The All Blacks have bounced back after back-to-back losses to thump Argentina 38-0. Video / All Blacks / Rugby Australia
It wasn't tiredness, nor was it the added strain of attempting to honour the memory of Diego Maradona, his life and death a couple of days before the test in Newcastle acknowledged by the All Blacks before kick-off with a jersey presentation by skipper Sam Cane.
It wasn't necessarily thatthe All Blacks were able to put sustained pressure on Argentina in every facet from the first whistle.
The reason the Pumas lost, according to their disappointed coach Mario Ledesma, was that they weren't clinical enough with their own ball.
Reacting to the 38-0 defeat at McDonald Jones Stadium, Ledesma arrived at the press conference armed with a couple of statistics, provided presumably by one of his assistants, which showed the Pumas converted more carries into line breaks, percentage-wise.
"They just threw me a number, they said the Kiwis played 140 balls [carries] for nine line breaks, which, maybe a couple of them were in the last five minutes. And we played 40 balls for five line breaks," Ledesma said.
"But we just couldn't capitalise. We kept losing the ball, we weren't clinical in our lineout, in our scrum, so we couldn't have a solid platform to play from. I'm not taking anything from the All Blacks, obviously, I'm just saying the balls that we had, the chances, we couldn't take them to the bank."
Argentina players react following their Tri-Nations rugby test against the All Blacks in Newcastle, Australia, Saturday, Nov. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Ledesma was possibly being slightly unfair on his side because they weren't operating in a vacuum, and he was possibly being slightly unfair on the All Blacks, who were a team transformed after losing to Argentina a fortnight ago.
They were relentless with and without the ball and while, to use Ledesma's metaphor, the All Blacks couldn't make take their pressure to the bank until the final 30 minutes, it finished a profitable evening for the team in general and Nepo Laulala, Scott Barrett, Akira Ioane and Will Jordan in particular.
Poor old Nicolas Sanchez, who was Argentina's hero a fortnight ago when scoring all his team's points in the 25-15 victory, had what could best be described as a mixed evening but could claim to be short-changed by his pack.
Skipper Pablo Matera, also far less influential against the increased physicality of the All Blacks, said tiredness – three tests in three weeks after a difficult year - wasn't an issue.
"That was not what happened in the game," Matera said. "It's difficult to put pressure on the team when you play two phases and you lose the ball. It's not good enough and this is a pressure game so you need to put a lot of pressure on the other team when you have opportunities and when you are going forward.
Argentina gather behind their goal posts after New Zealand scored their fifth try during the Tri-Nations rugby test between Argentina and the All Blacks. Photo / AP
"We didn't have a bad defence, it was quite good, but we weren't clinical enough."
Matera said his counterpart Cane told him how the All Blacks planned to honour Maradona at the pre-game coin toss.
"We are really thankful for that," Matera said. "Diego Maradona was obviously huge for Argentina. I'm really thankful for that gesture from the All Blacks.
"For us I think it [gave us] energy. Diego Maradona was a guy who represented our country the best way you could represent it as a sportsman. He's been a huge inspiration for all of us – players, coaches, the people of Argentina. We obviously had it in our thoughts and we just wanted to represent our country the same way he did."
Argentina's Emiliano Boffelli is tackled by New Zealand's Beauden Barrett, left, during the Tri-Nations rugby test between Argentina and the All Blacks in Newcastle. Photo / AP
After an epic win against the All Blacks, a draw against the Wallabies last weekend, and now a big defeat which earned the All Blacks a crucial bonus point and healthy points differential, the Pumas' Tri Nations hopes have been dashed with one more test against Australia to come.
"We've done a lot of effort to get here and made a lot of sacrifices not to finish the way we deserve to finish," Ledesma said. "So we'll go out there and try to play a good game."
