Rugby Championship Review - Argentina 17 - 54 Australia

My preview for this game was all about pressure, and how both sides would be feeling it despite this game very much being the ‘undercard’ for the day, with South Africa and New Zealand playing out an absolute ripper of a game at Ellis Park.  The problem is though for emerging sides, is that they’re not used to pressure.  People can talk plenty of crap about the Pumas always being a dangerous side, but the reality is that rugby is still a growing sport in the country and that they’ve never been a top 4 side.  They’re best performances have come when nobody expected them to deliver – think of when they beat England at Twickenham, Wales at the Millennium Stadium, or played any game in the 2007 World Cup.  Unlike the Wallabies, who are expected to perform to a high standard when they take the field – even when this isn’t a vintage Australian team – the Pumas simply aren’t used to being favourites, and the question surely remains about how they handle that expectation.

The answer to that question was, sadly for the hosts, answered pretty emphatically and – to the relief of all Wallaby fans – quickly.  Many sides have found out how difficult it is to win in Rosario when you go behind early, but the visitors had no such problems as they surged into an early lead, with the superb Israel Folau collecting a smart offload from Joe Tomane to stroll over in the corner.  The noisy crowd were shell shocked, but soon found their voice again as the Pumas resorted to asserting themselves in the scrum.

I say scrum, I mean scrums.  8 of them to be precise, taking up a good 10 minutes of the first half in a period of relentless physical pressure that saw James Slipper sent to the sin bin.  Unbelievably, though, the visitors managed to hold the South Americans out and escaped without conceding when Juan Manuel Leguizamon lost control at the back of the scrum.  It was to prove to be a major psychological blow to the hosts, as the Wallabies pack gained confidence from the exchange, and after Nicholas Sanchez and Christian Leali’ifalo exchanged penalties, things got even worse for the Pumas.

Pablo Matera – the young flanker who has been a standout performer for the Argentines – was shown a yellow card for a clumsy, no-armed tackle on the excellent Scott Fardy and, after Leali’ifano had slotted the 3 pointer, Folau and Will Genia set up Adam Ashley Cooper for a try in the corner.  Two minutes later, and the men in gold were at it again, as Folau slipped clean through the Pumas defence and stepped Juan Martin Hernandez for a superb solo try.

The hosts just simply had to score next, with the score at 25 – 3, and they duly obliged, with Leguizamon offloading well to centre Marcelo Bosch, and the new Saracens man carved through the defence and gave Folau a taste of his own medicine with a great step to score under the sticks.  It meant the visitors held a 25 – 10 lead at the break, but the Pumas knew that, if they could score next, they were in with a shot.

Unfortunately, that never looked likely, as the Wallabies turned it on for the first time this Championship.  Within two minutes of the restart, Quade Cooper popped a delightful inside ball to – who else – Izzy Folau, for the full back to claim his hat-trick.  Despite Martin Landajo darting over from short range for the Pumas 6 minutes later, this was now all one-way traffic and a return to the embarrassing opening-round display against South Africa was on the cards.

A man who was displaying class throughout an increasingly inept Puma performance was veteran Felipe Contepomi, but he was left temporarily levelled by a moronic shoulder charge off the ball by Rob Simmons, who more and more seems to be fixated on taking the mantle of ‘Plank’ off Justin Harrison.  Despite being down to 14 men, the Wallabies didn’t falter, and continued to carve through the opposition defence at will, the most spectacular occasion being when Joe Tomane picked up a loose ball and shrugged off 3 tacklers to scorch in from 60 metres.

The game was over as a contest, and still the men in gold kept coming, rubbing salt into the wound as firstly Benn Robinson bundled over from close range, and then Bernard Foley ran in for a debut try under the sticks after Lucas Amarosino had gone close at the other end, only for Tomane to brilliantly counter.  It broke 50 for the visitors, and became their best result ever against the Pumas.  Not something that was really on the cards at the start of the night.

For the Wallabies, the final score of 54 – 17 was a fair reflection of their dominance, and positive note to go out with – maybe the Australians once again mean business.  But for the Pumas, they need to urgently get over this ‘biscuit’ mentality they have at the minute...crumbling under pressure.

 

Rugby Championship Review - South Africa 27 - 38 New Zealand

So many times, the quality or drama doesn’t live up to the occasion.  Think of that scrappy 2011 World Cup final or the Kiwi’s marmalisation of the Lions in 2005.  But 2013 has provided some vintage matches in the biggest arenas – from the Premiership and Heineken Cup Finals to the epic Lions series, we’ve been treated to some pant-wettingly dramatic games, oozing with pace, power and skill.  But perhaps we’ve just seen the best of the lot.  The biggest stage and the two biggest sides in the world produced one of the best games of international rugby seen for years – and all done against the backdrop of a Rugby Championship up for grabs; if South Africa could achieve the impossible and score 4 tries against the All Blacks, whilst preventing them from taking a bonus point, then the title was theirs.  Expectations were set for an explosive encounter.

The word ‘explosive’ didn’t do the opening to this game justice though.  After a frantic five minutes, with Julian Savea and Willie Le Roux both looking to make yards with the ball in hand, the Springboks set up shop in the All Black 22 and earned 3 points via the boot of Morne Steyn through the power of their pack.  The hosts had looked the most dangerous in the first couple of plays but, as is so often the case, it was the clinical All Blacks who struck the first significant blow.  Off slow ball, the magnificent Kieran Read outstripped Willem Alberts before flicking a delightful ball to try-machine Ben Smith, who stepped inside the cover and palmed off Steyn for a superb finish.  Aaron Cruden knocked over the conversion, but the visitors couldn’t remain content for long.

Number 8 Duane Vermeulan, clearly riled up by his opposite number’s moment of genius for Smith’s try, put on his own moment of magic, pacing through a gap in the All Black defence before hitting Bryan Habana with a cut out pass, allowing the winger to scoot under the posts, showing great awareness to avoid Conrad Smith on the way.  Steyn’s conversion followed, and two minutes later the flyer was at it again – this time collecting a brilliant offload between tackles from Francois Louw before chipping over Ben Smith and regathering for a phenomenal try. 

With the score at 15 – 7 to the Springboks, against any normal team you’d back them to move out of sight.  But this All Blacks side are not a normal team.  Firstly, the Springbok fans were dismayed to see Habana limp off with a hamstring injury after leaping for a high ball, before the All Blacks pack got rumbling close to the hosts’ line, and Liam Messam powered over from close range.  They then landed the ultimate sucker punch on the cusp of half time as Messam strolled in for his second following good hands from Cruden, Savea and Andrew Hore after the Springboks had tried to run the ball from deep.  It left the score at 15 – 21 to the visitors at half time after a pulsating 40 minutes of rugby.

