As the full-time whistle blew at Stade de France, Australia emerged victorious in the nail-biting match 22-14.

The Australians were the deserving winners, and they were rewarded with the top spot in Pool B and an easier quarter-final match-up. 

The match kicked off with Argentina's German Schulz scoring the first try within the first minute, quickly followed by Joaquin Pellandini's conversion. Australia trailed 0-7. 

Argentina’s Luciano Gonzalez got a yellow card and Henry Hutchison made the most of the extra man to score and narrow the gap to 5-7. 

Australia continued to press forward, and Ben Dowling’s brilliant try down the right wing at the seven-minute mark moved Australia into the lead 10-7. Dietrich Roache couldn’t convert the tough kick and the at the break Australia led by three points.

Second-half surge secures historic win

After a tense start to the second half, Dietrich scored his first try for the tournament to take Australia to a 15-7 lead. 

Argentina’s Matias Osadczuk then hit back with a try with Pellandini’s conversion at the four-minute mark, giving the South Americans the lead back 14-15.

The Australians were determined to make the most of this opportunity. Captain Nick Malouf scored a crucial try in the final moments, proudly leading the team to their third victory in two days.

“It’s just about leaving everything out there,” Nick said.

“I thought we had a really strong mix of good attacking and then some gritty defense against some big units. We controlled the tempo, they scored early, but we just stayed composed and fought back.”

Returning for his second Games after debuting in Tokyo, the 23-year-old Dietrich can sense something a little different this time around in the squad of twelve.

“I think that game gives us a lot of confidence. I understand they've been one of the top teams all year.

Really good effort from the boys. We dug deep for that one, and it was a tough game,” Dietrich said.

“We’ve got the depth in our team and can experiment with different players.

“I feel like the culture’s a bit different. I think everyone has that belief; we go into every game with confidence, and that comes from the hard work we’ve put in.

Quarter-final opponent is USA

The Team must make a speedy recovery ahead of their quarter-final, their second match for the day. Their opponent will be the United States of America, which finished third in Pool C and was ranked seventh from the pool matches.

USA almost caused a huge upset over France on day one and are in good form. But the Australian confidence is high and there is more improvement to come.

“We're still building in this tournament,” Dietrich said.

“I think in every game, we found really good stuff, but there's also stuff we have to work on. We’re taking it one step at a time, one game at a time.”

The quarter-final will be the final match of the evening in Paris at 6:30 AEST Friday morning.

Sarah Dyce