Argentina v All Blacks preview: Scott Robertson’s men to edge Los Pumas in ‘priceless’ victory for Rugby Championship hopes
Argentina take on the All Blacks in their Rugby Championship opener.
The opening round of the Rugby Championship concludes on Saturday in Córdoba where Argentina face New Zealand in a fascinating clash at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes.
Last year’s meetings between the pair finished at one apiece as Los Pumas stunned the All Blacks in Wellington before New Zealand bounced back in style at Eden Park.
Indeed, it was a much-improved Rugby Championship for Argentina as they beat all of their rivals once – something they had never done – in their best campaign to date.
Now it is about building on those foundations, which is easier said than done for Felipe Contepomi’s outfit, not least because the Springboks look as strong as ever, New Zealand have had another year under Scott Robertson’s guidance while the Wallabies appear buoyed by a strong finish to the recent British and Irish Lions series.
Two home matches against the All Blacks to start the Rugby Championship is an incredible opportunity for Los Pumas to really set their stall out but conversely if New Zealand can win both games, their title hopes will sky rocket ahead of facing the Boks in Auckland and Wellington. A pivotal clash awaits in Córdoba this weekend.
Where the game will be won
Execution with ball in hand under pressure and a clinical edge were on show when New Zealand blew the Pumas away at Eden Park last year and if they can play at a similar tempo and with that same cutting edge and gain-line threat it will be difficult for Argentina to live with them, such is the quality they have across their squad.
But that’s not to say the battle up front will be any less important and the scrum is an area New Zealand will look to gain an edge, as England did during the July series. Argentina were without several players in those matches but most of those were backline stars, so an improvement from their tight five is required this Saturday.
Last time they met
What they said
Argentina flanker Marcos Kremer is expecting a tight contest between the sides that could go down to the wire as they look to start the Rugby Championship on a positive.
“It’s going to be a great match. We’re at home, with our people, in Cordoba, a place where rugby is a thing,” he told Reuters ahead of the huge Round One contest at home.
“I think right now it’s going to come down to the final minutes with a small difference between the teams, depending on how things go and how each team’s mindset and mentality work during the week.
“That’s going to be the key.”
Meanwhile, All Blacks head coach Robertson is confident that their preparations have gone to plan and believes the selection for Saturday’s Test are primed for action.
“We’ve had a great week of training in Buenos Aires and the group is ready to go out and perform. Scott and our leaders have led from the front and there’s a lot of focus and motivation in the group for the start of the campaign,” he said.
“We know the Pumas identity is a fast and physical game and we’ve selected a team that will embrace the occasion. It’s been 30 years since the All Blacks played in Córdoba and we are looking forward to the passion and energy of the home crowd.”
Players to watch
The return of several players who missed the England series is much needed for Los Pumas and the presence of Tomás Albornoz in their number 10 jersey alongside Gonzalo Garcia is a significant boost. Albornoz is a classy operator who will give Argentina an edge in attack and with his tactical kicking so his presence is huge.
It is a similar situation in the pack where Marcos Kremer is back in the fold and should have a sizeable impact in the physical exchanges alongside a power-packed back-row that includes Pablo Matera and Joaquín Oviedo. That trio, as well as captain Julian Montoya, are all pivotal players to the Pumas’ hopes of victory.
For New Zealand all eyes will be on Cortez Ratima in the number nine shirt, a position that has been a problem area for Robertson due to injury. Starting nine Cam Roigard is sidelined so this is a massive opportunity for Ratima to lock down the back-up role as he links up with the experienced Beauden Barrett in the halves.
Up front there is a rare start for tighthead prop Fletcher Newell, who will look to gain dominance at scrum time, while Fabian Holland will be eager to continue his strong start to international rugby at lock and Ardie Savea will no doubt be his usual all-action self alongside Tupou Vaa’i and the solid Du’Plessis Kirifi.
Main head-to-head
Two backline tussles jump out here as the gain-line battle will, as always, be key and both teams have quality number 12s to call upon in that department. Fresh from his break after season-ending duty at Toulouse, Santiago Chocobares is a welcome addition to the Pumas team and his battle with Jordie Barrett will be epic. Both players have many strings to their bow as with all their power there’s still moments of genius with ball in hand that can cause opposition defences big problems.
Elsewhere, there’s a return to Test action for another Toulouse star, Juan Cruz Mallia, who adds so much in any position he plays for club and country. He goes up against the devastating Will Jordan in the clash of the full-backs, with the latter looking to better his incredible 42 tries in 44 internationals record on Saturday.
Prediction
A strengthened Pumas side it may be but we expect them to come up short against a New Zealand side that will kick off with a priceless away victory. All Blacks by 7.
Previous results
2024: New Zealand won 42-10 in Auckland
2024: Argentina won 38-30 in Wellington
2023: New Zealand won 44-6 in Paris
2023: New Zealand won 41-12 in Mendoza
2022: New Zealand won 53-3 in Hamilton
2022: Argentina won 25-18 in Christchurch
2021: New Zealand in 36-13 in Brisbane
2021: New Zealand won 39-0 in Gold Coast
2020: New Zealand won 38-0 in Newcastle
2020: Argentina won 25-15 in Sydney
The teams
Argentina: 15 Juan Cruz Mallía, 14 Rodrigo Isgró, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Bautista Delguy, 10 Tomás Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo García, 8 Joaquín Oviedo, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Pedro Delgado, 2 Julián Montoya (c), 1 Mayco Vivas
Replacements: 16 Ignacio Ruiz, 17 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Juan Martín González, 21 Simón Benítez Cruz, 22 Santiago Carreras, 23 Justo Piccardo
New Zealand: 15 Will Jordan, 14 Sevu Reece, 13 Billy Proctor, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Du’Plessis Kirifi, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Fabian Holland, 4 Scott Barrett (c), 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Damian McKenzie
Date: Saturday, August 16
Venue: Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba
Kick-off: 18:10 local (09:10 NZST Sunday, 22:10 BST, 21:10 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (RA), Morné Ferreira (SARU)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
FPRO: Damon Murphy (RA)