Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh is confident the Wallabies will be ready to compete with the British and Irish Lions next year, despite suffering the heaviest defeat in their Test history last time out.

Australia were crushed 67-27 by Argentina in the Rugby Championship last time out, their third defeat in four games in this year's tournament.

They were also dumped out of last year's Rugby World Cup in the pool stage following losses to Fiji and Wales, and they are down to ninth in the World Rugby Rankings.

The British and Irish Lions will face Australia in three Tests when they tour down under between June and August next year, with many fearing Joe Schmidt's team will be blown away.

Waugh, however, says there is plenty of time for the Wallabies to get things right before then, telling the Sydney Morning Herald: "You can see the progress is there.

"It is not nearly where we need it to be, but if we keep progressing at the speed with which we have moved things in the last six months, then there is plenty of time.

"It is a team that is, and I hate using the word 're-building', but it is a team that is re-setting, and it takes experience in big moments to get better. 

"Obviously, the enormity of the scoreline in that second half was disappointing.

"But there is context that is important... we are not the most experienced team in world rugby, and we are building that experience."

Australia conclude their Rugby Championship campaign with two fixtures against New Zealand before the end of September, then face England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in their Autumn International Tests in November.

Australia suffered their biggest-ever Test defeat on Saturday, as Argentina came from behind to win 67-27 in the Rugby Championship.

And Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said his team simply "fell off a cliff" after taking a 17-point lead.

Having snapped an eight-game winless run in the Rugby Championship with their last-gasp victory over Argentina last week, Australia were looking to keep the momentum going.

And they looked well set to do just that as tries from Carlo Tizzano and Andrew Kellaway propelled them into a 20-3 lead.

But Mateo Carreras and Julian Montoya, who was playing for Argentina for the 100th time, dragged Argentina back into it and paved the way for Australia's capitulation after the break.

Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo, Juan Cruz Mallia and Lucio Cinti all crossed for the Pumas in the second half, with Santiago Carreras' conversion condemning Australia to their record defeat.

"To lead a Test match 20-3 and get run down in the manner which we did is really disappointing," said Schmidt.

"We cannot let a game get away from us like it did and fall off a cliff.

"We lost connection in our defensive line. We were forever chasing them.

"We didn't put enough pressure on at the breakdown, so they were operating off a lightning-quick ball, and it's just too difficult to keep chasing a team on a hot day when they’ve got the ball and going forward."

Australia's previous record Test defeat had come against South Africa in 1997.

Matters do not get any easier for the Wallabies, who now face two matches against Schmidt's native New Zealand as they aim to avoid finishing bottom of the pile.

Second-place Argentina, meanwhile, will tussle it out with Rugby Championship leaders South Africa.

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi said he had to prove himself after being given the chance to lead the Springboks out in their Rugby Championship win over New Zealand.

Kolisi's early try after the break sparked the hosts' revival after they went in at half-time 9-3 down before roaring to an 18-12 victory in Cape Town. 

It was the fourth successive win by the Springboks over the All Blacks, as they maintained their perfect record in this year's Rugby Championship.

Kolisi described the encounter as South Africa's most important game since they won the World Cup final against the same opponents in Paris last year.

"The coach gave me the chance when I said I was okay so I couldn’t go half-hearted. Nobody is going to celebrate you if you don’t go flat out," said Kolisi.

"We didn’t start the way we wanted to and the coach was quite honest with us [at half-time]. At the start of the second half we did what we wanted.

"This game was really big for us."

The triumph marked the first time since 1949 that South Africa have won four straight Tests against New Zealand.

However, head coach Rassie Erasmus was muted despite achieving the most successful streak against South Africa's arch-rivals in the professional era.

"It was nice, but they have had big scores against us and six times in a row they have beaten us," he said.

"It's nothing to brag about because they have done worse to us. But it was special."

South Africa continued their dominance in this year's Rugby Championship as they clinched an 18-12 victory over New Zealand in Cape Town on Saturday.