From the restart, the hosts took the game to the World Champions, forcing them to defend their line and commit cynical infringements, resulting in a yellow card for Messam.  Fourie Du Preez took the penalty quickly and the confusion allowed Le Roux to wriggle his way over the line from 6 metres out, with Steyn hitting the conversion.  An unbelievable period of play then nearly resulted in one of the tries of the tournament, with Eben Etzebeth galloping for 40 metres before JJ Engelbrecht stood up Savea and fed Le Roux, who was caught – and knocked out – by a sensational double tackle from the backtracking Savea and the covering Reid. 

The Kiwis, though, fought back and realised that they were within one score of reclaiming the Championship – and they thought they had it when Ma’a Nonu barrelled over from the fringes of the ruck, only to be prevented from grounding the ball by a superb piece of defensive work from Siya Kolisi, who had replaced Willem Alberts and was having some impact on the game.  Substitute Beauden Barrett knocked over a penalty though to give his side a two point lead with 25 minutes remaining.

But back came the Boks, led with conviction – as usual – by Jean De Villiers, and the powerful centre smashed through Barrett and Nonu to crash over for his side’s fourth try and the all-important bonus point.  Steyn missed the crucial conversion but, if his side could prevent the All Blacks from scoring another try and nicked another 3 pointer themselves, then the Championship was there for South Africa.  The impossible now seemed possible.

Unfortunately for the hosts, the inevitable happened, and the All Blacks wrapped things up – and it was ironic that Barrett should atone for his earlier mistake by scoring a fantastic solo effort.  The young fly half took the ball statically, but managed to weave between De Villiers, Engelbrecht and Zane Kirchner to touch down for the Championship-sealing try.  It was briefly followed by a substitution-related drama where the All Blacks claimed they had committed an impressive typing error by misspelling Dane Coles as ‘Keven Mealamu’, but even that wasn’t enough detract from the on-pitch spectacle.

The chance for a tournament win may have been lost, but this game was still nowhere near over, and passions spilled over into tempers when Ben Franks was shown yellow for a swinging arm in a ruck.  The hosts, though, were out on their feet.  To play a game at the speed and physicality they had – and at altitude – was bordering on superhuman.  They had nothing left and couldn’t take advantage of the extra man – the All Blacks though, still had that little bit extra, and Julian Savea showed real class to set up Kieran Read – who had put on an incredible display – to run in for a deserved final score.

There was still time for Barrett to pull off a brilliant try-saver on Le Roux as the game closed out at 27 – 38, and if there was a time when that cheesey adage of “Rugby is the real winner” was appropriate, it was now.

All Black fans, of course, will rightfully scoff at that.  New Zealand are the “real” winners.  Again.  And it’s hard to see that changing anytime soon.
 

Rugby Championship Preview - Argentina v Australia

Pressure is an odd concept.  It has no physical presence, but when it’s there you feel it more than a slap in the face.  Even though it should have no physical affect on the task you’re undertaking, for some reason it can make certain individuals soil themselves with nerves when completing a routine activity they’ve rehearsed countless times in practice.  Some, of course, handle it better than others, and some places breed pressure situations more than others.  And Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, playing to avoid a wooden spoon against a home side hungry for a first win, could be described as a pressure situation.

The Pumas should be fed up of the patronising back-patting and “ooh, haven’t they improved” mentality that’s held by the rest of the rugby world when watching Argentina in the Rugby Championship.  At home they are a formidable force, and they need to start changing their mentality from feeling unlucky to lose against the South Africans a couple of rounds ago, to feeling like they should have won.  The time has come to start expecting victories; trying hard is not enough anymore.  Of course, coach Santiago Phelan doesn’t have the weight of expectation of a nation on his shoulders.

Ewan Mackenzie, on the other hand, probably didn’t expect his first tournament in charge of the Wallabies to end in a wooden spoon playoff against Argentina at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito.  Neither did the fans.  The feeling of hope has been displaced by a ‘same old, same old’ mentality and the problems left behind by the Robbie Deans era appear to be more deep-rooted than originally thought.  There is no doubting the quality of the individuals – just look at the success of the clubs in this year’s Super Rugby tournament – but for some reason they can’t seem to gel or fit into the systems that Mackenzie wants to run, especially when under pressure.

And if there’s one thing that there will be in abundance at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, it’s pressure.  

 

Argentina Team News

Argentina have lost Juan Figallo for their Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Rosario on Saturday, the heavy-hitting tight-head prop absent with neck and back problems. Juan Pablo Orlandi replaces him in the run-on side with under-20s prop Matias Diaz moving on to the bench.

Starting Line up:  Juan Martin Hernandez; Horacio Agulla, Marcelo Bosch, Felipe Contepomi, Juan Imhoff; Nicolas Sanchez, Martin Landajo; Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (captain); Patricio Albacete, Julio Farias Cabello; Juan Pablo Orlandi, Eusebio Guinazu, Marcos Ayerza.

Subs: Agustin Creevy, Nahuel Lobo, Matias Diaz, Manuel Carizza, Benjamin Macome, Tomas Cubelli, Santiago Fernandez, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino.

Key Player

Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe.  The flanker is a genuinely world-class operator and an inspirational captain, and he’s going to have quite a job on his hands on Saturday evening.  He has to get his side to find the perfect balance between playing with the passion needed to break their tournament duck and maintaining control and structure.  He knows that if his side maintain the intensity and discipline they showed for the first 40 against the All Blacks last week, they will come away with a win.

Australia Team News

Will Genia has been rewarded for his rousing second-half performance against the Springboks, the scrum-half recalled by Ewen Mckenzie to the Wallabies' starting side for The Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Rosario on Saturday.  Genia, a replacement in Australia's past two Tests, has relegated Nic White to the bench. White is joined on the bench by New South Wales Waratahs playmaker Bernard Foley, who is in line to make his Test debut after replacing winger Chris Feauai-Sautia as the only other change to the squad.

Starting Line up:  Israel Folau; Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Lealiifano, Joe Tomane; Quade Cooper, Will Genia; Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper, Scott Fardy; James Horwill (captain), Rob Simmons; Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, James Slipper.

Subs: Saia Faingaa, Benn Robinson, Sekope Kepu, Sitaleki Timani, Ben McCalman, Nic White Matt Toomua, Bernard Foley.

Key Player

Will Genia.  The scrum half looked like a man with a point to prove when he came on against South Africa and was largely the reason why his side played with much improved tempo in the second half.  He may not be the official captain but the 9 commands the respect of his teammates and is a shrewd decision maker.  When the heat of the battle is on, and Pumas come out firing, the Queenslander will need to show a cool head and keep talking to his pack to ensure they don’t crumble.

Key Battle

Nicholas Sanchez v Quade Cooper.  Sanchez has impressed me this tournament with his unfussy displays, kicking well and distributing smoothly.  Points accumulation will be the key for his side though on Saturday, and if they can build up a lead via accurate goal kicking, then that hope for a win will become a genuine belief.  Quade, on the other hand, has to get his talented backline attacking and threatening like we know they can.  It means playing with mojo – which should be helped by the presence of his old mucker, Genia – and playing flat to the gainline, bringing in runners off his shoulder.  Keep an eye out, too, for Bernard Foley on the bench – the Waratahs man was in sparkling form all season.

