All Blacks v Argentina: Four key storylines to follow including return of ‘special talent’
The return of Will Jordan and how Argentina are shaping up under Felipe Contepomi are two of the main storylines this weekend.
The All Blacks begin their Rugby Championship title defence against a fairly unknown Los Pumas side, but it won’t be a walk in the park for Scott Robertson’s men in Wellington.
Razor has resisted the urge to start Will Jordan at 15 on his return to the All Blacks set-up, instead picking in-form Beauden Barrett in the 15 jumper as Sevu Reece and Mark Tele’a once again start on the wings.
Anton Lienert-Brown replaces Rieko Ioane in midfield, and he starts alongside Jordie Barrett in the centres while TJ Perenara returns to the side at scrum-half, with Damian McKenzie again named at fly-half.
In the pack, Ardie Savea skippers the side from number eight, with Dalton Papali’i and Ethan Blackadder named on the flanks. Sam Darry comes in for injured captain Scott Barrett, and he partners Tupou Vaa’i at lock.
The front-row has a familiar feel to it, as Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor and Tyrel Lomax retain their spots.
Felipe Contepomi has named his strongest Pumas side for the game though, as his team seek their third-straight win.
Juan Cruz Mallia starts at full-back, with Matias Moroni and Mateo Carreras named on the wings. Lucio Cinti and Santiago Chocobares again partner up in the centres, with Santiago Carreras starting at fly-half. Gonzalo Bertranou completes the backs division.
In the pack, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Marcos Kremer and captain Pablo Matera form a formidable back-row. Pedro Rubiolo and Franco Molina start in the locks.
Rounding things off, Thomas Gallo and Eduardo Bello are named as loosehead and tighthead, with Ignacio Ruiz retaining his spot in the absence of Julian Montoya.
There are plenty of talking points in this game though, and here is our breakdown of the four key storylines as the All Blacks face Argentina.
Statement of intent
This game represents a huge opportunity for both sides to lay down a marker for the rest of the tournament.
For the All Blacks, life under Robertson has got off to a good start, but they know they can improve. They avoided two scares against England, and weren’t quite at their fluent best. Things improved against Fiji in San Diego, but this Test against Argentina represents a really good opportunity to show what the true new New Zealand looks like.
If they can repeat the exploits of the Fiji clash with their full-strength side it will send a serious message throughout the Rugby Championship.
In a similar vain, Argentina come into this as a fairly unknown entity. They have put together two wins from three under Contepomi thus far, however they haven’t had a serious Test against a Tier One nation (France deployed a much-rotated team).
This will give us an understanding of where they are post-Michael Cheika, but importantly if they get a win it could lay down a serious marker of intent.
Anton Lienert-Brown is back
The outside centre position is causing a lot of headaches for Robertson since he took over as All Blacks boss. Ioane started both Tests against England, Billy Proctor was deployed to good effect against Fiji and now Lienert-Brown is named there for the clash against Argentina.
With the changes in this position, Lienert-Brown has a real chance to nail down a starting spot in this team. He has already amassed 73 caps for the All Blacks thus far, however only 41 of them have come in the starting XV (or 56%), and this gives him the perfect chance to recapture his place.
He will need a big game to fend off Proctor, but he impressed during the Fiji Test in the starting team and is more than capable as a 13. Could this be the start of a prolonged run in the squad?
All Blacks issues at lock
The All Blacks are really struggling in the second-row, but this again gives them a good chance to try out new combinations to resolve the problem.
It was always going to be a tough ask to get replacements for Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock, and they have already played five different players in the second-row under Robertson (Scott Barrett, Patrick Tuipolotu, Vaa’i, Luke Jacobson and Darry), with four combinations starting in the three Tests as well.
They really need to find some stability in this area, as it would then allow them to build some continuity throughout their set-piece.
Will Jordan’s return to fold
Jordan is a special talent, and his return to the All Blacks 23 is certainly a welcome one for many fans. He has been deployed on the wing for the entirety of his international career, but under Robertson we will see him utilised in his preferred position of full-back.
He has featured in the 15 jumper for the majority of his club career, and has been a quality player during the Crusaders reign over Super Rugby. Jordan has scored 38 tries in 52 appearances at club level, and is a consistent attacking threat in the back-field too.
What’s even more important is the fact he did this under the Robertson attacking system, which is trying to embed itself into the All Blacks style too. We’ve already seen the importance of a pacey full-back in the England and Fiji Tests from Beauden Barrett, and Jordan could be just as effective in this role.
He will still be rusty following his lengthy spell on the sidelines, but coming off the bench against Argentina will be a great way to bring him back into the fold.
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