Wallabies 56-17 Japan: Australia Are Ready — and Argentina Should Be Worried
The Wallabies have answered every question. A week after scraping past Japan 35-32 in Osaka with fourteen men, Les Kiss’s Australia side returned to the Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville on 15 August and demolished Eddie Jones’ team 56-17. Eight tries. Thirty-five unanswered points in the second half. A performance that transformed the narrative around this squad from “nearly came unstuck against Japan” to “this side is dangerous.” Argentina have been warned.
What Happened in Townsville
Australia went to the break at 21-17 — still close, still tight, with Japan refusing to fold under Eddie Jones’ direction. Then Australia took over. Thirty-five points without reply in the second half told the story. Taniela Tupou crossed twice. Josh Nasser, Angus Bell, debutant Massimo De Lutiis, Charlie Cale, Harry Wilson and Brandon Paenga-Amosa all dotted down. Ryan Lonergan converted five. Japan’s three tries — and their 17 first-half points — were a distant memory by the final whistle.
The contrast with Osaka was striking. The red card that cost Australia a man for twenty minutes in the first test had masked real issues — defensive lapses, poor discipline, a side still finding its shape under a new coach. In Townsville, those issues were gone. They played with width, physicality and the kind of clinical second-half execution that wins test series. Les Kiss will have boarded the flight to Argentina knowing exactly what his side is capable of.
What This Means for Argentina
When the Wallabies’ Japan series was confirmed, Los Pumas camp will have looked at the 35-32 first-test result and seen reason for optimism. A side that barely beat Japan in Osaka — with a man sent off — arriving in Jujuy on 29 August looked like a team Argentina could beat. The 56-17 second test changes that calculation completely.
This is now a side that has swept Japan 2-0, scored eleven tries across two tests, and is building momentum under Les Kiss heading into a two-test series against Los Pumas. Taniela Tupou is in form, the backline is running with pace and purpose, and Australia have demonstrated they can produce forty-point second halves when the game is there to be won. Argentina will need to be at their best in Jujuy to win this.
Les Kiss — The Wallabies Are His Now
Two tests in, and Les Kiss has won both. The manner of the wins — a character-building comeback in Osaka followed by a dominant Townsville performance — suggests a coach who is getting his messages through quickly. Australia’s defence in the second half in Townsville was as organised as anything Australia have produced since the 2023 World Cup, and the attacking patterns that produced eight tries have clearly been drilled in the weeks since Kiss took over.
With the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia eighteen months away, Kiss’s side are building something. The Argentina tour — two tests in Jujuy and Mendoza — is the next chapter. According to World Rugby, the Wallabies are currently ranked eighth in the world, just behind Argentina in seventh. A series win in Argentina would make the case for a rapid climb. For full context on Argentina’s preparation, see our Wallabies preview and our Argentina 2026 fixtures guide.
Argentina vs Australia — 29 August, Jujuy
Los Pumas have reasons of their own for confidence. The near-miss against South Africa on 8 August — a penalty hitting the upright with Argentina 13-10 ahead before the Springboks won 17-10 — showed a Los Pumas side capable of competing with the world’s best. Felipe Contepomi’s team defend well, are dangerous at the breakdown, and play with the kind of intensity that makes altitude tests in Jujuy notoriously difficult for visiting sides.
Australia have not won a test series in Argentina since 2009. The pressure of playing at altitude, in front of a partisan crowd that turns Estadio 23 de Agosto into one of the most intimidating venues in world rugby, has undone better touring sides than this. But this side — eight tries in Townsville, thirty-five second-half points, momentum and belief — is not coming to Argentina to lose.
Watch Argentina vs Australia
📺 Amazon Fire TV Stick — stream the Jujuy and Mendoza tests from your living room.
📖 Pumas: A History of Argentine Rugby — everything you need before the Wallabies arrive in Argentina.
🍺 Craft beer hampers on Amazon UK — for the early morning Jujuy kickoff.