Having trailed by six points heading into the break, the hosts rallied to record a fourth consecutive win over the All Blacks and lift the Freedom Cup for the first time in 15 years.

New Zealand started brightly, with their dominance rewarded by the boot of Damian McKenzie after Jasper Wiese had been sent to the sin bin.

McKenzie converted his second penalty just before the half-hour mark as the Springboks saw some uncharacteristic errors punished. 

Handre Pollard's penalty failed to change the sway of momentum, with McKenzie's third conversion of the half giving the All Blacks the advantage at the break. 

But an immediate response transpired after the interval as Siya Kolisi burst over the tryline, with Pollard's conversion handing the Springboks the lead for the first time.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu extended South Africa's advantage, but McKenzie's fourth and final penalty of the encounter closed the gap once again. 

However, the hosts sealed the win when Malcolm Marx powered over for a try six minutes from time to see the Springboks close in on the title.

Data Debrief: Cape Town comforts

This is the first time since 1949 that South Africa have won four straight Tests against their great rivals New Zealand.

They have also now won four straight Tests in Cape Town, and that is despite trailing at half-time in three of those four matches. 

New Zealand, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four Tests, having only suffered one defeat across their previous nine matches.

Round four of the 2024 Rugby Championship is almost upon us, taking us past the halfway stage of a competition so far dominated by South Africa.

The Springboks made it three wins from three games against New Zealand last time out, though they left it late as tries from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Grant Williams handed them a dramatic 31-27 victory at Ellis Park.

Heading from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Saturday, they know another victory would all but wrap up their first triumph in the competition since 2019, ending the All Blacks' five-year reign.

The world champions enter round four with an eight-point lead over New Zealand in the standings, with Argentina one point further back ahead of their second Test against Australia.

Here, we dive into the Opta data to preview this weekend's action, bringing you the best facts and figures from each game.

SOUTH AFRICA V NEW ZEALAND 

At various points last week, it looked as though New Zealand were set to breathe fresh life into this year's Rugby Championship race.

The All Blacks held a 27-17 lead at one stage, but Ofa Tu'ungafasi's 69th-minute sin-bin put South Africa in the ascendancy and two late tries helped them claim victory in a re-run of last year's World Cup final.

It will now take an almighty collapse to stop the Springboks from getting their hands on the trophy. They are chasing a fourth straight Test win over New Zealand, last recording more successive victories against them between September 1937 and September 1949 (six).

The All Blacks, meanwhile, have lost two of their last three Test matches (one win) after only losing one of their previous nine (eight victories). 

Last week's defeat was a particularly demoralising one for Scott Robertson's team, as even scoring four tries was not enough for victory. Prior to that game, the last time the All Blacks were beaten when scoring four or more tries was in August 2019 (47-26 v Australia).

The visitors will now be acutely aware of South Africa's resilience, and the Springboks have actually won their last three Tests in Cape Town despite trailing at half-time in two of them, having lost four such matches in a row prior to the start of this run.

South Africa face a nervous wait on the fitness of Siya Kolisi after he took a heavy blow to the cheek from Sam Cane last time out, delaying their team news announcement by two days to give their captain every chance of making it.

But regardless of who starts, they will bring plenty of physicality. The Springboks have crossed the gain line on 64% of their carries in this year's Rugby Championship – at least 6% more than any other team. Their tackles success rate of 89%, meanwhile, is also the highest in the tournament.

New Zealand will have to make the most of their opportunities, but they can take encouragement from their efficiency in the 2024 tournament to date. Their 22 line breaks are at least four more than any team, while their average of 3.6 points scored per attacking 22m entry is also the best in the competition. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

South Africa – Elrigh Louw

Louw has crossed the gain line from 73% of his 26 carries so far in the 2024 Rugby Championship. That is the highest rate of any player with 20 or more carries in the competition this year.

