In the last two weeks, Argentina has beaten an All Blacks team in transition and battled to a draw with the Wallabies. The former being the first time they have achieved this feat.
The Pumas have shown the usual passion and physicality but have also shown an incredible level of fitness not always associated with the Argentines. After joining the Rugby Championship in 2012, they lost 17 in a row before breaking the duck in 2014 with a win against Australia in Mendoza. Since then they have beaten South Africa three times and Australia on one further occasion. A win over New Zealand was yet to be achieved.
Despite the win proving elusive the losses don’t tell the full story as the Pumas were ahead on the scoreboard on several occasions either at half-time or in the closing moments of the games but it is of course what the score is after 80 minutes that counts.
What was different this time I hear you asking. The Argentinian players have made a huge sacrifice to allow this year’s ‘tri nations’, due to the absence of South Africa, to go ahead. They travelled to Australia prior to the tournament starting in order to complete all necessary quarantine periods due to Covid restrictions. This also allowed the players and coaching staff with added preparation time for the game as opposed to the usual quick turnarounds caused by significant travel time.
It had been 402 days since their last test match at the Rugby World Cup in Japan, if there was a worry of major rustiness it certainly didn’t show. They made only one handling error in the entire game against the All Blacks an astounding accomplishment. Nicolas Sanchez scored all of their points and was simply outstanding. Such an achievement must highlight that the Pumas have definitely benefited from the extended preparation time.
The key to the win however was the powerhouse back row made up of captain Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer, and Rodrigo Bruni. Each individual contributing differently, Matera made three turnovers, Kremer made 30 tackles and Bruni was immensely physical with ball in hand. Matera was brilliant with his captaincy in how he stuck up for his players and got that point across to referee Angus Gardener.
A week on from that herculean performance against New Zealand and the Pumas faced off with Australia up in Newcastle. It was evident Dave Rennie prepared his side for the Pumas’ physicality and passion. The Wallabies achieved throughout the game what the All Blacks couldn’t in unlocking the watertight defence on a regular basis. This was mainly down to Nic White’s quick thinking which continuously kept the Australian’s young backline firmly involved in the game. Jordan Petaia and Marika Koroibete had tries disallowed by a foot on the dead-ball line and a forward pass. Two examples of Australia’s impressive attack.
The game was by far a classic and the Aussies took a well deserved 9-6 lead into the half-time interval after sustained attack at the end of the half. Not surprisingly the Argentinians showed an expected determination to fight their way back into the game and battled back from 15-6 to earn a draw thanks to Sanchez’s ever-dependable right boot.
The All Blacks will be itching for next Saturday when they get another crack at the Pumas but, and I am sure I am in the majority when I say this, Matera and his men will not back down given the nature of the performances of the last two weeks. The one thing that can be guaranteed we are in for another hell of a test match.
