Ardie Savea is congratulated by Beauden Barrett after crossing against Argentina. Photo / photosport.nz
Ardie Savea is congratulated by Beauden Barrett after crossing against Argentina. Photo / photosport.nz
OPINION:
Phil Gifford presents six talking points after the All Blacks' 53-3 victory over Argentina in Hamilton.
Don't worry, be happy
It's a quirk of our New Zealand rugby psyche that joy in success is usually accompanied by a side dish of angst and doubt.
However, after the thrashing inthe Tron, it might be good for all of us rugby tragics to just relax and for a day or two enjoy the mental toughness and physical prowess we saw in a superb All Blacks display.
Seven tries to none was remarkable enough, but on a night where spring rain belted down for much of the game, three dropped passes in 80 minutes was even more impressive.
In this crazy season who knows exactly what lies ahead? But what is certain is that the All Blacks performance was the best from any team in the Rugby Championship so far.
Man of the match
Many candidates, from the sheer brilliance of Rieko Ioane, to the shrewd way Richie Mo'unga and David Havili ran the backline, to the wonderful, ceaseless energy Ardie Savea provides, to the potency Ethan de Groot, Samsoni Taukei'aho, and Tyrel Lomax bring to the front row. Taukei'aho reminds me of a young Sean Fitzpatrick, and there's no higher praise I can offer.
But, given the harsh circumstances he and his team were in, I can't go past Sam Cane's terrific performance. The last captain under so much personal pressure has to be Reuben Thorne, who before the 2003 World Cup was the whipping boy for every troll with a keyboard. A decade later Thorne would tell me: "It is hard for a captain to have that in the background."
Cane's strength of character was demonstrated from the time he was 14, when he'd be paid a man's wages on the family farm if he could show he could do a job as well as an adult.
That sort of grit and maturity was on display in Hamilton, where he tackled and ran with ferocious intent, while coolly making correct call after call as the leader. The crowning touches came when he handled twice in the lead-up to Jordie Barrett's try in the 61st minute, the best we've seen in test rugby this season.
Welcome back
Brodie Retallick's return was a reminder of just how good he is. As brutal as the broken cheekbone he suffered in the last test with Ireland was, the slightly macabre silver lining may be that he's returned with the rest of his body, and all of his mind, refreshed. And a refreshed Retallick, as the Pumas discovered, is a force of nature.
Brodie Retallick looked refreshed on his return. Photo / photosport.nz
Keeping their nerve
Ian Foster and his selectors keeping the same starting line-up for the second Pumas test was a daring and rare move.
Straight after the Christchurch test Foster suggested the All Blacks were "making some moves in our game". That statement was largely greeted with disbelief at the time. Given the minute detail of the video analysis now available to coaches in the days after a game, it'd be logical to believe Foster's confidence was soon reinforced, which led to the decision to stick with the status quo.
Quote of the night
Told at the press conference after the match that Pablo Matera refused to shake hands with Dane Coles (who appeared to have got the better of their physical and verbal exchanges in the game), Foster said: "He [Matera] wouldn't be the first player."
What about the Wallabies?
The test in Melbourne with the Wallabies on September 15, a Thursday night, will be fascinating.
Fans in Sydney who decided there was too much rain to go to the new $960 million stadium to see the Wallabies-Springboks test got it right. The 24-8 drubbing South Africa dished out thrilled the big contingent of Boks supporters, but it would be too kind to say the game, as a spectacle for a neutral observer, was mediocre.
The Boks playbook ran from A.) kick and chase, to A.) kick and chase some more. The Wallabies weren't good enough anywhere to offer an alternative.
What we should expect is some different approaches from Australia in Melbourne, and the guarantee, in a stadium with a retractable roof, they'll play on a firm surface, with a dry ball.