Prediction

It’s an odd sort of game, this one.  It’s after the main event, so it can’t be called an undercard, and there’s a chance it may slip by without notice, but you can’t underestimate the pressure on these two sides.  The Pumas are now expected to win their first match and get the monkey off their backs, whilst the Wallabies are desperate to avoid the wooden spoon.  It means it could be a scrappy game – but a close one.  I’m going to lean towards a Wallaby win to ensure they go into the end of year tour with at least something to smile about.  Wallabies by 2.
 

Rugby Championship Preview - South Africa v New Zealand

There comes moments in sport that define individuals, and none more so than in rugby.  Wilkinson's last gasp drop goal in 2003, Jonah Lomu's utter destruction of the English in 1995 and even Stephen Donald's nerve shredding penalty in 2011 – all of these moments have come to define these individuals and create memories that are replayed over and over and recreated by the next generation in the park.  There are fewer moments though, where an entire side comes together to make that moment, although there are of course a couple of examples – the French comeback against the Kiwis in 1999, and Leinster's second half in the 2011 Heineken Cup Final – but when it does happen, it generally creates instances of pure sporting theatre that end up etched into legend.

 

And at Ellis Park on Saturday – the ultimate stage for such sporting theatre – the Springboks will need to perform to their absolute best as individuals and as a team, in order to create a moment of sporting history.  Their form suggests that they do have it within them to achieve the almost-impossible – a bonus point win against the All Blacks, whilst keeping them more than 7 points away – but the visitors will be looking to spring a surprise of their own.  The All Blacks do not know how to just sit on a lead – despite not needing to win, this team has no other mode.
 

There's no denying that the stats are against the men in green:

 

·         New Zealand have played 38 Test matches since they last conceded four tries in a single game (against Australia in Hong Kong back in 2010).

 

·         New Zealand have only conceded seven tries in their eight games so far this year.

 

·         South Africa have not scored four tries against New Zealand in nine years.

 

·         New Zealand have won seven of their last eight games against South Africa.

 

But since when have the facts got in the way of a good bit of drama - especially one which is defined by the bone shattering physicality these two displayed when they last met.  With Richie McCaw returning to lead his side into the gauntlet, and South Africa being forced to play high-tempo attacking rugby, this is the game of the year.  The Championship is on the line.  The World Number One title is on the line.

 

Legends will be made.

 

 

South Africa Team News

There are two changes to the Springbok team that beat Australia by 28-8 in Cape Town last weekend, as well as one possible change.  Upfront, Bismarck du Plessis rotates with Adriaan Strauss at hooker, while Juandré Kruger comes in at lock for Flip van der Merwe. The uncapped Franco van der Merwe has been selected on the bench.  At the back, JJ Engelbrecht is bracketed at outside centre with Jan Serfontein, while Juan de Jongh will come onto the bench if needed.

Starting Line up: Zane Kirchner, Willie le Roux, JJ Engelbrecht/ Jan Serfontein, Jean de Villiers (capt), Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Eben Eztebeth, Juandre Kruger, Francois Louw, Willem Alberts, Duane Vermeulen

Subs: Adriaan Strauss, Gurthro Steenkamp, Coenie Oosthuizen, Franco van der Merwe, Siya Kolisi, Ruan Pienaar, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein/ Juan de Jongh

 

Key Player

Jan Serfontein.  If he starts, the kid who was playing in the under 20 World Cup last year will be holding his own against the world record centre partnership of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith.  Talk about getting thrown in at the deep end.  Luckily, Serfontein isn't exactly the 18-year-old, straight out of school Mathew Tait kind of young centre – for starters, he's grown up in South Africa and played two full seasons of Super Rugby, so he's hard as nails, and secondly, he's an absolute unit with biceps bigger than Jeremy Clarkson's face.  If he's to hold his own here, then he needs to strike the perfect balance between imposing himself physically and not letting his emotions carry him away.

 

 

All Blacks Team News

McCaw returns from injury to play in his 120th Test but first at Ellis Park.  There are two changes to the team that beat Argentina last week with tighthead prop Charlie Faumuina replacing the injured Owen Franks, who is sidelined with a groin injury.  Sam Cane drops to the bench at the expense of Jeremy Thrush.

Starting Line up:  Israel Dagg; Ben Smith, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Julian Savea; Aaron Cruden, Aaron Smith; Tony Woodcock, Andrew Hore, Charlie Faumuina, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Liam Messam, Richie McCaw (capt), Kieran Read

Subs: Ben Franks, Dane Coles, Wyatt Crockett, Steven Luatua, Sam Cane, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett, Charles Piutau

 

Key Player

Richie McCaw.  The legendary flanker returns to lead his side out in the most daunting of settings, and his leadership will be crucial for his side when it comes to bracing themselves against the storm of physicality which the opposition are bound to unleash.  Surprisingly, though, this is the first time 120-cap veteran will have played at Ellis Park, which must put the iconic stadium down as the last great conquest left for the Kiwi captain.  If there are any nerves left in that battered and bruised physique, they will be jangling – but it's his job to calm his side down when the temptation will be to go hell for leather and give the Springboks a taste of their own medicine.

 

 

Key Battle

Fourie Du Preez v Aaron Smith.  The wisened old master of scrum half play has been selected infront of Ruan Pienaar in what is a real show of faith by coach Heyneke Meyer.  He has impressed on his return with his fast service and even quicker decision making, but he will be up against the raw physical talent of Aaron Smith, a young man who has made that problem 9 jersey his own.  His pace around the breakdown sets him apart as a gamebreaker, but Du Preez has dealt with pretenders like him before and will be ever watchful of his moves.  In a game where packs will collide at break-neck speed, and the game will be played at real pace, the key battle will be between the two nines in terms of who can get to the breakdown the fastest and make the best decisions when they get there – both sets of backs will be hungry for possession.

 

Prediction

This has all the makings of a genuine classic.  This year the Springboks have really looked like they could seriously challenge the All Blacks' aura of invincibility, and they may well have come even closer in the last fixture between these two had Roman Poite not lost the plot.  The South Africans will be fired up for this one and, playing in front of the daunting atmosphere at the legendary Ellis Park, you can almost feel the energy bubbling up to something special already.  The All Blacks, though, are not World Champions and unbeaten in 2 seasons of the Rugby Championship for nothing.  They will not go in with a damage-limitation mentality to lose the game but secure the Championship – they will want to attack the hosts from the off, fighting fire with fire.  Whoever can sustain that energy for 80 minutes will be the victor, and I think that home advantage and pressure to win will spur the Springboks on to a triumph – even if it's not enough to take the Championship outright.  Springboks by 6.

