Wallabies playmaker Ben Donaldson welcomed pressure of kicking matchwinning penalty in Argentina

Nearly two years after he fluffed a matchwinning kick against Italy, Ben Donaldson stepped up to the plate again and delivered for the Wallabies.

A drought-breaking Wallabies win over Argentina can’t paper over the national team still having “a long way to go” when it comes to taking down the world’s best, according to matchwinner Ben Donaldson.

The 25-year-old defied the rainy conditions to nail a penalty kick that delivered the Wallabies a 20-19 victory in La Plata on Sunday, their first in the four-team Rugby Championship since 2022 having gone winless last year and after twice being smashed by South Africa at home last month.

Donaldson’s crucial kick came less than two years after his Wallabies debut ended with his head in his hands after missing a game-winning shot in Florence as the Wallabies were upset by Italy.

While he said he didn’t have flashbacks, Donaldson welcomed the chance to deliver for his country.

“I didn’t go back to the Italy game,” Donaldson said.

“There’s always pressure in those moments, they’re big moments in Test match footy, but as a player, as a kicker, you thrive for those moments, they’re the moments you want.

“I’ve said to people before, I’m probably lucky that I went through that moment in Italy. I think it’s made me grow as a player and as a person.

“We do a lot of work throughout the week, put ourselves in moments as kickers so when we come to the game, we’re ready for it.”

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The win was a big one for a regenerating Wallabies outfit under new coach Joe Schmidt that delivered some patchy wins over Wales then Georgia before being delivered a reality check by the world champion Springboks.

While happy to savour the win, achieved in “hostile” territory and tough conditions, Donaldson conceded the Wallabies were not at their best and would need to be for round two with the Pumas on Saturday and for the All Blacks with the Bledisloe Cup looming as their next challenge.

“Any win away from home is huge, especially against Argentina – the crowd was pretty hostile, the weather conditions were tough, but the boys put in a great shift,” he said.

“We’ve got a long way to go as we probably weren’t at our best again.

“So turning point, not too sure, but we’re definitely going to take some confidence out of that game and momentum and springboard into this week and then into the two All Blacks games.”

After playing in pouring rain in La Plata, the forecast for the second test in Sante Fe in northeast Argentina is for 27C and sunshine.

Donaldson hoped the dry conditions would allow the Wallabies to be more adventurous in attack.

But having been unable to stop the opposition scoring, giving up an average of 25 points in the six Tests under Schmidt, Donaldson knows it won’t be one-way traffic.

“As backs, we’ve had some set plays there for a while, but we haven’t really got through many of them, obviously with the weather, as Perth was pretty horrendous weather, as was the other night,” he said.

“Hopefully, this week it’s some nice weather and we can showcase our skills, but then off the back of that, Argentina have some silky backs as well, so we’re going to have to be on our toes with them.”

Originally published as Wallabies playmaker Ben Donaldson welcomed pressure of kicking matchwinning penalty in Argentina