New Zealand – Caleb Clark

While the All Blacks were unable to get over the line against South Africa last week, Clark impressed with two tries, having failed to score versus the Springboks in three previous career appearances against them.

Overall, he has six tries in his last six Tests, scoring at least once in each of his last three.

ARGENTINA V AUSTRALIA 

Australia finally got up and running in this year's tournament in round three, overcoming Argentina in another dramatic finale in La Plata. 

Ben Donaldson kicked a last-gasp penalty as the Wallabies triumphed 20-19, and though a fifth Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship title is now surely beyond them, they could restore further pride this week by claiming back-to-back wins in the competition for the first time since 2022.

Australia have now won four of their last six Test matches against Los Pumas (two defeats), though they have typically had to do things the hard way, not leading at half-time in any of the teams' last four meetings (two wins, two defeats).

Indeed, Argentina should be expected to keep things competitive again, having seen four of their last five Rugby Championship matches decided by margins of no more than eight points (two wins, three losses).

This will be the first time they have welcomed Australia to Sante Fe, where they will be desperate to improve on their underwhelming record. They have lost their last two games in the city, going down 30-12 to Wales in 2018 and 35-25 to England in 2017.

The hosts will again be looking to make the most of kick returns, having gained 423 metres from such situations in the Rugby Championship this year – 170 more than Australia, who rank second with 253m.  

Australia, meanwhile, lead the tournament charts for turnovers won, with 16. The Wallabies have also registered 44 successful exits from their defensive 22m zone, with only New Zealand (47) recording more.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Argentina – Juan Martin Gonzalez

Gonzalez, alongside Australia's Carlo Tizzano, has made dominant contact on more tackles than any other player in the Rugby Championship 2024 (seven each).

Gonzalez has also crossed the line for a try in each of his last four Test matches against Australia, including for Argentina's sole score last week. He has gained 4.1 metres per carry in the Rugby Championship 2024, the best average among all forwards (minimum 10 carries attempted).

Australia – Rob Valentini 

Valentini has been directly involved in four tries in his last four Test matches (three tries, one try assist), including going over Argentina last time out.

That is more involvements than he logged across his previous 27 Tests for the Wallabies prior to this span (three – two tries, one try assist).

Joe Schmidt admitted he was on edge before Australia ended their eight-match Rugby Championship losing streak with a last-gasp 20-19 win over Argentina.

Ben Donaldson slotted over from close range with the last play of the game, much to the Pumas' frustration when the referee blew the full whistle.

Argentina held healthy leads twice, going 10-0 and 16-7 up. Jake Gordon and Rob Valetini crossed for Australia before Noah Lolesio's three kicks left the game on a knife edge before Donaldson sealed the win.

It is the first time the Wallabies have won in the competition since beating South Africa in 2022, and Schmidt was overjoyed that they were able to get the result over the line.

"It was heart in mouth," said Schmidt. "I'm really delighted for the boys, they found a way to win. I'm just really proud.

"We made a few things hard for ourselves, giving them a big start at home, a big crowd and difficult conditions.

"We put ourselves straight back under pressure by dropping restarts, but we fought, scored tries and created some other chances that would have been great.

"It'll be back to the drawing board a little bit, but I think we might even enjoy this one, just because we really had to fight to get it."

Argentina host Australia again in Sante Fe next week, while South Africa and New Zealand will meet in Cape Town in round four. 

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi warned his team the job is far from done despite them rallying for a thrilling victory over New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.

The Springboks secured a 31-27 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, coming from behind with two late tries from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Grant Williams.

The victory hauled South Africa onto 14 points in the Championship standings as they bid to end New Zealand's four-year stranglehold on the title, but Kolisi says there is still work to be done.

Addressing the capacity crowd in his post-match interview, Kolisi said: "We play for a lot but you people are our number one motivation. 

"We appreciate you every single day. Please don't stop. When times are tough, please keep supporting us. We cannot do it without you.

