Weltnachrichten – AU – « I feel like I’ve let the whole country down »: Hodges heartbreak

heartbroken wallabies fly half-way Reece Hodge felt « like I abandoned my whole country » after missing a kick that could have his side win a friendly.

For the second time in six weeks, Hodge – who already had five penalties – had a chance to win a Test for the Wallabies just for trying to exit the competition in a stalemate.

This time the Australians could only achieve a 15:15 draw against Argentina at the clash of the Tri Nations in Newcastle on Saturday evening.

« It’s pretty hard to put into words, I feel like I’ve let the whole country down, » said a dejected Hodge in Channel Ten’s post-game coverage.

The cougars had a chance to steal it well after the siren before the ball was brought into contact. Missed opportunities on either side of the ball left the Tri Nations trophy up for grabs.

The wallabies owned 62 percent of the property and 69 percent of the territory, but failed to try. Hodge’s five penalties were all the men in gold could manage, but it wouldn’t be enough to win if the Argentinian Nicolas Sanchez returned with five of his own serves.

The fact that Argentina has a chance to secure first place in this tournament is just remarkable. Their historic win against the All Blacks a week ago was the crown jewel in a turbulent year.

Coach Mario Ledesma was in tears after this historic win months after the contract with COVID-19. 15 members of the tour group also suffered from the virus.

Staff isolated in an abandoned house on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, players who trained without footballs and instead pretended to catch and overtake them, were equipped on posts and fences.

Some said the Pumas boilover against New Zealand was too tough to repeat against a Wallabies outfit on home soil. Still, they were as resilient as anyone could hope.

Wallabies winger Tom Wright has his sights set on the Tri Nations trophy. Image: Stuart Walmsley / Rugby Australia

Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper decided against shots on goal when the penalty shot in favor of Australia piled up, but they didn’t make use of their seemingly myriad opportunities.

Jordan Petaia was only a few millimeters away from a try, but his right shoe hit the dead ball line before hitting the ball in the 16th. Minute landed. Marika Koroibete crossed the line late in the half, but Tom Bank’s final pass was decided forward.

It felt like the Wallabies could have had a 20 point lead, and it would have been a fitting lead, as did the class of Nic White, Petaia and Tom Wright in the back row. Matt Philip was strong while Scott Sio and Taniela Tupou dominated the scrum.

In the break, however, only a 9: 6 advantage was possible. Argentina was on its back foot at the beginning of the second stanza when Julian Montoya was sentenced to sin.

The Wallabies were leading 15-6 soon after 56 minutes, before Argentina returned to the competition due to poor discipline from their opponents and Sanchez’s shoe, which would balance the scores and bring a grandstand to the finish.

« We had to be prepared, especially in the drizzle, to bring it back into the corners. We carried three times and were punished each time.

« Frustrating. We had a lot of territory and possession in the first half and we didn’t convert that into points. « 

It seemed like the wallabies were pulling it out of the fire late in the play, but Petaia stepped in to flip the ball 15 seconds ahead instead of sending the ball through her hands.

The Pumas counterattacked and walked the distance before Jake Gordon picked up a loose ball and dived over the sideline deep behind the wallabies line.

All three teams now have six points on the Tri Nations ladder, but the Pumas have two games to play as opposed to the Wallabies and All Blacks, who each have one to play.

Tri-Nations Game Four: AUSTRALIA 15 (Reece Hodge 5 penalties) drew ARGENTINA15 (Nicolas Sanchez 5 penalties) at Newcastle Stadium.

Australian National Rugby Union Team, Argentina National Rugby Union Team, New Zealand, Rugby Championship, Dave Rennie