Australia signalled their return to form with a 36-20 win over Argentina, although the result handed their Rugby Championship title back to New Zealand.

A three-try blitz in the first 15 minutes set up the Wallabies’ first back-to-back wins since last year’s World Cup, when they beat the Pumas in the semi-finals at Twickenham.

Will Genia crossed twice as Australia rediscovered their scoring touch but it came too late to prevent the All Blacks from lifting yet another trophy.

New Zealand beat South Africa 41-13 earlier in the day, meaning only an Argentina bonus-point win in Perth would deny them from reclaiming the Rugby Championship back off Australia with two matches to play.

Argentina’s hopes of delaying the inevitable were virtually dashed once Australia stormed out of the blocks with three quick tries.

Samu Kerevi dived over with just 42 seconds on the clock and the shell-shocked visitors then saw local boy Dane Heylett-Petty and Genia go over to make it 21-0 after only 12 minutes.

Heylett-Petty finished off a perfectly-executed training-ground move to score under the posts before Genia’s crunching tackle on Nicolas Sanchez broke the ball free before the Wallabies scrum-half toe-poked forward and then narrowly won a scrambled pursuit to touch down.

The Pumas dug in for the remainder of the half, their reward a couple of Sanchez penalties, and when Santiago Cordero crossed shortly after the break the score was manageable at 21-13.

But Australia responded with a second Genia try before Quade Cooper’s second clever inside pass of the game exposed a hole in the Pumas defence that Michael Hooper raced through untouched to score under the posts.

Facundo Isa grabbed a consolation try, while Cooper was in the sin bin, before Reece Hodge kicked over a penalty.

Australia and Argentina will play their return match at Twickenham to complete this year’s Rugby Championship on October 8.