The Pumas defeated the All Blacks 29-23 in Buenos Aires, showcasing superior organisation and discipline.
Scott Robertson emphasised the need for improved discipline after the All Blacks received three yellow cards.
The Springboks defeated Wallabies 30-22 in Cape Town.
There was a lot of dust to settle after the first round of the Rugby Championship. Following the results in the second round, it’s now not so much dust settling as waiting for a Sahara Desert sandstorm to abate
Before the competition started, the pecking order looked prettysettled. But the team of this weekend wasn’t South Africa or New Zealand, it was the Pumas, who provided 80 minutes of excellent rugby to deal to the All Blacks in Buenos Aires, 29-23. “It hurt” was the short but entirely accurate summation by All Black coach Scott Robertson of what happened to New Zealand.
Meanwhile in Cape Town, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus could call back in his giant forwards to wrestle with and slow down the flying Wallabies, and 31-year-old first five-eighths Handre Pollard to kick the goals for the Boks’ 30-22 comeback win. The All Blacks don’t have that luxury of alternatives to personnel and style.
If we’re being brutally honest, pretty much everywhere. Argentina cleaned up their messy lineout from last week, and were more assertive at the breakdown. Their attacking and defensive lines looked much better organised than the All Blacks’ did. And while it’s true the All Blacks backs couldn’t rely on a stream of front-foot ball, when they did get possession there wasn’t the air of confidence and polish the Pumas showed.
Pablo Matera showed"'unrelenting energy". Photo / Getty Images
Man of the match
Argentina’s blindside flanker, Pablo Matera, was just one of many heroes for the home team. His unrelenting energy would hardly have been a surprise to any of the All Blacks, especially those from the Crusaders, where in 2022 he was a key man in their winning of the Super Rugby title. It was the 13th for the Crusaders, but the first club title for Matera anywhere in the world.
What could help the All Blacks
Wholesale changes, whether in the team or in the coaches’ box, are definitely not the answer. There are enough forwards showing good form to believe a very small shift in attitude will be enough for them to be hugely competitive when they face South Africa at Eden Park in a fortnight’s time.
The backline is more of a worry. We didn’t see enough accuracy or imagination in Buenos Aires. But as it happens, near at hand is Wayne Smith, renowned the world over as one of the great thinkers and innovators in the game.
Smith already has an official – if fairly vaguely defined – position with the current team. So there would be no difficult protocols in whistling him up to offer his thoughts. It’s probably also handy that he’s not a man who wants to hog the limelight, so there’s no reason for anyone in the current coaching group to feel slighted by any thoughts or suggestions he might have.
Discipline wins games
One of the great strengths of Scott Robertson as a coach at Super Rugby level was his ability to unify the team. Part of that involved making damn sure his sides were not leg-roped by having to deal with a torrent of yellow cards, as they did against the Pumas. Not one was for foul play, and the binning of Sevu Reece for a deliberate knock on felt more like a way to make sure the television match official (TMO) had a chance to impose himself on the match than anything to do with rugby.
Nevertheless, the obnoxious TMO intrusions are now a part of the game that have to be dealt with. Having demonstrated how well he can get inside his players’ heads at the Crusaders, it’s now imperative for Robertson to do the same with the All Blacks.
Demonstrating character
Having long believed that while sport might not actually build character it will certainly demonstrate it, I propose a round of applause for halfback Finlay Christie, who because of injuries found himself elevated from fourth-string halfback in the All Blacks squad to running the show for much of the Buenos Aires test.
It was a good measure of his courage that no blame for the loss can be sheeted home to him.
A bookie’s nightmare
Who would want to stake money (or their reputation) on predicting what might happen when the Springboks arrive to play the September 6 test at Eden Park against the All Blacks? There’s huge pressure on both coaches, but the Boks’ boss Rassie Erasmus has what amounts to a solid-gold insurance policy for his position thanks to two World Cup titles.
He’s quite rightly regarded as one of the great lateral thinkers in the game, and which way he’ll jump with his team at Eden Park makes the contest totally fascinating.
Rassie Erasmus brings his Springboks to Eden Park next month. Photo / Photosport
Good on you, Joe
From the long ago days when he was a Tauranga school teacher helping out with the Bay of Plenty provincial team, Joe Schmidt has always been one of the most grounded coaches in rugby. But what he’s managed with the Wallabies this year has been so remarkable it really does deserve to be celebrated with neon lights and champagne.
In whipping South Africa at Ellis Park a week ago, and making the Boks sweat for a win in Cape Town on the weekend, his men delivered two stellar performances. We now have four genuine contenders for the Rugby Championship.
Joe Schmidt has markedly improved the performances of the Wallabies. Photo / Photosport
Campo’s clickbait
I worked several times with the great Australian wing David Campese on a television show during the 2011 Rugby World Cup. When the cameras weren’t rolling he was extremely likeable.
Back in 1988 at the Sydney Football Stadium, I’d got a glimpse of where his exuberant personality came from, when I found myself sitting next to his wonderfully outgoing Italian mother watching an Australia-All Blacks test.
Wallabies great David Campese. Photo / Photosport
With this in mind, I find it slightly sad that such a gifted player and lively personality sometimes resorts to what are basically nonsensical media statements to – you’d presume – attract attention in what can sometimes be the rats’ nest of online commentary. To suggest, as Campo has this season, that Joe Schmidt “knows nothing about Australian rugby” is unmitigated nonsense. The great player he was on the field, and the sport itself, deserve better.
Phil Gifford is a Contributing Sports Writer for NZME. He is one of the most respected voices in New Zealand sports journalism.
