Rugby: All Blacks win Tri Nations after Wallabies and Pumas play out of tie

Reece Hodge missed a late-game penalty for the third time this season when the Wallabies and Pumas played a 16-16 draw in miserable conditions at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney last night.

The result confirmed the All Blacks as champions of the 2020 Tri Nations.

The Wallabies did well to be in position to win after Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was sent off for a high shot around the hour and Argentina took a 16-9 lead.

Captain Michael Hooper scored from a maul, his twentieth test try, a record for an Australian striker, and Hodge’s conversion leveled the scores heading into the final 10 minutes.

But Hodge’s long-range late failure doomed the Wallabies to a third tie this season after a wet weather test that also featured three yellow cards.

Hodge gave Australia a 3-0 lead in the 16th minute after Marco Kremer was punished harshly for head contact.

With that precedent set, Hooper was also sidelined for 10 minutes with an equally controversial call after half an hour.

The Pumas capitalized, taking the lead with a second penalty and the first try of the game. His group sounded the ball forward from a lineout deep in his own half and Felipe Ezcurra broke free to prepare winger Bautista Delguy for a well-executed attempt.

That led the visitors to a 13-3 lead despite the Wallabies enjoying about 70 percent of the territory and possession in the first half.

The hosts pushed the Pumas line right at halftime, finally settling for a penalty in the 43rd minute to close the gap to 13-6 at halftime.

Hodge shot his third penalty 13-9, but the game turned firm on Argentina’s road when Salakaia-Loto was sent off in the hour for a high shot over Santiago Grondona.

Unlike the yellow cards in the first half, Salakaia-Loto’s expulsion, on the field of just nine minutes, was justified and Argentina went ahead 16-9 from the resulting penalty.

But the Pumas enjoyed a one-man lead for just six minutes, with Lucas Paulos in the bin for collapsing a maul. Aussie persistence was rewarded with Hooper’s try and Hodge’s conversion 16-16, but once again the Wallabies couldn’t break the deadlock.