"We respect the All Blacks. No matter what people say about them, when they need to turn up, they turn up. We believed in ourselves, we didn't panic, and we did what we wanted.

"They were catching us on the exit. After the first try in the second half, we picked it up. I'm really proud of the boys but the job is not done."

All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, meanwhile, was proud of his team-mates' efforts but admitted they had just fallen short of putting together a complete performance.

"Well done to the Springboks, it showed the class team they are," he said. "We weren't quite good enough. We were good for 62 minutes and it's an 80-minute game.

"There were two key moments after kick-offs where we couldn't quite get out of our half and they punished us. It was a huge effort, we're certainly proud, but it was just not quite to be.

"We'll regroup pretty quickly. Some guys have played here for the first time. It's intense and we'll have to be better next week."

South Africa host New Zealand again in Cape Town next week, while Australia go to Argentina for their round-three matchup. 

Joe Schmidt said he cannot recall ever being involved in a more "bizarre" Test as his Australia side were downed 30-12 by South Africa in the Rugby Championship.

Malcolm Marx touched down twice for the Springboks in rainy Perth to make it two from two in the tournament but the Wallabies were hit by a swathe of injuries.

Front-row pair Allan Alaalatoa and Angus Bell were unable to return for the second half and scrums went uncontested after replacement prop James Slipper failed a head injury assessment.

The Wallabies even went down to 14 briefly when hooker Josh Nasser went off injured, though they did return to a full 15.

Reflecting on the unfortunate series of events, head coach Schmidt told Stan Sport: "It's probably one of the most bizarre games I've ever been involved in.

"In over 100 Test matches that I've been involved in I've never had a situation like that before. It happened so early in the game as well. When Slips got a head knock right after half-time.

"And then we were straight down. And then we played with 14 for a period of time before the officials worked out that we were still entitled to have a full pack because of the HIA.

"But I still am proud of the way that the guys fought their way through that second half. And the way that they stayed in the fight in the first half. It could have been, and I know it could have been as easy to say, but it could have been 12-11 at half-time and that would have been a massive lift for the boys."

Australia are winless through their first two matches, both against the Springboks, and will next face Argentina in La Plata on August 31.

Malcolm Marx scored two tries in the second half to lead South Africa to a 30-12 victory over Australia in rainy Perth.

After a tight first half, the Springboks asserted their dominance to make it two wins from two in the Rugby Championship ahead of their meeting with New Zealand next week.

Noah Lolesio's penalty gave Australia the early lead, but they could not hold onto it for long as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu equalised moments before Aphelele Fassi latched onto a long kick to touch down the first try.

Lolesio slotted in two more kicks only to miss another on the stroke of half-time that would have given the Wallabies the lead.

They were punished for it after the break as Marco van Staden and Malcolm Marx twice touched down to maintain South Africa's perfect start.

Though it was a marked improvement for the Wallabies from their opening-day performance in Brisbane, Joe Schmidt still has work to do to get them ready for Argentina next weekend. 

Data Debrief: Springboks extend Australian run

South Africa have now won each of their last three Test matches against the Wallabies in Australia. The last time they recorded a longer such winning run was a four-match span from July 1971 to July 1993.

Though Australia have suffered back-to-back defeats, they showed more of a fight. Last week, it took them 75 minutes to score, compared to just three this time around. 

New Zealand exacted revenge on Argentina following their shock defeat to the Pumas last week, winning 42-10 on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 50 tests. 

The All Blacks responded in ruthless fashion, scoring six tries as Scott Robertson's side now await world champions South Africa in Johannesburg next week. 

New Zealand got off to the perfect start when Damian McKenzie latched on to Jordie Barrett's chip for the first try in the sixth minute, with captain Ardie Savea adding a second 11 minutes later. 

Caleb Clarke, Will Jordan and Beauden Barrett all crossed to give the All Blacks a 35-3 lead at half-time in challenging conditions at the Auckland fortress. 

