Rugby Championship: Wallabies target Pumas upset

Australia go in search of their first Rugby Championship win of the season when they travel to Argentina to take on Los Pumas.

It has been a tough start to the campaign for the Wallabies, who suffered back-to-back defeats against South Africa on home soil.

And the job does not get any easier when new coach Joe Schmidt takes his squad to South America for a double-header against Argentina.

The Wallabies squad has plenty of raw talent but is lacking in experience as some big names are unavailable for selection.

Schmidt admits it will be a tough test for his side against Argentina, but is hoping to see some improvement from his players over the two games.

. What: Argentina v Australia
. Where: Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi, Argentina
. When: 05:00 (AEST), Sunday 1st September
. How to watch: Stan Sport
. Odds: Argentina 1.35, Australia 3.20

Wallabies in need of a boost

The Wallabies head to Argentina on the back of two Rugby Championship defeats against South Africa.

South Africa won the opening game in Brisbane 33-7 and then backed it up with another 30-12 victory in Perth.

The two defeats did not come as a great surprise considering the Wallabies are undertaking a rebuild, but the manner of them showed there is much room for improvement.

The Wallabies are very much a work in progress however and they will look to take positive steps forward over the next two games.

A victory is needed to keep their slim Rugby Championship hopes alive and they can be backed at 7.00 to win the game by 1-5 points.

Getting off to a strong start and silencing a passionate home crowd will be crucial and the Wallabies can be backed at 2.10 to score first.

Hunter Paisami is the only player to have scored a try for the Wallabies in the opening two games, but he will miss out through injury.

Hamish Stewart is tipped to replace him and make his Wallabies debut in the process.

Pumas out to bounce back

The last time Argentina faced the Wallabies was at CommBank Stadium, Sydney, in the 2023 Rugby Championship.

They edged the game 34-31 and will be far more confident back on home soil.

The Pumas have started the 2024 Rugby Championship strongly, winning one and losing one against New Zealand.

They won the opener in Wellington 38-30, only to be steamrolled 42-10 in the rematch in Auckland last weekend.

Argentina will be keen to bounce back and get that heavy defeat out of the system. Two home games against the Wallabies presents them with the perfect opportunity.

The Pumas can be backed at 5.50 to win the game by 6-10 points.

Santiago Carreras will be a key player for Argentina. The fly-half helped himself to a try and kicked three conversions and four penalties in the opening win over the All Blacks.