Following a 35-17 victory for New Zealand over Argentina in their Rugby Championship game, here’s our five takeaways from Buenos Aires.
New Zealand’s best back-three: On form it’s hard to see past this being the All Blacks’ best wing and full-back line-up. Rieko Ioane’s try-scoring record speaks for itself while Waisake Naholo is such a destructive force on the right, who compliments the backline perfectly. At full-back Ben Smith boasts a wealth of experience and while Jordie Barrett might be the future, Smith is very much the now and their nailed on World Cup 15.
Pumas scrum a real concern: This has not been a shock occurrence, Argentina look a shadow of their former selves at the set-piece and it’s a genuine concern for coach Mario Ledesma. Why they’ve taken such a backward step in an area they were once feared is a question on Ledesma and the Argentine supporters’ lips and it must be addressed, with points, possession and front-foot ball suffering because of this weakness.
The line-out not much better: It was also a poor showing at the other set-piece as several scoring opportunities went begging due to either an inaccurate throw or disruption from New Zealand. Hooker Agustin Creevy appeared to cop a large slice of the blame as he was replaced a touch earlier than normal on 50 minutes but it was a collective mess from the Pumas, with their errors in open play also an Achilles heel.
Beauden’s goal-kicking much improved: After a tough day at the office against South Africa in Wellington, Barrett was visibly delighted with his form off the tee at Estadio José Amalfitani. He knocked over three difficult conversions out of three in the first-half which lifted his mood and he continued that form in the second, landing a confident conversion of Patrick Tuipulotu’s try to add the gloss on a solid shift.
Karl’s stock rises while Ardie SOS answered: It was another excellent performance from Karl Tu’inukuafe at the coalface. A real force at the scrum, as he got the better of Ramiro Herrera, while his touches around the field were excellent, setting up Tuipulotu’s try nicely. Meanwhile Savea was excellent at number eight as his typical dynamic carries got his side on the front foot. Steve Hansen will be delighted with both.