On October 21, 2013, Phelan stepped down from his post as Los Pumas head coach with immediate effect, one year early from the end of his contract. Over the 45 matches that he coached, he earned 13 wins, 31 defeats and 1 draw in his 5-year tenure. Since talking over in 2008, he has rarely earned successes. Argentina failed to get a test series victory under Phelan, with a draw against Scotland in 2008 and England in 2009, before losing 2-0 to Scotland in 2010. In 2012, Argentina again drew a test series against France, then losing 2-0 to England in 2013 including a record 32-3 defeat in the opening test, the biggest losing margin Argentina has had against England on home soil. He did lead Argentina to the occasional "upset", including a 9-6 win over Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh and a 26-12 win over Wales, who at the time where the Six Nations Grand Slam Champions, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.