Los Pumas v Wallabies: Five key storylines to watch as ‘pressure’ mounts on ‘wounded’ Australia
Noah Lolesio and Agustin Creevy are two of the key storylines this weekend.
The Wallabies venture to South America a wounded beast, but they must prepare for a make-or-break clash with Los Pumas.
Joe Schmidt’s side headed into the Rugby Championship with three wins from three against Wales and Georgia, but have since had their momentum halted by two heavy defeats by the Springboks; and right now sit rock bottom of the table with no wins.
Their performances in the two Tests against South Africa has also shifted the narrative surrounding them, and there is again a lot of negativity on both the style of play and the results on the whole, so a win would do them the world of good.
Los Pumas will put up a huge fight though, especially at home. We’ve already seen their quality in the opening-round victory over the All Blacks, so a win over the Wallabies will take them back up to second in the table, which only adds to the interest building into the game.
With so much at stake for both sides, there are plenty of key storylines for us to follow; and here is an in-depth look at the key ones to follow this weekend.
Noah Lolesio under pressure to perform
There’s no hiding it, the Wallabies must put on a better showing this weekend. Schmidt has picked a fairly decent squad, but they are not performing to the levels we have seen some of them hit in the past.
Fly-half Noah Lolesio has come under fire in recent weeks, and comes into the game needing a good performance.
The Wallabies have reverted to a more simplistic style of attack, which worked against Wales and Georgia, but it came unstuck against South Africa. They lacked any genuine speed of play, and too often were caught incredibly flat which then limited their options. Lolesio needs to up the tempo across the attack if they want to get around the Argentine pack.
We saw in that second Test at Eden Park what speed can do to this Pumas defence, and Lolesio should be looking to play quicker and then utilise the width.
Argentina v Australia preview: Los Pumas to edge wobbly Wallabies in Agustin Creevy’s last hurrah
Replacements win games
The bench is key to winning any Test, but this weekend in particular they will be hoping they can get the most out of their replacements. Argentina saw the full rewards of this in their win over the All Blacks in Wellington, with their replacements turning the tide late in the day to claim the 38-30 defeat. They also steadied the ship in Test two, but couldn’t replicate their feat from the previous outing.
The Wallabies have seen the reverse of this though, as their bench was bested by the Springboks in Test Two, and the ‘Bomb Squad’ ultimately ran away with the game. Schmidt will be hoping to get a better impact from his replacements this time out.
In all likelihood, the scoreline will be incredibly tight by the time the replacements are deployed, so the game will probably be decided by whichever bench has the most impact.
Can Los Pumas get their scrum going?
One area where Argentina have really struggled in this championship has been the scrum. In Test Two against the All Blacks, Los Pumas were obliterated in the set-piece, which in turn allowed New Zealand to get a proper foothold into the contest.
Argentina have historically had the scrum as their focal point to build from, but they really struggled to get any change out of it last time out. They have made a move to fix this though, with Joel Sclavi coming into the starting side and Eduardo Bello coming onto the bench, but Thomas Gallo is the issue they need to get right.
You feel with the persistent issues in the scrum this is Gallo’s last chance saloon, he needs to fix it up in the scrum.
On the flip side, the Wallabies won’t be a pushover (if you’ll pardon the pun). They were blown away themselves in Test One against the Springboks but seemed a lot more composed and settled in Test Two, and also got decent results in their victories over Wales and Georgia.
Agustin Creevy’s last dance
Agustin Creevy has been a true servant to Argentine rugby across his 19-year Test career, but he will bring down the curtain this weekend in Buenos Aires. The hooker made his debut for Los Pumas against Japan in 2005 and has gone on to win 110 caps for his country.
He initially began his career in the back-row, but since transitioning to hooker in 2009 as been a mainstay in the squad. Creevy has also featured in four Rugby World Cups and led the side to the 2015 semi-finals as captain.
The hooker is also proving to be ageing like a fine wine, putting in an inspired 10-minute performance off the bench to help his side beat the All Blacks in Wellington.
Creevy’s retirement from the game could also be a huge emotional driver for the squad this week, as they look to send him out on a high.
Harry Wilson to skipper the Wallabies
Joe Schmidt has picked yet another captain, but if Harry Wilson delivers it could be his job for the foreseeable. Wilson has been a standout player so far for his side, putting in two physical performances against that Springboks pack, but he will need to step it up even more this weekend.
Schmidt has already said he leads by his actions, and this is the sort of leadership the Wallabies need given their current form. It seems the right call to give him the armband, but Schmidt cannot afford for it to be the wrong one…
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