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Join us live from New Plymouth for the third round of the Rugby Championship! The All Blacks have had an unbeaten start to the competition, with two wins over the Wallabies. Meanwhile, the Pumas have lost both their matches against the Springboks and are heavy underdogs tonight. Follow all the action, stats and commentary in our Live Match Centre here.
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GAME NOTES
I’ve been in New Plymouth in the lead up to the test, catching up with Kieran Read yesterday at the All Blacks last training run. Here’s some other thoughts on wha’s going to happen.
- It’s a debut start for Vaea Fifita, who has had a ton of talk around him leading up to this game. Here’s a look at what he is capable of on a muddy club paddock in Wellington:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VDvW6cJtpE
- It’s been a rainy few days in the lead up to this test in New Plymouth, and the locals tell me that there’s a fair chance that the rain will stick around for the duration of the match.
- The tiny All Black back three will be exciting. Well, tiny by All Black standards – Nehe Milner-Skudder and Damian McKenzie are not big guys, and rely on their footwork rather than strength to make it over the gain line. So too is Israel Dagg, and he’ll be looking to be safe under the high ball.
- The Pumas have a point to prove. They’ve been written off by everybody in the lead up to this one, and they can take some inspiration from the Wallabies in their last effort in Dunedin. No one expected the visitors to race out to a 17 point lead, let alone almost win – so the if the Pumas catch the All Blacks off guard, it could turn into a shootout.