Rugby Championship Review - Argentina 15 - 33 New Zealand

Argentina against the All Blacks is a bit of a nasty game for the Kiwis – a sort of no-win.   If they lose, they face mass hysteria – if they win, they will inevitably get asked why they didn’t pile more points on.  I had proclaimed beforehand that this Argentina side, at home, are capable of causing big upsets – and they are, except I may have got carried away with the romanticism of the underdog in contemplating a win for Los Pumas.  After all, they are yet to win in almost 2 seasons in this competition whilst their World Cup Champion opposition have swept aside all-comers over the last 2 years (baring one off-day last Autumn).  In tug of war terms, there was only going to be one side getting dragged through the mud, surely?

The game started in real heave-ho fashion, with both sides making sharp breaks without any end conviction, although the Pumas’ set piece – in particular the scrum – was looking very dominant.  It meant that they could take a 6 – 3 lead as they passed the 20 minute mark, with a pair of Nicolas Sanchez penalties sandwiching a nudge from Aaron Cruden.  The crowd at La Plate were in full voice – could they be about to witness one of the greatest upsets of all time?

The Kiwis, though, have a speciality of dashing people’s dreams, and stand-in skipper Kieran Read led the way.  The number 8 timed his defensive run to perfection (so much so, everyone thought he was offside) to force Sanchez, who had been shaping up for a drop goal, into a hurried bomb and, from there, Julian Savea took control of the loose ball and palmed off 2 defenders to gallop his way in from 60 metres.  Cruden missed the conversion, with local fans p*ssing off everyone in general by shining laser pens on the ball, but was successful with a penalty 2 minutes later.  It gave the visitors a 5 point lead that was reduced to 2 thanks to another Sanchez effort, leaving the half time score at 11 – 9.  The underdogs were very much in the game.

They were more than in the game from the restart, as centre Marcelo Bosch gave them the lead with a long range strike, but the All Blacks pack were starting to dominate possession in the loose, forcing turnovers and slowing the hosts’ ball down to Andy Goode pace.  This dominance showed when, following another Cruden penalty and a lot of Kiwi pressure, slick hands from Cruden and Ma’a Nonu put Sam Cane in for a score in the corner.   Five minutes later, and the World Champions had gone from being under pressure to being in cruise control, as Ben Smith burst onto a delightfully delayed Nonu pass to race through the defence, past Juan Martin Hernandez, and over the whitewash.  Cruden’s conversion put the win in the bag and the bonus point very much on the cards.

To the hosts’ credit though, they were in no mood to surrender such a gift without a fight.  Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Patricio Albacete all made telling hits to smash back any Kiwi momentum, and Sanchez in fact knocked over another penalty goal to bring the Pumas to within two scores.  But this New Zealand team has class and, more importantly, resilience in a abundance.  It was Ben Smith, again, who was the go-to man, as the winger joined the line off a maul and burst through (and over) weak tackles from Felipe Contepomi and Sanchez, to claim the bonus point score under the posts.

The final score was 33-15.  It turns out it will take the Pumas more than passion and pride to turn this group of Kiwis over.

Rugby Championship Review - South Africa 28 - 8 Australia

The interesting thing about Southern Hemisphere rugby is that, although the standard of rugby is great, it's all pretty predictable.  Of late, it's been the All Blacks running away with it without looking like they're trying too hard, the Wallabies and Springboks battling it out for second place and, since they joined, the Pumas propping up the rear but receiving patronising pats on the back for 'brave' performances in the process.  The only position that has genuinely been up for grabs, it seems, is second.

But perhaps that's about to change this year.  The South Africans have well and truly outclassed the Wallabies in every facet of play this year, to the extent that the men in gold haven't so much as been beaten into third place, but buried there.  They've never looked like a team worthy of challenging the Kiwis or the Springboks – partly due to injuries and partly due to form, as there is no doubt that they have bags of talent – and now they face looking over their shoulders at the hungry Pumas.  The Argentines came close in Perth to turning the Wallabies over and they will surely be optimistic over their chances in their own back yard next week.

The Springboks, on the other hand, have pushed themselves out of the 'midtable' quagmire (if you can say there is a mid-table in a league of four) to genuinely pose themselves as a threat to the New Zealander's crown, with incisive running rugby out wide now complementing their ever-powerful pack.  It's fair to say that, in the build up to the contest between the Springboks and Wallabies at Newlands, a fair gulf in class and form had emerged between the two sides, where previously there had been none.  The visitors, though, are too proud to accept that as a finality, and they arrived in South Africa determined to put the record straight.

Any doubts though as to who the dominant force was going to be were fairly swiftly removed, despite Christian Lealiifano actually knocking over the opening points of the game.  Morne Steyn levelled two minutes later with a penalty of his own, before Adriaan Strauss – looking more and more like a demented Wurzel Gummidge every day – battered his way past a flapping Quade Cooper to claim the game’s opening score after 12 minutes.  Steyn’s conversion inevitably followed, and the crowd barely had time to catch their breath before the Springboks were at it again.

From the restart, the South African pack powered the ball upfield before spinning it wide, where Jean De Villiers threw a magnificent pass to winger Willie Le Roux.  The speedster drew the cover and passed inside to Zane Kirchner, who stepped inside Folau to score a sensational try.  Steyn’s conversion took the score to 17-3, before another Steyn penalty pretty much took the game out of sight with just 19 minutes on the clock.  The South Africans had enjoyed a John-Candy-share of possession, and things then went from bad to worse for the Wallabies as Michael Hooper was ludicrously yellow carded for flipping Eben Etzebeth over his shoulder, despite replays showing that the lock jumped into the tackle.  Willem Alberts’ reaction of throttling Hooper from behind and slamming him onto the ground, on the other hand, was somehow deemed not worthy of punishment.

Luckily, for the visitors, they defended valiantly with the man disadvantage and Adam Ashley-Cooper pulled off a superb try-saving tackle on the flying Brian Habana, although Steyn followed this up with another penalty.  It had been a miserable first 40 for the men in gold, redeemed only in part by the fact that Flip van der Merwe was shown yellow on the cusp of halftime for leading with the elbow in the tackle.  It was scant consolation after being outplayed so comprehensively. 

With a man advantage, the Wallabies brought on Will Genia to try and take the game to the hosts, but they were about as threatening as the Andrex puppy in attack.  This, combined with the Springboks taking their foot off the gas, ensured that a dull 30 minutes with no points ensued, although the crowd were treated to two huge hits from Ben Mowen and Sitaleki Timani.  It was only with 9 minutes to go that the men in green – down to 14 men following Duane Vermeulan’s trip to the bin – finally woke up to the possibility of a bonus point, with sharp thinking from Fourie Du Preez sending Willie Le Roux over in the right hand corner.  It was another example of the veteran nine’s class, and he had been showcasing it all game.

