nilly, we’re just trying to grow deeper and keep ourselves healthy because after next week, there’s still some big games. Those options will narrow down as we get closer to the end of the year.
“At this stage, I’m really happy with how the forward pack have bought into what we’re trying to achieve.”
After giving Hunter Paisami and Isaac Henry another chance to prove themselves against a stiffer opposition, Kiss will likely look to bring Len Ikitau back while Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii also had an impact coming off the bench after missing the recent win over Japan in Townsville because of a minor hamstring injury.
Kiss might also think about making a change at halfback, with Ryan Lonergan starting in six straight Tests. But he could easily look to hand Kalani Thomas a crack, especially after Tate McDermott struggled somewhat off the bench during the tense win.
“In the backs, we saw Su [Suaalii] come on and be really impressive when he came on at 13 and working with Hunter, who I thought had a smashing game,” Kiss added.
“I definitely tried to see how [playmaker] Donno [Ben Donaldson] looked there at different options at 10-15.
“We’ll definitely look at some things, we won’t change massively, but we’ll make sure we change it in the right way.”