Jordan notched his second try of the encounter shortly after the restart, but Argentina were able to halt the constant New Zealand pressure for much of the second half. 

The Pumas would score their first and only try eight minutes from time, with Juan Cruz Mallia going over to take some of the shine off an otherwise dominant display. 

Fly-half McKenzie converted all six All Blacks tries, with New Zealand captain Savea happy with his side's response to the defeat in Wellington seven days ago. 

"Very happy to get the win and respond the way we did," said Savea.

"We're the All Blacks, we've got to bring that every week and not rely on a loss to get that response from us."

Data Debrief: 50 not out at Eden Park

The All Blacks responded in some style to their 38-30 defeat against Argentina last week, getting their Rugby Championship title defence back on track. 

New Zealand's emphatic triumph saw them extend their unbeaten run at Auckland's Eden Park to 50 matches, last losing in 1994 against France. 

The Rugby Championship returned with a bang last weekend.

World champions South Africa stated their intent from the very start, dishing out a 33-7 thrashing to end Australia's unbeaten run under Joe Schmidt.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's crown could be under threat after they suffered an opening day slip-up as Argentina pounced, upsetting the All Blacks with a 38-30 victory.

Australia and New Zealand have a chance to right those wrongs on matchday two, while South Africa and Argentina will be looking to pull clear at the top of the table.

Here, we run through the best Opta stats ahead of this weekend's action, picking out the players to watch in each contest.

NEW ZEALAND V ARGENTINA

New Zealand's defence of their Rugby Championship title did not get off to the desired start as they let their half-time lead slip to lose to Argentina in Wellington last weekend, ending head coach Scott Robertson's perfect start.

However, they will be stepping out in Auckland this time around, a happy hunting ground for them as they are undefeated across their last 51 Test matches there (49 wins, two draws), scoring an average of 36.7 points per game across that span. Their last defeat in the city was a 20-23 loss against France in July 1994.

New Zealand also won their only previous meeting with Argentina at Eden Park, cruising to a 33-10 victory in the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

They bring plenty of physicality too, having made 11 offloads in the first round, the most of any team; the All Blacks have logged more than 10 offloads in their last two matches in the competition after doing so only once across their previous nine games in the tournament beforehand.

Argentina, meanwhile, won their Rugby Championship opener for the first time, having lost it in their previous 11 appearances.

And, after coming from behind to win that game, they look to have a new lease of life under Felipe Contepomi as they aim to get back-to-back wins over New Zealand for the first time.

Indeed, Los Pumas have won each of their last two Test matches against tier one opposition (38-30 v New Zealand and 33-25 v France) - the last time they recorded a longer winning run in such fixtures was a three-match span at the 2007 Rugby World Cup (v France, Ireland and Scotland).

Argentina made 183 tackles in round one of the Rugby Championship, the most of any team; it is the third time they have logged 180+ in a match in the tournament since the beginning of 2021 – Australia (twice) are the only other team to have done so more than once in that time.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New Zealand – Ethan Blackadder

Despite being on the wrong end of the scoreline, Blackadder managed to catch the eye as he completed 20 tackles in round one of the Rugby Championship, the most of any player.

In fact, it was the joint-most he has made in a Test match for the All Blacks (also 20 v Ireland in November 2021).

Argentina – Matteo Carreras

While Agustin Creevy stole the headlines during Argentina's win last weekend, Matteo Carreras' involvement was equally important.

He has scored three tries in his last two Test matches, including one try against New Zealand last time out, as many as he scored in his eight Tests prior to that run combined (three).

AUSTRALIA V SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa started as they mean to go on with their statement win over Australia last weekend, and they have now won their last three Test matches against the Wallabies by an average margin of 24.3 points.

The last time the Springboks recorded a longer winning run against the Wallabies was a seven-match span from August 1969 to August 1971.

Indeed, South Africa have won each of their last two Test matches against their opponents in Australia, conceding no more than eight points on the day in either of those two wins.

