New Zealand to bounce back against Argentina

David Skippers
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(c) Fotogramax Sports

The Tri Nations action resumes in Sydney on Saturday when New Zealand and Argentina will face off in what promises to be an entertaining encounter.

After winning two and drawing one of their three Bledisloe Cup Tests against Australia, the All Blacks came unstuck against their trans-Tasman rivals in Brisbane last week, so nothing less than a convincing win against the Pumas will satisfy head coach Ian Foster and his charges.

Foster fielded an experimental side in his side’s previous fixture but has named a strong matchday squad for this encounter, with several of his best players returning to the starting line-up as the All Blacks look to consolidate their position at the top of the Tri Nations table.

After two matches, the men in black have amassed six points in the standings with the Wallabies in second position on four points from the same number of games. Argentina bring up the rear in the truncated competition – after South Africa’s late withdrawal – and they face a daunting task against New Zealand, who have won 28 and drew one of the 29 Tests between these sides.

Apart from that statistic, the Pumas’ preparations for the Tri Nations have been far from ideal as their squad has battled to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic after several of their players and backroom staff tested positive for the virus over the past two months.

Despite that setback, they remain positive and number eight Rodrigo Bruni believes they will give a good account of themselves.

“The key to this week is to give everything for this jersey,” he told reporters at training earlier this week.

“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.”

Meanwhile, Foster expects a response from his team after that defeat in Brisbane but is also wary of the Pumas, who have been in Australia for more than a month already.

“They’ve been here a while and they’ve probably had something most international teams never have, which is about three weeks of really solid training and preparation,” he said. “I’m sure their game understanding is going to be high.”

He added: “They’ve had two really solid games against Australia A, and have shown a lot of the shape and flair we’ve become accustomed to seeing from them. We’re expecting a very well-organised team, and we’ve got to make sure they take a little while to adjust to the intensity of a test match.”

Players to watch:

For New Zealand: Although they lost to the Wallabies last week, one player who caught the eye for the All Blacks was Ardie Savea, who came to the fore with an outstanding all-round performance. Savea has proven over the years that he is comfortable in any back-row position but has made the number eight jersey his own this year and will be looking to continue where he left off in Brisbane. On that occasion, the All Blacks were on the back foot for long periods but Savea still gained 51 metres on attack from 10 carries, which included two clean breaks and five defenders beaten, while he also made a team-high 13 tackles on defence. If he hits his straps on Saturday, he should prove a handful for his opponents.

For Argentina: The Pumas have several attacking threats in their backline but one player who will be chomping at the bit is veteran flyer Juan Imhoff. Imhoff is a world class attacker, who has shown over the years in the Test arena – and at club level for Racing 92 – that he knows his way to the try-line as he is amongst the best finishers in the game. This fixture will be a significant occasion for the 33-year-old as it will be his first appearance for the Pumas since the 2015 Rugby World Cup and he will be highly motivated to celebrate his return from the international wilderness with a try.

Head-to-head: Both sides have several attacking threats in their line-ups but the duel out wide that sees Caleb Clarke and Bautista Delguy clash should be an entertaining one between two players with contrasting styles. Clarke took Test rugby by storm with a couple of excellent performances during the earlier Bledisloe Cup games. An explosive runner, who relies on his physicality to beat defenders, the 21-year-old is difficult to stop once he builds up a head of steam and he will be keen to test Delguy’s defence with some barnstorming runs early on. The Argentinian is much smaller and lighter than Clarke – who has a 26 kilogram weight advantage – so his defence will need to be at its best, but he too has the ability to set the game alight with his attacking skills. An elusive runner, who possesses a great step and excellent ball skills, the 23-year-old will keep Clarke on his toes if he gets into his stride.

Previous results:

2019: New Zealand won in 20-16 in Buenos Aires
2018: New Zealand won in 35-17 in Buenos Aires
2018: New Zealand won in 46-24 in Nelson
2017: New Zealand won in 36-10 in Buenos Aires
2017: New Zealand won in 39-22 in New Plymouth
2016: New Zealand won in 36-17 in Buenos Aires
2016: New Zealand won in 57-22 in Hamilton
2015: New Zealand won 26-16 in London

Prediction: After suffering that rare defeat last week, the All Blacks will be back to their best in this encounter. New Zealand to win by 25 points.

The teams:

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

Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matías Orlando, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Tomás Cubelli, 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Matías Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela, 2 Julián Montoya, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Santiago Grondona, 20 Tomás Lezana, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Lucio Cinti, 23 Santiago Cordero

Date: Saturday, November 14
Venue: Bankwest Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 17:10 local (06:10 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)

 

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