Australia coach Joe Schmidt was left to lament a lack of depth in his inexperienced Wallabies squad after seeing his team handed a record 67-27 loss by Argentina in Santa Fe in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The Australians raced into a 17-point lead during the first half but suffered a collapse after the interval to concede a record number of points in their second-heaviest defeat as the Pumas ran rampant.
"There was a fair bit of youth out there, especially coming off the bench, and it was a very tough period of time for them to play out that last 20 or 30 minutes," said former Ireland head coach Schmidt.
"Until then the game was very much in the balance. To lead 20-3 in the first half and then to be 20-17 at halftime meant it swung a bit, but we were still in front.
"It's disappointing to fall off the edge in that second half."
Australia had only once previously conceded 60 points or more in a game, that coming in a 61-22 loss against South Africa in 1997, and went into the game in Sante Fe having defeated Argentina 20-19 in La Plata last weekend.
But, despite tries from Carlo Tizzano and Andrew Kellaway giving Schmidt's side an early advantage, the home side responded with nine tries of their own to crush the visitors.
The loss was the third in four matches for Schmidt's side in the current Rugby Championship, leaving the New Zealander looking for positives from his tenure so far and his team's two-test mini tour of Argentina.
"I think we've had 16 debutants and it's going to take a bit of time to build a strength in depth that allows us when we do make substitutions or when we are a few players short that we can sustain a really competitive effort," said Schmidt.
"Getting the time with the players and getting the opportunity for them to build as a squad is always really positive when you're away on tour.
"Records are going to happen. Argentina put a record score of 38 up against the All Blacks in New Zealand. That's what they're capable of."
Argentina's victory kept alive hopes of a first ever triumph in the Rugby Championship, although they will have to upend world champions South Africa twice to win this year’s competition.
The Pumas, who have won two and lost two of four matches in this year’s competition, trail the Springboks by eight points and must win both their last two fixtures to overtake them.
Argentina host the World Cup winners in Santiago del Estero in a fortnight before travelling to South Africa for their last game, in Nelspruit, on 28 September.
Argentina have completed 12 Rugby Championships since the expansion of the Tri Nations series between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in 2012, and in that time never been in a position to win the title with two matches to go.
They have finished last nine times, but now face a dramatic tussle for the title with South Africa, who have already said they will split their squad into two separate units for the two tests.
"We talked at half-time about imposing what we wanted to do," head coach, former Leinster man Felipe Contepomi said after the Australia thrashing.
"The truth is that they did it very well. It was an almost impeccable second half.
"For me, the key is not to focus on the result. We want to measure ourselves by our actions and evaluate ourselves by what we say we're going to do and how we do it.
"That's why I say at the beginning it was a bit strange -because we confused conviction with madness."
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