In credit to the Wallabies, they prevented the hosts from claiming that fourth try and in fact scored one of their own, despite losing Timani to the sin bin.  It fell to debutant Chris Feauai-Sautia, who collected a Cooper cross-field kick from a quickly taken lineout to leave the final score looking marginally more respectable at 28 – 8 to the Springboks.

For the South Africans, this was a routine win, which should concern Ewan Mackenzie.  For both men though, the real crunch encounter awaits next week.
 

Rugby Championship Preview - Argentina v New Zealand

Why is home advantage so important?  I’ve often wondered why it is at a professional level. I can sort of understand it, from experience, in the amateur league’s my immediate pre-match routine consists of about 2 sit-downs on the toilet and a thorough 45 minute warm up on the pitch, which is what I get – when I’m actually able to play instead of being injured – at my local club.  Of course, it is unnerving when you go away to a club that’s seen slightly less investment, where the toilet consists of a drain that’s been blocked for 3 years and the pre-match warm up involves walking around the pitch to pick out glass, fag-packets, old jonnies and dog sh*t.  That, I know, can put you off your game a tad.

But the pros don’t have that.  They have immaculate facilities and someone to cater for every need – why should it matter what pitch you’re playing on?  Perhaps I’m overlooking a key aspect that we don’t see in the Kent Divisions – the crowd.  Walking into certain stadiums with 40’000 plus spectators, half-drunk and baying for your blood, is also enough to put you off your game.  And that is the effect the Pumas will be hoping for when the All Blacks walk into the bearpit at La Plata. 

The Argentines certainly need the advantage – they are 0 from 4 in the tournament and have never beaten the All Blacks.  But seeing the return of stalwarts such as Juan Martin Hernandez, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Patricio Albacete is enough to give the this side hope – and that will be seized upon by the partisan home supporters.  They can also take something from the fact that they looked the better side against the All Blacks in their last fixture against the World Champions, until a yellow card to Eusebio Guinazu proved too much to handle.  The Kiwis, on the other hand, are on a role once again and, despite missing Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, still boast one of the most experienced sides in the world.  They will be bracing themselves against the onslaught.

Let’s see how much home advantage really counts.

Argentina Team News

Argentina have been bolstered by the return of lock Patricio Albacete for Saturday's Test against New Zealand at La Plata.  Albacete, who has been capped 53 times, tore a hamstring in Los Pumas' first game of the Rugby Championship against South Africa and will return in place of Manuel Carizza.  He is one of six changes from the side which lost 13-14 to Australia in Perth.  Eusebio Guinazu is named at hooker in place of Agustin Creevy, while four changes have been made in the backline. Martin Landajo has been named at scrum-half instead of Tomas Cubelli, Horacio Agulla has been replaced on the right win by Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino while in mid-field, Santiago Fernandez and Marcelo Bosch come back to replace Felipe Contepomi and Gonzalo Tiesi.

Starting Line up:  Juan Martin Hernandez; Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, Marcelo Bosch, Santiago Fernandez, Juan Imhoff; Nicolas Sanchez, Martin Landajo; Marcos Ayerza, Eusebio Guinazu, Juan Figallo, Julia Farias Cabello, Patricio Albacete, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (captain), Pablo Matera, Juan Manual Leguizamon

Subs: Agustin Creevy, Nahuel Lobo, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Mariano Galarza, Benjamin Macome, Tomas Cubelli, Felipe Contempomi, Horacio Agulla.

Key Player

Eusebio Guinazu.  Coach Santiago Phelan has chopped and changed his hookers more often than a schizophrenic pimp, but he has had good reason.  The Pumas lineout has been struggling throughout that Championship, with substitute on Saturday, Agustin Creevy, particularly struggling to hit his targets and failing to make an impact around the park.  Guinazu has hardly fared better though – his throwing has been far from flawless and a needless yellow card against the All Blacks that caused his side to concede 17 points.  If Guinazu is to repay his Phelan’s faith in him, he has to give his side a platform by showing discipline in the set piece...and around the park.

New Zealand Team News

Andrew Hore returns to the All Blacks starting side in one of two changes made by coach Steve Hansen for Sunday's Rugby Championship match against Argentina in La Plata.  Aaron Cruden will start at fly-half with Dan Carter out of action with a shoulder injury. Hore, who was rested for New Zealand's 29-15 defeat of South Africa on September 14, takes the place of Dane Coles.

Starting Line up: Israel Dagg; Ben Smith, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Julian Savea; Aaron Cruden, Aaron Smith; Kieran Read (Capt), Sam Cane, Liam Messam; Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick; Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock.

Subs: Keven Mealamu, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Jeremy Thrush, Steven Luatua, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett, Charles Piutau.

Key Player

Aaron Smith.  The scrum half has really kicked on over the last couple of seasons, from acting as a bit-part player to being the undisputed first choice 9 for the All Blacks.  His eye for a gap has marked him out as a real threat around the breakdown, and he has a knack for knowing where the tryline is – but he does occasionally look flustered when his pack are under pressure, as he showed for the Highlanders this year.  The Pumas will be sure to apply plenty of that the Kiwi breakdown, so Smith will have to pick his moments to attack and concentrate on doing the basics right – if he gives his backline clean ball, the All Blacks will be horrible difficult to stop.

Key Battle

Patricio Albacete v Sam Whitelock.  Understated, quiet and yet relentlessly physical and an inspiration to their sides, Albacete and Whitelock have more in common that meets the eye.  Whilst Albacete has been a mainstay of the Pumas’ pack for years, Whitelock has developed quietly and effectively from a young tyro to one of the rocks All Black pack is built around.  His intelligence in the air and around the field is matched by his surprising physicality – and he’ll need every bit of muscle to hold off the charge that will be led by Albacete, who will be champing at the bit to get back into the fray in front of his home crowd.  With the breakdown sure to be key, Whitelock’s ability to remain calm and hold the fort in the face of pressure is a real test of his leadership.

Prediction

The Pumas in their own backyard are a fearsome proposition, and they should have beaten the Springboks in their last home match earlier in the Championship.  The games against England in the summer were a dead rubber, with both sides effectively playing second string teams, but for the meaningful games you can guarantee they will be fired up to the max and will take advantage of any complacency from the opposition.  I’m deadly serious when I say a major upset may be on the cards, should lady luck smile flirtatiously at the men in blue and white.  However, the All Black pack still has all the physicality and intelligence you could want, and they won’t let the hosts intimidate them; and the backline still looks the most formidable unit in world rugby.  Their colossal experience – all 809 caps of it – should just be enough to provide the expected result.  All Blacks by 9.
 

Rugby Championship Preview - South Africa v Australia

The Hulk was always my favourite superhero.  Not just because he was green and had pecs the size of continental plates, but also he was lauded as “Incredible” when he lost his rag and had a tantrum.  This isn’t the case when I get cross and throw a man-trum at all – although the difference is probably that he crushes bad guys with his bare hands, whilst I merely get my swear words mixed up to the amusement of those watching.  Of course, it does take me quite a while to get that wound up, but the same can’t be said about the typical South African rugby player, who generally relishes any sort of confrontation and can unleash that trademark aggression at any point during the game.  Imagine, then, what they will be feeling like after 2 weeks to contemplate the injustice of an abysmal refereeing decision last time out.

