Reece Hodge has missed another late penalty goal attempt from long range in the Wallabies’ 16-16 draw with Argentina in the final Tri Nations Test at a wet and slippery Western Sydney Stadium.

Fullback Hodge went wide from the kicking tee 45 metres out from the goal posts in the 79th minute only two weeks after he had another penalty goal attempt to clinch victory in the 15-15 draw with the Pumas in Newcastle.

He also struck the uprights with an after-the-siren shot in the Wallabies’ season-opening 16-16 stalemate with the All Blacks in Wellington in October.

Hodge could only hang his head in despair after his latest miss in driving rain in Sydney.

Truth be known, though, it could have been much worse for the Wallabies had Hodge not slotted three earlier penalty goals, plus a pressure conversion from out wide 12 minutes from full-time to tie the scores up.

The Pumas, roundly written off after last week’s 38-0 drubbing at the hands of New Zealand and a racism controversy involving captain Pablo Matera, looked like keeping the Wallabies try-less for the second match running.

But the draw still consigned the Wallabies to the tournament’s wooden spoon and an unflattering one-from-six winning record in 2020 under new coach Dave Rennie.

The Wallabies found it hard going against the Pumas’ defence.(AAP: Dean Lewins)

The Test was played after the Wallabies had joined singer Olivia Fox in performing the Australian national anthem in both the First Nations Eora language and English, a move that has been met by widespread praise.

The Wallabies almost lost the Test in atrocious fashion, fumbling their way through most of the 80 minutes, half an hour of which they played a man down.

Captain Michael Hooper, in his last outing in Australia before taking a sabbatical in Japan, was yellow carded in the first half for a no-arms tackle, before replacement forward Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was sent off for making dangerous contact to Santiago Grondona’s head on the hour-mark.

Salakaia-Loto was making his return from an ankle injury that ruled him out of Australia’s last two matches, but lasted just nine minutes before receiving his red card for a tackle gone wrong on the Pumas flanker.

The Wallabies looked down and out when they lost Salakaia-Loto.

But Hooper and Hodge restored hope with a try to the skipper in the 67th minute as the Wallabies ultimately battled back from a 10-point first-half deficit to salvage a draw.

The Pumas’ points against the Wallabies came from a try to Bautista Delguy, a conversion and two penalty goals to Domingo Miotti, and another penalty goal from the boot of Nicolas Sanchez.

AAP/ABC



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