Who’s hot and who’s not: Springboks do the double, red-hot Argentina and a brutal shift for the Wallabies
Check out what's made this week's Who's Hot and Who's Not.
It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
Los Pumas: What a rollercoaster of a Test it was in Santa Fe as Argentina went from a 3-20 deficit at 30 minutes to go on and beat Australia 67-27 – a record defeat for the Wallabies AND the most points the side has conceded in HISTORY! The free-flowing Los Pumas were poetry in motion in the second period looking like they could score every time they touched the ball. Four tries in the last 10 minutes underline just how rampant Felipe Contepomi’s men were.
Julian Montoya: One of the nine tries came from the skipper who was playing in his 100th Test for Argentina – only the fourth player to reach that milestone. Few players are more deserving of a record-breaking win on such a special occasion and it is fitting for one of the greatest Los Pumas players ever. Montoya has been a loyal servant to his country and has done them proud at every possible chance.
Springboks Bomb Squad: We feel like a stuck record but it is what it is, the Bomb Squad wins a LOT of Tests for the Springboks. It was no different in Cape Town as South Africa’s top-scoring forward of all-time Malcolm Marx scored yet another try after the All Blacks left the blindside criminally open. The front-row subs added the inevitable grunt while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu injected some dynamism from pivot to help the Springboks to their fourth win in a row over their old foe.
Rassie Erasmus: The man is a genius. Planet Rugby’s James While joked that the coach is training his team with his ownrugby version of AI calling it ‘RI’. While that is a bit of a laugh it must be said that the tactical nous of Erasmus and his team is arguably the best the game has seen. To make seven changes, sway from the standard 6-2 split and still beat the All Blacks shows just how connected the coach is with his players. Outstanding.
Opinion: I’m a Pom and even I am beginning to like the Springboks
Wallace Sititi: It may not have been the All Blacks day but the clear and obvious silver lining was the barnstorming display from the young back-row. Sititi was dominant with ball in hand, really taking on the blindside role with aplomb. The dynamism he gets despite being so big and powerful is unique, one would think he has many more caps to collect.
Mark Nawaqanitawase: Timing in sports can be cruel. As the Wallabies slumped to their worst defeat one of their former standouts began his career in rugby league with an absolute bang. Nawaqanitawase scored an epic try on debut for the Sydney Roosters as he soared about his opponent to pluck a cross kick out of the air in a move that could be straight out of AFL. What a moment it was for the ex-wing who probably feels vindicated in his move.
Japan & Fiji: The Pacific Nations Cup is back and underway with Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms really flexing their muscles against the USA claiming a strong 41-24 win. The victory puts the side in a strong position going forward in the tournament with two bonus point wins from two. Fiji have also gone unbeaten and had a strong game of their own against Tonga beating their Pacific rivals with a whopping 19-50 scoreline away from home. One would have to think these two sides are the front-runners for the title.
Christian Ambadiang: Few readers will recognise the Castres winger’s name but he was the hero for his new side as he starred on his Top 14 debut. After three seasons in the PRO D2 with Nevers, he made the switch to Castres and came up with two marvellous match-winning moments. The first was an epic try-saving tackle on Racing 92 fullback Max Spring before he brilliantly scored the winning try with time nearly up on the clock as Castres clinched a 31-28 victory.
‘I got stage fright!’ – Rassie Erasmus recounts hilarious toilet incident before Cape Town Test
COLD AS ICE!
Wallabies: The first 20-25 minutes showed promise. The Wallabies had a much better rhythm on attack, Ben Donaldson was in full control of the game for much of that period but it well and truly fell apart. As soon as momentum switched the Australians just could not find a way to stop the bleeding made even worse by the flurry of late tries. It is tough for Joe Schmidt who would have felt his side was growing on tour but now it leaves him with more questions than answers yet again. This team will learn from that but conceding that many points in such a short time is unfortunately not good enough at Test level.
Australia butcher 17-point lead as Julian Montoya’s milestone inspires Argentina to record win
All Blacks bench: It was the difference again – the Springboks ‘Bomb Squad’ took the game away and the All Blacks bench could do nothing about it. The coaching staff specifically left firepower on the bench in the form of Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara to guide the team home but it was not to be. The All Blacks didn’t play terribly but they are just not winning the big moments like the legends of old once did.
Scott Robertson: Perhaps the rebuild was bigger than anticipated for the former Crusaders man who has had quite the baptism of fire on the Test scene. The All Blacks have developed under Razor but many in New Zealand will feel it is not enough. It will be interesting to see how he responds considering it is fairly uncharted territory as the vast majority of his time with the Crusaders was spent on a win streak. He cannot change what has happened but he will know that he CANNOT afford to lose to the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup.
Sbu Nkosi: The ex-Springboks winger has learnt his fate after a failed doping Test and has been slapped with a three-year ban. It’s a sad outcome for the 2019 World Cup-winning Bok who showed so much promise but ultimately his career has unravelled after a failed stint at the Bulls where he went MIA and later slammed how the franchise and Jake White handled the situation. He was handed a lifeline with the Cheetahs but has now let himself down.
Waterboy interference: A trend that just won’t stop, in Cape Town on Saturday All Blacks’ strength and condition coach Nic Gill pleaded with matchday referee Matthew Carley to check an incident involving Jordie Barrett. These scenes are becoming increasingly frustrating as Gill is not the first as Neil Jenkins did the same for Wales during the Six Nations. The captains should be the only ones addressing the referees and the coaches coming onto the pitch should be there just to pass on messages to the players and give them water – not to interact and put more pressure on the officials.
Tough start for Vannes: Life in the Top 14 is not easy and Vannes learnt that the hard way on Sunday evening as the newly promoted side were tasked with tackling the defending champions in their competition debut. Despite putting up a strong fight with Mako Vunipola scoring his first try for his new club, they were comfortably outplayed as Toulouse claimed an 18-43 bonus point victory.
Tragedy for the Hastings: Former Scotland international Scott Hastings’ wife Jenny has been missing since Tuesday after swimming in Firth of Forth. Reports on Monday stated that a body has since been discovered and while formal identification is pending, Mrs Hastings’ family have been notified. It is absolutely heartbreaking and our thoughts are very much with the Hastings family.