In that game Roman Poite ruled a perfectly fair, but hard, tackle by Bismarck Du Plessis on Dan Carter warranted a yellow card.  This came back to bite hard when the hooker was shown a second yellow in second minute of the second half, when the game was teetering on a knife edge and the men in green were starting to dominate territory.  Du Plessis may have since had his red card rescinded, but the thought that they had a chance of a monumental victory snatched away from them will have been firing the Springboks up for the last fortnight.  That may well be of a benefit to the hosts, but they will need to temper that energy with intelligence and incision, and it is partly for this reason that Heyneke Meyer has brought in veteran Fourie Du Preez for his first start in 2 years.

The Wallabies meanwhile, will be feeling more frustration than out-and-out rage.  Despite a hard-fought win over Argentina in torrential conditions, the insanely talented Wallaby backline has looked too flat and devoid of imagination throughout the Championship, whilst the pack have been unable to hold their own for 80 minutes as yet.  The win against the Pumas, though, was just what the doctor ordered – full of grit, character and determination, and proved once again that this side has real backbone, even if they don’t have the confidence at the moment.  And it’s easy to see why they wouldn’t have, in their home fixture against the Springboks, the men in gold shipped 4 tries in a thumping defeat.  They know it will only be tougher in the South Africans’ own back yard.

Because if the Wallabies are to turn the tables and upset the odds in Newlands, it will take one hell of an effort.  A super-human one, to be precise.

 

South Africa Team News

Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer has opted to make two changes to the side that lost to the All Blacks ahead of Saturday's Test against Australia.  Meyer has drafted in scrum-half Fourie du Preez for his first Test start since the 2011 World Cup. He has been plying his trade in Japan but due to an agreement with his side Suntory Sungoliath, he is free to play in South Africa's home Tests.  And Meyer has also handed a start to hooker Adriaan Strauss with Bismarck du Plessis and Ruan Pienaar dropping to the bench.

Starting Line up:  Zane Kirchner, Willie le Roux, JJ Engelbrect, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Tendai Mtawarira, Adriaan Strauss, Jannie du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Flip van der Merwe, Francois Louw, Willem Alberts, Duane Vermeulen

Subs: Bismarck du Plessis, Gurthro Steenkamp, Coenie Oosthuizen, Juandre Kruger, Siya Kolisi, Ruan Pienaar, Pat Lambie, Jan Serfontein

Key Player

Eben Etzebeth.  How somebody who looks like a cross between Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno and a pole can be this dominant in the tight and the set piece, I don’t know.  Ignore the pretty-boy hair, the lock is as physical and confrontational as they come, and his battle with the abrasive James Horwill will be brutal.  But Etzebeth has it within him to physically dominate opponents and if he can get stuck into the opposition lineout – as he has on so many occasions – and deprive the Wallabies of a reliable set piece, it will become mission impossible for the visitors.

 

Australia Team News

Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has made three changes to his team ahead of their game against South Africa in Cape Town on Saturday, according to reports.  James Horwill is named in the second-row after recovering from a hamstring injury. He takes on the captaincy from Ben Mowen who skippered the team to their round four win over Argentina.  In other changes to the side, Tevita Kuridrani starts at outside centre with Adam Ashley-Cooper shifting to the wing to replace the injured Nick Cummins. Joe Tomane is called upon to step into the suspended James O'Connor's shoes on the other flank.  Nic White keeps his place at scrum-half with Will Genia still relegated to the bench. He will be joined in the replacements by Benn Robinson and Chris Feauai-Sautia with the latter set to make his Test debut if he gets the nod from the bench.

Starting Line up: Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Lealiifano, Joe Tomane, Quade Cooper, Nic White, James Slipper, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, Rob Simmons, James Horwill (captain), Scott Fardy, Michael Hooper, Ben Mowen

Subs: Saia Faingaa, Benn Robinson, Sekope Kepu, Sitaleki Timani, Ben McCalman, Will Genia, Matt Toomua, Chris Feauai-Sautia.

Key Player

Nic White.  Given the ultimate show of confidence in being selected above Will Genia for the second game running, there’s pressure on White to justify McKenzie’s faith in him.  There may have been a slight suspicion that, with the home game against the Pumas being the easiest of the Wallabies’ fixtures, the selection of White was merely a poorly disguised kick up the backside for Genia, but following the Brumbies’ man’s assured display in difficult decisions, those suspicions have been put to bed.  White may not be as instinctive or as much as an attacking threat as Genia, but he has a sharp tactical brain and good boot on him, and if the Wallabies are to have any hope of upsetting the hosts they will need him to pin the Springboks back with accurate box kicks and cross-field touch finders.

Key Battle

Francois Louw v Michael Hooper.  The South African openside has been an unsung hero of this Springbok side, doing the dirty work on the ground whilst his gargantuan backrow colleagues, Alberts and Vermeulen, use the opposition as doormats.  Hooper, on the other hand, has at times been a one-man pack for the Wallabies, scavenging to standard that David Pocock would be proud of and carrying with a frightening degree of aggression and pace.  In an explosive breakdown contest where physicality will be king, the subtle edges these two bring may well be enough to tip the balance in either direction.

Prediction

I can’t see the Wallabies being as bum-smackingly bad as they were in their home game against the Springboks, but it’s surely too much of an ask for them to come away with a win at Newlands.  Their pack is a strong unit – as they proved in the monsoon in Perth against the Pumas a fortnight ago – but this South African pack is a different prospect altogether and that back row balance is right up there with the best in the world at the moment in terms of raw power and technique in the breakdown.  Add to that the fact that the backline have started cutting some intelligent lines and you have a very dangerous Springbok side – not least because they have had 2 weeks to let their anger at the injustice of Poite’s decision to eat away at them.  The Aussies will fight and do themselves credit – but it’s another home win for me.  Springboks by 12.

Rugby Championship Review - Australia 14 - 13 Argentina

They say that the weather is a leveller.  Not only does this rhyme, and therefore must be true, but it has also proven to be the bane of so many sides over the years – especially the sides that pride themselves on the speed of their backline and the slickness of their handling, as opposed to the brute force of their forwards in the loose and the set piece.  In that sense then, the Wallabies have suffered more than most, even going down to the usually woeful Scotland in a monsoon in Newcastle a couple of years ago.

So you can imagine that the Australians weren’t their usually self-confident selves going into Saturday’s showdown against the Pumas.  Not only were they coming off the back of three convincing defeats, but they were also playing in Perth in torrential rain against a side renowned for having one of the biggest and most abrasive packs in world rugby.  The only upside for the hosts was that the Pumas themselves were nought from three in their opening Championship games – and in fact had never won a game in the tournament.

