'You're letting your country down!': Inside the greatest spray of Michael Cheika's career

As a seasoned veteran of both the Wallabies and Waratahs, Nick Phipps had been on the receiving end of countless Michael Cheika sprays.

But this one was all-time as the physically imposing coach tore strips off the tourists in the cramped changing rooms at Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena.

Cheika had just watched his players slump to a 31-7 half time deficit in Salta - already the most points they had ever conceded in a Test match against Argentina.

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Under pressure to keep his job after some poor results in 2018, an angry Cheika was shown on broadcast grabbing Bernard Foley by the jersey to ram home one point.

Predominantly used as a football stadium, with only 11 lockers, Phipps was relieved to be among the reserves as it meant he was tucked around a corner.

"Cheik's in there just absolutely spraying," the halfback told Stan Sport's Between Two Posts, as the Wallabies prepare for Sunday's (AEST) date with Los Pumas.

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"He's grabbing jerseys, he's pulling people in close, like bringing out all the big guns. 'You're letting your country down!'. Absolute hooked the front row at half time: 'you're off'. And then boys went out there in the second half, the 40th to the 70th minute, we played the best footy we've probably played in a couple of years and we put them to the sword."

Indeed it was one of the most remarkable rallies in rugby history as the Wallabies won the second half 38-3 for a record 45-34 Rugby Championship victory.

"It was a great comeback, but jeez, it would have been entertaining watching the halftime camera without sound, imagining what he was saying. He was saying it!"

NEW PODCAST! Nick Phipps lifts the lid on Michael Cheika's infamous Salta spray and the crew debate who should replace Hunter Paisami in the Wallabies midfield

Phipps said it ranked No.1 on the list of all-time Cheika rev-ups.

"But in saying that, out of my top 20 sprays, he's probably owned about 18. But it was awesome because he didn't actually do that that often, the half time spray," he said.

"He was smart enough to know that you had to save it for big moments. And that was a moment and the boys responded. So that was really, really cool."

Joe Schmidt's Wallabies are hunting their first win of the Rugby Championship in La Plata after two home losses to the world champion Springboks.

Argentina - coached by Cheika's former assistant Felipe Contepomi - are 1-1 after splitting the tour of New Zealand with the All Blacks.

Several Wallabies players have not been to Argentina before and the Pumas, ranked ahead of Australia, are rated strong favourites by the bookmakers.

"It's a different world," Phipps said of touring the country.

"Football stadiums, there's a moat around the outside, a 15m fence, there's lasers, there's flares - there is no way they're selling individual seats, just like: 'in you get'.

"It's wild mate. It's so good. It's entertaining but very confronting for someone who's come from the Sydney Football Stadium and University No.2... you have your head on a swivel a lot of the time."