Wallaby No. 1000 De Lutiis shines again as Australia go unbeaten in Argentina series

Massimo De Lutiis continued his rapid rise through Australian rugby with a 16-tackle performance off the bench in the Wallabies’ 28-all draw with Argentina in Mendoza, helping secure the first unbeaten away series Australia have recorded against Los Pumas.

The 22-year-old tighthead made history last month when he became the 1000th Wallaby on debut against Japan in Townsville, scoring a try in the process. His two appearances in South America have only reinforced the impression he left on that occasion, with his tackle count in Mendoza ranking him fifth overall despite playing significantly less game time than most of his teammates.

Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson led all tacklers on the night, but head coach Les Kiss was quick to highlight De Lutiis’s contribution. Kiss, who worked with the prop during multiple seasons at the Queensland Reds, pointed to a difficult period of injury setbacks that had previously slowed De Lutiis’s development.

“I’m really happy for Mass because Mass has had a period of time over the last three years where injuries held him back in terms of his opportunities,” Kiss told reporters. “His diligence, his appetite to get better. He’s a very coachable young man in a very tough position, that’s for sure. Really pleased with that growth, without a doubt.”

Kiss added that De Lutiis could reflect positively on his three outings so far. “He’ll come off the game thinking he’s got more to do than he has but I think he can be pretty happy with the shift he’s put out over the last two or three games.”

De Lutiis remains unbeaten in a Wallabies shirt, a record that now extends across three matches. Australia had targeted a fifth consecutive win and a first-ever series sweep in Argentina, but a 13-man Los Pumas side held on in a dramatic finish to deny them.

The draw still represented historic progress. It is the first time the Wallabies have gone through an away series against Argentina without a defeat, having previously gone 1-0 up on multiple occasions only to fall short.

The match also tested Australia’s squad depth and tactical flexibility. Scrum-half Ryan Lonergan shifted to fly-half, Tom Wright moved from fullback to the wing, and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii clocked minutes out wide. Carter Gordon was introduced from the bench on two occasions but did not finish the game after picking up an injury.

Kiss framed the disruptions as a deliberate part of the team’s development under the new coaching group. “Some of the things we’re trying to work on is to make ourselves a bit future proof,” he said. “There’s a few things like that we’ve been working on to make sure we cover those positions well and we had a good chance to see those things in action tonight.”