And so, with expectations for a free-flowing game suitably dampened (sorry), the game kicked off to a plethora of scrums and kicks, which seemed to suit the Argentines – playing in a very flash dark blue kit – down to the ground.  They deservedly took the lead after 7 minutes when Nick Cummins was caught behind his own line when trying to field a well placed Nicolas Sanchez kick, conceding a penalty in the process.  Sanchez knocked over the 3 points from right in front, and it looked like it would be yet another long evening for the hosts.

But the Wallabies, with a strong wind at their back driving them on, soon adapted to the conditions, still using quick hands but using long, skidding grubber kicks to exploit spaces in the wider channels, and it was from one of these kicks that Michael Hooper forced a turnover to give Christian Lealiifano a chance to level the scores.  Five minutes later they were in the lead as the Pumas slipped their bind in the scrum, yielding another 3 points to the boot of the Brumbies centre.

The hosts were growing in confidence by the minute, and were playing sensible rugby – given the weather – using short passes but hitting intelligent lines, with James O’Conner and Adam Ashley Cooper looking dangerous.  They got their reward on the half hour mark when Lealiifano made a half break to get the visitors’ defence in retreat, before slick hands from Quade Cooper and O’Connor gave Israel Folau a metre of space to work with – and was all the magical fullback needed, as he stepped and ducked his way over the line to take the hosts out to an 11 – 3 lead.  Lealiifano added another penalty on the stroke of halftime, and the Wallabies found themselves taking a 14 – 3 lead into the break.

Happy days?  Not quite.  The hosts now found themselves playing into the stiff wind that had been hindering the Pumas in the opening period, and the South Americans soon found their rhythm as they began to dominate the contact area and the battle for territory.  The scrum too was beginning to really turn in the visitors favour, and Sanchez fell just short with a penalty attempt after the Argentine 8 had decimated their opposite numbers.  Luckily, they managed to get points onto the board via Sanchez on the hour mark after Nic White was penalised for feeding at the scrum.

Five minutes later, and the Pumas were right back in it, with Juan Manuel Leguizamon crashing over after Felipe Contepomi had made a neat half break before offloading.  Sanchez’s conversion brought the South Americans right back into it, sitting one point behind the Wallabies, and the hosts had gone from looking comfortable to staring at defeat in 6 minutes.

Luckily for the fans who had endured the miserable Perth conditions, the Australians showed the kind of resolve that saw them claw back the second test against the British and Irish Lions in the summer, and began to fight their way upfield, contesting each breakdown with vigour, and winning penalties for their efforts.  Unfortunately, Lealiifano’s form off the tee deserted him as he missed 2 kickable penalties in the swirling wind, before substitute Matt Toomua impressed everyone with his attempt at performing the worst drop goal in rugby history.

An audible sigh of relief went up as the final whistle blew, with the Australians proud of how they shut the Pumas out in the closing stages.  As the fans and players cheered through the rain, you got the feeling that they might not mind this weather so much after all.

Rugby Championship Review - New Zealand 29 - 15 South Africa

Who would be a referee ay?  If it’s not enough pressure having to tell 30 men averaging the size of a small automobile what to do and having a split second to make a decision with the eyes of 20,000 drunk and irritable strangers upon you, you now have to suffer the ignominy of having every tiny aspect of every single call scrutinised by the TV pundits covering the match and the millions watching at home.  It’s easy to say (or scream) that a referee should have made a different call from the comfort of our sofas but, the reality is, at ground level and at full speed it’s simply not possible to guarantee the 100% correct decision every time – even if it ends up being a game altering one.

Those mistakes I can understand.  But others – such as the howler Roman Poite made at the weekend when the All Blacks hosted the Springboks – are more difficult to forgive.  Now Roman Poite is usually a fine referee, but what would have possessed him to sin bin Bismarck Du Plessis following an obviously legal (but bloody hard) tackle, even after the video referee confirmed there was no foul play, is completely beyond me.  And beyond the IRB it seems, who have taken the unprecedented step of retracting Du Plessis’ red card that he received after picking up a second yellow early in the second half.  It changed the course of what was shaping up to be an incredibly tight test match – but it didn’t stop it from being any less absorbing, as the two best sides in the world fought tooth and nail not only for the lead in the Championship table, but also for the right to call themselves the number one ranked side in World Rugby.

And despite the Springbok scrum bulldozing their Kiwi counterparts at the very first chance in a bruising opening, it was the hosts who struck first early on.  An awful, skewed kick from Bryan Habana fell nicely for Ma’a Nonu who planted a delightful kick into the corner that forced Willie Le Roux to take the ball into touch.  From there, Owen Franks went close off a great lineout move before stand-in captain Kieran Read was bundled over from close range by his pack.  Dan Carter added the extras, and the bar had been set by the World Champions.

Five minutes later though, and the Springboks were on the board as Morne Steyn knocked over a monster penalty kick which was awarded courtesy of Brodie Retallick taking out Eben Etzebeth in the air at a lineout.  On 15 minutes though, came the key moment.  Aaron Smith threw a nightmarish hospital pass to Dan Carter in open play, and the hulking figure of Bismarck Du Plessis charged out of the line and levelled the fly half fair and square, forcing the legendary All Black off with a shoulder injury.  Roman Poite though deemed that the hooker had not used his arms, despite the video referee stating that there was ‘no foul play’, and sent him to the sin bin, reinforcing the famous theory put forward by Andrew Hore in a Super Rugby match – “Are we not allowed to tackle Dan Carter?”

You’d have thought this may be an even trade off – the Springboks go down to 14 for ten minutes, the All Blacks lose Dan Carter for the match – but substitute Beauden Barrett made that idea seem laughable as he scythed his way up field, scooting between Willem Alberts and Jannie Du Plessis, to set up great field position.  With the Springbok defence in desperate retreat, Conrad Smith slipped another poor tackle from Jannie Du Plessis to feed the galloping Retallick, who slid in beneath the posts.

At 14-3 down, following Barrett’s conversion, you’d have forgiven the South Africans for going into their cage a bit – but that’s not the Springbok way.  Instead, Bismarck Du Plessis, back from his time on the naughty step, emerged from a pile of bodies to claim a try following a brutal lineout drive from the men in green.  Morne Steyn slotted the tricky conversion, and the visitors were within 3 – but only briefly, as Barrett punished a further indiscretion with another 3 points, making the score 17-10 at the break.

Bismarck had undoubtedly been the key man during the first half – for good and for bad – and his night took a turn for the worse early in the second period, receiving his second yellow for administering a bit of chin music onto Liam Messam with his forearm, albeit accidently.  Although this decision was never in doubt, it brought the first half call from Poite into sharp focus.  Had it not been for that, Du Plessis would have been returning to the field instead of leaving his side having to play 40 minutes as 14 men against the All Blacks.

