RugbyRebels

So yeah, opening round of the Rugby Champs, between a team that basically played the Super Rugby final a few weeks ago v. a team that pretty has no fucks to give, featuring a whopping 1 player from that game in the starting line-up.

Argentina to hold out for anywhere between 50 to 60 minutes, maybe score an early try, and then get dismantled in the final quarter. Commentary to talk about Argentine passion, scrums and big ol' steaks. Business as usual. Thank you, next.

Argentina
1. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
2. Agustin Creevy
3. Juan Figallo
4. Guido Petti
5. Tomas Lavanini
6. Pablo Matera (C)
7. Marcos Kremer
8. Javier Ortega Desio
9. Tomas Cubelli
10. Nicolas Sanchez
11. Ramiro Moyano
12. Jeronimo De La Fuente
13. Matias Orlando
14. Matias Moroni
15. Emiliano Boffelli

16. Julian Montoya
17. Mayco Vivas
18. Santiago Medrano
19. Matias Alemanno
20. Tomas Lezana
21. Felipe Ezcurra
22. Joaquin Diaz
23. Joaqin Tuculet


New Zealand
1. Ofa Tu'ungafasi
2. Dane Coles
3. Angus Ta'avao
4. Brodie Retallick
5. Patrick Tuipulotu
6. Vaea Fifita
7. Sam Cane (C)
8. Ardie Savea
9. Aaron Smith
10. Beauden Barrett
11. Jordie Barrett
12. Ngani Laumape
13. Anton Lienert-Brown
14. Sevu Reece
15. Ben Smith

16. Liam Coltman
17. Atu Moli
18. Nepo Laulala
19. Jackson Hemopo
20. Luke Jacobson
21. Brad Weber
22. Josh Ioane
23. Braydon Ennor

Well, it turns out it's easier to defend a 5 metre line out when you can flood a maul from whatever angle you like.

New Zealand just spent all the luck they earned from being screwed in the cricket. Interception try, Sanchez missing the easiest kick he had all day, Argentina somehow managing to screw up two golden try-scoring chances, and then a 5m lineout in the last minute where NZ came round the side in about three different ways and then collapsed it. How that wasn't a penalty is utterly beyond me.

Still, a good win away from home and with a heavily rotated team. I think Argentina's snobbishness over favouring Jaguares over foreign players did cost them though - they could have used both Isa and Cordero today, but chose to leave them out of the XXIII.

Puja

Shouldn't have even got to the final maul if the AB's had employed the sensible game management approach that the Crusaders would have. By that I mean it should've been over once the Argies kicked away that free-kick and the ball was under control at the maul. From that point it didn't need to ever get more than a few metres away from the forwards. An inward angled (i.e. towards the maul) Laumape crash-ball is as exotic as it should've got. Then just grindy, grindy grind until the end. FFS the Blues managed it. Hopefully sanity, and game management skills, return with Whitelock next weekend.

I got the feeling that the All Blacks coaching staff had given Cane a list of playbook pages to tick off through that match.

Did that include "knock the ball on every second attacking play"?

Carefully. Eddie will be tapping him up.

You pervert. That's disgusting.

.

After years of doing their own thing NZ are finally copying other sides more, and in fairness doing it well with that linespeed in defence. Not sure we'll see NZ kick that badly too often with Smith at 9, that should be quite an easy tidy up