South Africa's form anywhere away from home is impressive enough. They have won each of their last six Test matches outside their country, with three of those six victories coming by a single-point margin on the day. The last time the Springboks recorded a longer winning run outside the country was a nine-match span from August to November in 2007.

Rassie Erasmus' side completely dominated as they gained 547 metres on matchday one of the Rugby Championship, 149 metres more than the team with the second most (Argentina – 398); only once across their last 22 matches in the competition prior have the Springboks gained more in a game (698 v Australia in July 2023).

Schmidt's hopes of a strong start to the tournament quickly evaporated in Brisbane, but a move to Perth could be a good boost for their confidence, with Australia only losing one of their last nine Test matches in the city (winning seven, drawing one).

Australia won 20 line-outs (inc. two steals) in round one of the Rugby Championship, the most of any team; only once across their last 40 Test matches prior to that game had the Wallabies logged as many (20, inc. four steals v Fiji in September 2023). If they can make those count, they could give themselves a chance.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Australia – Harry Wilson

While Australia's attacking play left much to be desired, Harry Wilson provided them with a driving force as he crossed the gainline on 10 carries on matchday one, the second most of any player (Ardie Savea, 12).

He also won seven line-outs, the most of any player in the opening round of the tournament.

South Africa – Kurt-Lee Arendse

Kurt-Lee Arendse continued his impressive run of form with two tries against Australia last time out, meaning he has now scored four tries in his last four Test matches.

He has scored five tries in his two career appearances against the Wallabies, scoring a hat-trick against them last year in addition to last week's brace.

Agustin Creevy has hailed Argentina's "amazing" performance after they came from behind to beat New Zealand 38-30 in their Rugby Championship opener.

The All Blacks made a strong start to the game and held the lead at the halfway stage, but Argentina started the second half brightly, fighting back to edge in front.

It was Creevy who proved the hero for the Pumas with a try before Mateo Carreras sealed another famous victory, having also beaten them in August 2022.

It is the first time in 12 attempts that Argentina have won their opener at the Rugby Championship, and Creevy, who missed that match in 2022, was buoyant after clinching the win.

"It was amazing," Creevy said. "I think we had a really good performance. We spoke in the week about hitting first and we hit first. I thought we dominated the whole game.

"For me, personally, I am 39 and this is the first time in my life I have won in New Zealand. This game for us is f****** amazing. And now, thinking, I want to win next week."

Meanwhile, it was Scott Robertson's first defeat since taking over the All Blacks, having earned a 2-0 series triumph over England before earning a dominant win over Fiji.

Sam Darry and Anton Lienert-Brown provided the tries in the first half to give them the lead, but they struggled to regain their foothold in the second, and Robertson was candid about where it went wrong for New Zealand on Saturday.

"We weren't good enough," Robertson admitted. "It started off at the kick-off and every time we received one, we couldn't get off our back fence.

"That kept us in a pressure cycle, and we just made too many errors."

Argentina and New Zealand will meet again in the Rugby Championship next weekend in Auckland.

Australia coach Joe Schmidt says his team now know the "benchmark" for what is expected after losing to South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener.

Schmidt's unbeaten start in charge of the Wallabies ended on Saturday as they were hammered 33-7 in Brisbane.

Australia trailed 21-0 at half-time after a dominant first half from the Springboks, and though Hunter Paisami managed a late consolation, it was never going to be enough to deny South Africa a first win in Brisbane since 2013.

Schmidt acknowledged how his side were outplayed but explained how the defeat would determine their preparation for the next game.

"They won the physical battle today, their breakdown was really strong, and they dominated possession and territory in that first half, which saps the strength out of the boys a little bit," Schmidt told Stan Sport post-match.

"The team hung in there, fought back, lost the second half 12-7; it would have been great to get a little bit more out of the game, but we've got a benchmark.

