Key events
Today’s match is a sell-out, which is a reflection of the turnaround in Australian rugby this season, as well as the standing of Argentina, who are usually relegated to the second-tier arenas.
A Wallaby win would make it three victories from their opening four Rugby Championship matches for the first time since 2011.
As well as The Rugby Championship and The Pumas Trophy, there is the all-important matter of world ranking points at stake.
On the World Rugby rankings, Australia (6th place) lead Argentina (7th place) by 2.56 points.
This could prove significant at the 2027 World Cup. With the tournament expanding to 24 teams for the first time, the group phase will feature six pools of four nations. The six top-ranked sides in the world will be separated at this stage of the draw, and if early matches go to form, they should also avoid each other in the first knockout stage (round of 16). The ranking cut-off point for this huge advantage is December 2025.
Rankings points are traded during each Test. These are based on the match result, the relative strength of each team, the margin of victory, and there is an allowance for home advantage. In short, this means underdog victories are worth their weight in gold, while upsets at home can prove very costly.
Last week, Australia gained 0.55 points, while Argentina lost 0.56 points. But during the tour of South Africa the Wallabies gained a maximum 3.0 ranking points for their 15+ point victory away to the much higher-ranked Springboks, losing only 0.23 for the narrow defeat that followed.
New Zealand P3 W2 L1 PD18 B2 Pts10
Australia P3 W2 L1 PD12 B1 Pts9
South Africa P3 W1 L2 PD-15 B1 Pts5
Argentina P3 W1 L2 PD-15 B1 Pts5
Australia are second on the Rugby Championship table, a point behind New Zealand. The All Blacks host South Africa in Wellington this evening.
Argentina XV
Perhaps mindful of how his side was overrun late on in Townsville, Felipe Contepomi has named some first XV firepower as finishers in Sydney. Franco Molina and Pablo Matera both start on the bench, swapping places with Guido Petti and Joaquin Ovideo, to bolster an inexperienced interchange that was incapable of withstanding the Wallabies fightback last week.
The only other change is in the backline, where Bautista Delguy makes way for Rodrigo Isgró – the 2023 World Rugby Sevens player of the year.
Argentina: 1 Mayco Vivas, 2 Julian Montoya (captain), 3 Joel Sclavi, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 6 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Joaquin Ovideo, 9 Gonzalo Garcia, 10 Santiago Carreras, 11 Mateo Carreras, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 13 Lucio Cinti, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 15 Juan Cruz Mallia.
Bench: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Boris Wenger, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Franco Molina, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Agustin Moyano, 22 Justo Piccardo, 23 Ignacio Mendy
Australia XV
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt has made four changes to his starting XV but only one unforced, with veteran prop James Slipper restored to the front row for his 149th Test cap in place of Tom Robertson.
Tane Edmed will wear the No 10 jersey for the first time in place of the luckless Tom Lynagh, who is nursing a hamstring strain after already missing the South Africa tour with concussion. Len Ikitau has a laceration on his knee that has failed to heal enough to take the field so Hunter Paisami will play his first Wallabies Test of the season at inside centre. Jeremy Williams returns to the second row alongside Tom Hooper, with Nick Frost being managed due to a tight back.
Australia: 1 James Slipper, 2 Billy Pollard, 3 Taniela Tupou, 4 Jeremy Williams, 5 Tom Hooper, 6 Rob Valetini, 7 Fraser McReight, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 9 Nic White, 10 Tane Edmed, 11 Corey Toole, 12 Hunter Paisami, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 14 Max Jorgensen, 15 Andrew Kellaway.
Bench: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Carlo Tizzano, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 James O’Connor, 23 Filipo Daugunu.
Just like last week, the advertised kick-off time of 2pm is a bald-faced lie. The host broadcaster countdown clock indicates we’ll be underway around 2:16pm. I think I’ll mute the next 38 minutes of uncritical cheerleading.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v Argentina in round four of the 2025 Rugby Championship. Kick-off at Allianz Stadium in Sydney will be sometime around, but not before, 2pm (AEST).
The feelgood factor in Australian rugby prevails – just – after last week’s nail-biting victory over Argentina in Townsville. Despite the Pumas leading for 81 minutes of play it was the Wallabies who ran out winners, executing a spirited second-half comeback and holding their nerve at the death, finding the match-winning try after repeatedly declining point-blank shots for goal that would have earned a draw.
It was a performance of two halves from the men in gold. The first period was bad old Australia, full of handling errors, indiscipline at the breakdown, and poor kicking options. After a rollicking from the increasingly impressive Joe Schmidt at the break, Australia were transformed at the ruck, the interchange dominated, and confidence began to return.
It was another demonstration of the split personality of this Australian group, one full of potential, but still lacking game management nous. The majority of first XV names are aged 26 or under: Max Jorgensen is a star at 21, Joseph Sua’ali’i a worthy marquee at 22, and Angus Bell is a world-leading prop at 24. There remains a gaping hole in the halves, and the constant chopping and changing of 9s and 10s through form and fitness continues to deny the Wallabies a clear identity. With Tom Lynagh going down again Schmidt is onto his third starting flyhalf in four matches, all of their partnering a scrumhalf who announced his retirement a month ago.
For Argentina last week was further confirmation that they belong at this elite level. A stronger interchange would have surely sealed a deserved victory, one built on power up front and dash behind, especially in the centres where Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Cinti were dynamic.
The Pumas have a decent record in the Harbour City with two wins and a draw from their last three visits, although these matches were all played at Commbank Stadium in the western suburbs, not Allianz Stadium in the east.
I’ll be back with the line-ups shortly. If you want to get in touch this afternoon, the address is jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com.
