1
'It’s gonna be a good day’: Pumas ‘feeling very good’ before Wallabies clash
By Finn Morton
On a perfect day in Greater Western Sydney, Los Pumas playmakers including Nicolas Sanchez and Emiliano Boffelli ran out onto CommBank Stadium as they continued to prepare for the Wallabies.
ADVERTISEMENT
With nobody in the stands – other than a few cleaners who were preparing the venue for Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash – the kickers took shots at goal and passed the ball between themselves.
Tighthead prop Francisco Gomez Kodela, who is set to pack down opposite Wallabies captain James Slipper at scrum time, watched on from the sidelines.
Gomez Kodela is expecting a tough challenge against a big Wallabies pack, saying the set piece is going to be a “very big” factor for both sides.
With just over 24 hours to go until the Test, Gomez Kodela spoke with reporters on the sideline as the playmakers continued to ply their trade out in the middle.
“We’re feeling very good. We had a tough week against the All Blacks but it was a very good week of training and preparation here in Coogee,” the front rower said on Friday afternoon.
“It’s gonna be a good day for us tomorrow.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Much like the Wallabies, Los Pumas are coming off a disastrous loss.
Argentina opened their 2023 season against the All Blacks in Mendoza last weekend, and shot out of the blocks with a strong start.
The Pumas controlled possession for the opening four minutes of that contest, but then, the All Blacks beast woke up.
New Zealand went on a 31-point blitz in the first half, and never looked like surrendering their throughout the second term.
The visitors ended up winning that Test 41-12.
“When you (concede) 40 points, it’s not what you were planning but it’s part of the process. It’s the first game of our season,” he added.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We’re preparing for a big target, the World Cup, so there was no panic. We know what we did wrong and we’re trying to fix it.
“We acknowledge what we did wrong and we tried to fix as much as we can for tomorrow, even though it’s a different team, a different style of play.
“We’re gonna try to fix what we did wrong just to get a different outcome.”
The Wallabies’ loss to South Africa was very similar. Marika Koroibete opened the scoring in the eighth minute, but the world champions took control from there.
South Africa ended up winning 43-12 in Pretoria, where saw the Aussies fall to a losing start under new coach Eddie Jones.
“They’re an awesome team. It’s very difficult to play in South Africa against the Springboks so everything needs to be put in context.
“They must be hurt so it’s going to be a very big game tomorrow because we are the same.”
Argentina are full of confidence ahead of their clash with the Wallabies, as they prepare to take the field at a venue that they know very well.
During the pandemic, Los Pumas defeated the All Blacks for the first time ever at the Parramatta venue in 2020. Argentina has also drawn with the Wallabies there.
As Gomez Kodela put it, the team has “beautiful memories’ of their time in Sydney.
Argentina will take on Australia at Sydney’s CommBank Stadium at 7.45 pm AEST on Saturday evening. Earlier, the All Blacks host fierce rivals South Africa in South Auckland.
blah, blah, blah. Performance and results matter. Who has the most to lose from this match? Cheika and EJ talk a lot but will be judged by the results of this match. Let's see who has learned from last week and can rectify their game to get a result. Either way, these two teams have a lot to prove for their support base.