"And it wasn't a massive shock to where the Springbok would be, and it's somewhere that we're going to have to build toward."

South Africa have won back-to-back Test matches against the Wallabies in Australia for the first time since July 1993, successfully ending Australia's four-Test winning streak with ease.

Before the tournament, Schmidt had overseen two wins over Wales and another against Georgia in his unbeaten start, but he remains optimistic after taking the positives from their performance.

"We saw some real heart. I thought we got back and defended a couple of times when we were a little bit unlucky, they got a few bounces of the ball which are always going to go in your favour when all the momentum is going your way. And they earn it, and they physically impose it, so that they make it very, very difficult," Schmidt added.

"At the same time, I'm a little bit heartened by the way the boys rolled their sleeves up and kept trying to fight, and then that second half, 12-7 is a lot closer than the three tries they put on in the first half."

Australia will meet South Africa again in the Rugby Championship next weekend in Perth. 

Agustin Creevy proved the late hero as Argentina stunned New Zealand with a 38-30 victory in a Wellington thriller on Saturday.

Hooker Creevy bundled over with just 11 minutes remaining, with his sixth try in 109 Tests paving the way for Santiago Carreras' penalty to seal an eye-catching triumph in their Rugby Championship opener.

Having triumphed two years ago on Kiwi soil, Argentina held out for another significant victory in New Zealand despite missing captain Julian Montoya due to a rib injury.

Sam Darry had earlier opened the scoring for the hosts before Anton Lienert-Brown restored New Zealand's lead after Lucio Cinti powered over for the visiting Pumas.

Mateo Carreras reduced the deficit heading into half-time, with New Zealand leading by five points before the boot of Carreras edged Argentina into a 25-23 advantage after the interval.

Mark Tele'a picked the right moment to dance through the Argentina defence to send the All Blacks back ahead, yet Creevy provided the late heroics before Carreras punished a line-out error to seal a famous victory.

Data Debrief: All Blacks rare failure on home soil

New Zealand had won 16 of their 17 Test matches against Argentina on home soil (L1), recording an average winning margin of 34.8 points across those 16 victories.

Yet that winning run came to an abrupt end as Argentina triumphed for just a second time in seven Rugby Championship matches, adding to a 34-31 victory against Australia in July 2023.

This landmark triumph also marked their first opening win at this competition in 12 attempts, having lost all 11 prior appearances in the Rugby Championship opener.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's struggles in Wellington continued. They have now won only one of their last seven Tests at this venue, with the All Blacks seeking revenge at Eden Park next Saturday.

South Africa ended Joe Schmidt's unbeaten start as Australia coach in emphatic fashion as the Springboks hammered the Wallabies 33-7 in Brisbane.

The world champions were in control throughout their Rugby Championship opener as South Africa silenced an expectant 50,000-plus crowd at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

Visiting captain Siya Kolisi crashed over early on from a rolling maul before Pieter-Steph du Toit and Kurt-Lee Arendse crossed to seal a 21-0 half-time lead.

Kwagga Smith added another after the interval, punishing an error-strewn Australia, while Arendse doubled his own account with the Springboks' fifth try on away soil.

Hunter Paisami managed a late consolation for the drab hosts, converted by Tom Lynagh, but the damage was done as South Africa triumphed in Brisbane for the first time since 2013.

New Australia boss Schmidt had overseen two wins over Wales and another against Georgia, though needs desperate improvements ahead of the second meeting with the Springboks in Perth next Saturday.

Data Debrief: Springboks continue hold over Australia

South Africa have now secured back-to-back Test victories against the Wallabies in Australia for the first time since July 1993, following their 24-8 win in September 2022 in Sydney.

The Springboks are also on a three-match winning run against the Wallabies, their best such streak since a three-Test span from September 2012 to September 2013.

Having won 14 of their last 16 international fixtures, South Africa will fancy their chances of another victory in Perth after ending Australia's four-Test victorious streak with ease.