Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

All you need to know: All Blacks v Argentina

(ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images)

After experimenting with several new combinations last week – changes that the All Blacks coaches admit may have contributed to their loss against the Wallabies – Ian Foster has gone with plan A against the Pumas.

ADVERTISEMENT

It provides an insight into the All Blacks selectors’ first choice side, with Foster opting for basically his best side possible against the Argentineans, who will play their first test since last year’s Rugby World Cup.

“A number of players have had a week off and are fresh,” said Foster. “The whole team is pretty determined to put a performance in that shows we’ve grown over the last few weeks, so going to those existing combinations is quite important.”

Video Spacer

Why the Pumas pose no threat to the All Blacks | The Breakdown | Healthspan Elite Fan’s Voice

Video Spacer

Why the Pumas pose no threat to the All Blacks | The Breakdown | Healthspan Elite Fan’s Voice

Foster said the players will be determined to bounce back from the defeat.

“It’s a sombre feeling when you lose in the black jersey. We’re frustrated about that. There were a number of guys who went out for their first hitout for a while, and there was a bit of rust in the combinations.

“It was a formula we had to do because we’ve got some players we need to give some opportunity to. But it was a stark reminder that you’ve got to be ready. There have been a lot of good conversations gone on this week, and there are some players disappointed. That’s the way it should be.

“What it teaches you is when you get a chance, this All Blacks jersey demands a performance and when we don’t perform at the level we expect we have to go away and work twice as hard off the park.”

Meanwhile, the Pumas won’t be lacking any motivation either, with players keen to put in a good performance for fans back home, where Covid-19 has hit hard.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The key to this week is to give up everything for this jersey,” Pumas No 8 Rodrigo Bruni said.

“The thing I highlight most about this group is that they never give up.

“A few months ago we were training and didn’t know whether we were going to play.”

Match details: Saturday 14 November, 7.10pm, Bankwest Stadium, Sydney

Squads

All Blacks: 1.Joe Moody, 2.Dane Coles, 3.Tyrel Lomax, 4.Patrick Tuipulotu, 5.Samuel Whitelock, 6.Shannon Frizell, 7.Sam Cane (captain), 8.Ardie Savea, 9.Aaron Smith, 10.Richie Mo’unga, 11.Caleb Clarke, 12.Jack Goodhue, 13.Anton Lienert-Brown, 14.Jordie Barrett, 15.Beauden Barrett.

Substitutes: 16.Codie Taylor, 17.Alex Hodgman, 18.Nepo Laulala, 19.Tupou Vaa’i, 20.Hoskins Sotutu, 21.Brad Weber, 22.Rieko Ioane, 23.Damian McKenzie.

ADVERTISEMENT

Argentina: 1.Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2.Julián Montoya, 3.Francisco Gómez Kodela, 4.Guido Petti, 5.Matías Alemanno, 6.Pablo Matera (captain), 7.Marcos Kremer, 8.Rodrigo Bruni; 9.Tomás Cubelli, 10.Nicolás Sánchez, 11.Juan Imhoff, 12.Santiago Chocobares, 13.Matías Orlando, 14.Bautista Delguy, 15.Santiago Carreras.

Substitutes: 16.Facundo Bosch, 17.Mayco Vivas, 18.Santiago Medrano, 19.Santiago Grondona, 20.Tomás Lezana, 21.Gonzalo Bertranou, 22.Lucio Cinti, 23.Santiago Cordero.

Match history

Played: 29
Won: All Blacks 28, Drawn 1
Last time: All Blacks 20, Argentina 16 (20 July 2019)

Odds

All Blacks: $1.03
Argentina: $10

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

T
Tom 5 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

2 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Does South Africa have a future in European competition? Does South Africa have a future in European competition?
Search