David Leggat: Alarm bells over brute force (and a hot Toddy)

Time was when the gulf between the All Blacks and the Pumas matched the width of Avenida 9 de Julio in downtown Buenos Aires.

Now that's a city which knows how to construct REAL roads. Not piddly two-lane jobs.

This is a 16-lane piece of construction about 140 m wide. Imagine walking from tryline to tryline, then turn round and go back to the 10m line again and you're about right.

It was built in the 1930s to commemorate their independence day which was, as if you hadn't worked it out by now, July 9, 1816. Also, very handy for the dictator Juan Peron and others of a military persuasion for their tank parades.

Argentinians are the Texans of South America. Just like their steaks, which flop over the sides of your plate. It's a man's world, Argentina. Mucho macho.

And that's how they like their rugby. One giant arm wrestle. If they love nothing else they love a decent scrum (or 30) and old-fashioned prolonged mauls - and they're pretty good at both.

The All Blacks might beat the Pumas by 40 points tomorrow (don't hold your breath) but even so there's a good chance the New Zealand tight men won't have 80 minutes of tougher grunt work all year.

Marvellous country, Argentina, as Richie Benaud might say. Spectacular scenery and their passion for sport is boundless.

The Velez Sarsfield stadium, the venue for tomorrow's match, hosted two All Black tests in 1991.

The raucous atmosphere was helped by a ground announcer who could knock out eardrums at 10 paces.

The media were positioned uncomfortably close to a loudspeaker. I'm sure it wasn't deliberate. Now anyone who has used a loudhailer knows you only need to speak at a normal pitch for your words to carry far.

This bloke shouted into the microphone. At roughly two-minute intervals for 80 minutes.

"Atencion! Atencion!", followed by the Buenos Aires equivalent of "would the owner of a white Holden Commodore, registration ... "

On the field, Argentina are a bit like the South Africans who for generations have glorified their kicking No 10s. From Bennie Osler in the 1920s to Naas Botha 20 years ago, they've booted extraordinary goals from extraordinary distances in the rarified atmosphere on the high veldt and been lauded for it.

So, step forward Federico Todeschini, who is apparently cut from the same cloth. He stuck 11 out of 12 shots between the posts in steering Argentina to a 45-27 win over Wales last weekend, sewing up a 2-0 series victory.

Don't wait for Argentina to give the ball plenty of width tomorrow. As the game is about playing to your strengths, watch for Toddy and the pack to do the bulk of the work.

In a rugby administration which still cherishes the amateur ethos, the bulk of Argentina's best players are professionals at British, Irish or French clubs.

This test will be played against a backdrop of a financial stoush which threatened to derail the All Blacks test. Matters of the peso have been set aside for the moment.

But the point is the players are no longer gallant amateur try-hards. They've beaten several of the leading test nations, but not the All Blacks.

A 21-all draw in Buenos Aires in 1985 provided a rude awakening. Hugo Porta kicked all the hosts' points that day. Plus ca change, as the French would say ...

When the All Blacks run out to a firecracker welcome tomorrow morning, none of them will have played rugby for four weeks.

Now what if Argentina do the unthinkable and win? Where does that leave the All Black panel's rotation and trial strategies? In a large hole, you might think.

Yet that's the risk the selectors run with their desire to give every possible Tri-Nations (and you could read that as World Cup) contender a viewing. It could be a fascinating 80 minutes.