With those odds, you’re always going to be up against it, and the pressure told within 3 minutes as Kieran Read hammered his way over the line from close range, thanks in part to yet another disappointing tackle from Jannie Du Plessis.  It was the athletic number 8’s second score, and Barrett’s conversion took the hosts out to an unassailable 24 – 10 lead.  Read in fact nearly grabbed a hat trick, but he just failed to hold onto Julian Savea’s deft grubber kick following a great break by Retallick.  It was a temporary break though for the Springboks, as a bloodied and battered Sam Cane, who had had a magnificent game, slammed his way over from 2 metres to take the All Blacks out to 29-10.

The game had been brutally physical throughout, and ended with the hosts actually down to 13 men, with Nonu and Read both yellow carded.  It gave space for a final Springbok flurry, as Zane Kirchner athletically tapped a Steyn cross-kick back into Pat Lambie’s hands for the youngster to reach out and touch down.  It left the final score at 29 – 15, with the All Blacks claiming a bonus point and the Springboks showing real grit despite playing over 50 minutes with 14 men.

Poite has now been chastised by the IRB for making a bad call – but there’s once call I really don’t think anyone could make...who’s going to come out on top in the return fixture?  I can’t wait.
 

Rugby Championship Preview - Australia v Argentina

The words “Australians, let us rejoice” will bellow around the Subiaco Oval in Perth on Saturday with a fat slap of irony attached to it – there seems very few reasons to rejoice as a Wallaby fan at the moment.  From a double defeat against their Tasman rivals, which perhaps was to be expected, to a home humiliation against the Springboks, which was not, morale in Australian rugby seems to be at an all time low.

Desperate times, desperate measures and all that.  Coach Ewan McKenzie is already under heaps of pressure and appears to have gone mad, dropping key man and stand-in skipper Will Genia on the basis of form, and drafting in Nic White.  Don’t get me wrong, White is a solid operator and will do a good job, but he’s not yet international class – let alone good enough to hold a candle against the world’s best scrum half over the last 3 years.  Genia is experienced enough to know what he’s doing wrong and how to rectify it, and without him the Wallabies lose a lot of their punch around the fringes – it’s a call that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.

The Pumas, meanwhile, have been about as subtle as a punch in the mouth during the run up to this game, casually declaring that they’re preparing to bring the hammer down on the Wallaby scrum.  They may have a point of course, but if they are to turn over the hosts, they will need far more than scrum power.  One of the first things kids get taught is to take the ball running, but the Argentines seem to have forgotten that lately, taking the ball static and failing to make it over the gainline – they’ll need to address this if they’re to seriously threaten the Wallabies.

After the 2 months Australian rugby has had, a win against the tournament’s weakest opposition is expected – but it has to be earned.  And that would give the fans finally something to sing about.

 

 

Australia Team News

With lock James Horwill injured and scrum-half Will Genia out-of-sorts, No.8 Ben Mowen is handed the captaincy less than three months after debuting against the Lions in June and in just his seventh Test with Nic White preferred at No.9. Elsewhere prop Ben Alexander replaces Sekope Kepu in the front row while Waratahs lock Sitaleki Timani is named on a bench which also includes Brumbies outside back Tevita Kuridrani.

Starting Line up:  Israel Folau; James O'Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali'ifano, Nick Cummins; Quade Cooper, Nic White; Ben Mowen (captain), Michael Hooper, Scott Fardy; Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons; Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, James Slipper.

Subs: Saia Fainga'a, Scott Sio, Sekope Kepu, Sitaleki Timani, Ben McCalman, Will Genia, Matt Toomua, Tevita Kuridrani.

Key Player

Ben Mowen.  There is no doubt that is this Wallaby backline get clean, front foot ball, then they will have the edge over their Puma counterparts.  Of course, getting that ball is easier said than done against one of the biggest and most physical packs in the world – meaning Mowen will have to lead the way in getting over the gainline and earning his side the right to go wide.  The last 12 months have been remarkable for Mowen, from captaining the Brumbies to winning his first cap to captaining his country, and his teammates will, in the absence of Genia and Horwill, be looking for him to lead from the front in Perth.

 

Argentina Team News

Veteran back Felipe Contepomi will start at inside centre in one of five changes to the side that lost to the All Blacks last weekend. Tomas Cubelli will wear the No.9 jersey for his first start in this year's Rugby Championship, with Martin Landajo dropping to the bench, while there is a double change in the midfield, with Contepomi to play his 85th Test match at No.12, while London Welsh-based Gonzalo Tiesi will feature at outside centre. The final change in the backline sees Juan Imhoff restored to the starting line up in the place of the injured Gonzalo Camacho, who returned to England after suffering a dislocated shoulder. After an impressive outing against the All Blacks up front, the forward pack features just one change with Agustín Creevy named at hooker, meaning Eusebio Guinazu drops to the reserves.

Starting Line up: Juan Martin Hernandez, Horacio Agulla, Gonzalo Tiesi, Felipe Contepomi, Juan Imhoff, Nicolas Sanchez, Thomas Cubelli; Marcos Ayerza, Agustín Creevy, Juan Figallo, Manuel Carizza, Julio Farias Cabello, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, Pablo Matera, Juan Manuel Leguizamón

Subs: Eusebio Guiñaz, Nahuel Lobo, Juan Pablo Orlandi, Mariano Galarza, Benjamín Macome, Martín Landajo, Santiago Fernández, Lucas González Amorosino

Key Player

Pablo Matera.  Despite an allegation of eye gouging against South Africa, the young flanker has had a stand out tournament for all the right reasons – demonstrating a superb energy around the field and an intense physicality at the break down.  Not bad for a 20 year old.  But now he will be up against one of the form flankers in the tournament, Michael Hooper – how he handles the young Wallaby’s speed around the park will be crucial to whether or not the Pumas can establish any continuity of possession.

Key Battle

Ben Alexander v Marcos Ayerza.  It had to be a day for the props to have all the attention.  The Pumas are so confident in their scrum that they’ve publically announced they’ll be targeting it as an area of supposed superiority – and with good reason too.  Although not imploding, the much improved Australian scrum has generally been on the back foot for most of the Championship and there are still question marks about the otherwise excellent Alexander’s ability in the set piece – highlighted when he was sin-binned and subbed after being decimated by Alex Corbisiero against the Lions in the third test.  On his day, Ayerza is one of the most powerful looseheads in the world and has been destroying opposite numbers for club and country for years – if the Wallabies are to get the win, they will need Alexander to hold up against the intense pressure he will come under.  It will be a huge test for him – and the new scrummaging laws.

Prediction

Dropping Genia is a huge call but this Wallabies side still possesses class that belies their form.  If you look at the calibre of player – the majority of whom come from Super Rugby powerhouses the Reds and the Brumbies – it is hard to believe that they will not just ‘click’ under new management.  Despite the Pumas impressing against the All Blacks last week, they are still the tournament’s underdogs and, although I expect them to put up a good fight, the hosts should come out on top.  Wallabies by 9.