all blacks – Michmutters

Tag: all blacks

Categories
Sports

Argentina crushes the Wallabies 48-17 in the Rugby Championship at the Estadio Bicentenario in San Juan

Argentina crushes the Wallabies 48-17 in the Rugby Championship at the Estadio Bicentenario in San Juan

The Pumas get revenge for last week’s Rugby Championship loss to the Wallabies, thrashing Australia in San Juan.

Look back at the action in our blog.

live updates

By Simon Smale

Dave Rennie: ‘We’re better than that’

Dave Rennie is speaking to Stan Sport.

“Massive disappointment,” he says.

“It’s not good enough.

“We conceded four tries with kicks in behind us and certainly got dominated in the collision area.

“We created opportunities but we’ve got to be patient our ruck is not a disaster and we just weren’t clinical enough.”

He says that the Wallabies lacked cohesion in the match and looked desperately frustrated, adding “We’re better than that.”.

“We want to earn the respect of the country and you’re never going to do that with performances like that.”

By Simon Smale

James Slipper: Wallabies ‘Probably fell short of standards’

Here’s the skipper, James Slipper.

“Clearly disappointed,” he says.

“Off the back of a good performance last week we wanted to back it up.

“Probably fell short of today’s standards.”

He says that the Argentinans were just the better team on the day.

“They got the momentum and the crowd behind them and they’re a tough team to play catch up football against,” he says.

With all teams sitting on one win each, Slipper says the Rugby Championship is even poised, but the Wallabies are excited to get home.

“I think we’re excited to get home. It’s been a really tough tour for us.”

By Simon Smale

Key Event

Argentina beat Wallabies 48-17

Wow, what a stunning result and a brutal scoreline for the Wallabies to stomach.

The Wallabies were tactically outclassed by former coach Michael Chieka and there’s no hiding it.

The Argentinians kicking out of hand was better, the breakdown was better and they capitalized on the big moments better than the Wallabies.

It’s the biggest ever win by Argentina over Australia.

By Simon Smale

Key Event

80+2′ What a try Argentina!

Oh that’s magnificent from both Tomas Cubelli and try-scorer Tomas Albornoz.

Cubelli took the ball off the back of the scrum and darted through a gap, chipping ahead and that allowed Albornoz to collect and score.

The kick is successful and it’s 48-17!

By Simon Smale

Man of the Match: Thomas Gallo

The player of the match has just been announced to a raucous ovation.

It’s the Argentina prop, Thomas Gallo off the back of his two-try performance.

By Simon Smale

Key Event

78′ Try Argentina!

Lovely try to seal the win from Emiliano Boffelli!

The Wallabies lost the ball at a ruck and then Lucio Cinti put boot to ball, rolling it in behind and Boffelli ran around Markia Koroibete to dot down the bobbling in the corner.

The kicking game has been superior all day, the Wallabies have been punished for mistakes, and that’s the game in a microcosm.

By Simon Smale

77′ Wallabies scrum

Argentina were pushing for another score but lost the ball forward thanks to some solid Wallabies defense on their right edge.

By Simon Smale

74′ Penalty Argentina

Reece Hodge is on and his first involvement is to tackle an Argentinian in the air from another up and under contestable kick.

Argentina put a couple more phases together but we’ll come back for that infringement on half way.

They’ll kick for the corner and have a lineout on the 22.

By Simon Smale

72′ Penalty Argentina

The Wallabies were on the charge, looking to build some phases but Ikitau threw the ball over the line while being tackled and it will be an Argentina line out.

Nope, it will be a penalty, Tate McDermott pinged for a push off the ball as frustrations boil over.

By Simon Smale

69′ Argentina penalty!

Oh the Wallabies can’t keep their discipline!

The ruling is that the Wallabies did not release the ball in the tackle and the hosts get a relieving penalty.

By Simon Smale

67′ 50:22 from Tait McDermott!

Oh that will help the cause!

What a kick from the Queensland scrumhalf!

If the Wallabies score from here, a lineout on the five meters, then things could get very interesting!

By Simon Smale

Key Event

65′ Try Wallabies!

Len Ikitau dives over after being tackled – he popped back to his feet and strolled over the line unapposed.

So that’s the application from the referee just as with the previous try.

Funny, the commentators aren’t nearly as unhappy with that decision…

Can the Wallabies launch a comeback?

By Simon Smale

64′ Wallabies subs

I haven’t mentioned every sub, but Billy Pollard is on. Great story there, the Brumbies hooker has had a hell of a journey to get to Argentina on time and he comes on to make his Test debut.

By Simon Smale

Key Event

64′ Try Argentina!

11 phases of precise and incisive play by the Argentinians get the reward it deserves.

Thomas Gallo looked like he was tackled short, perhaps the referee said he hadn’t been held, but he got up and dove over the line…

Hmmm, not sure about that on replay, but the officials were happy.

There were two penalties in the move through against Fraser McReight we heard the referee say, adding that the Reds man going to be sent to the bin.

The conversion is good and the lead is now 26, Argentina 36-10 ahead.

By Simon Smale

62′ Penalty Argentina

The Wallabies are really struggling to beat this blue and white defensive line, being forced to kick deep while the Argentinians have time to kick high and contest

Rob Valentini closed the gap that Juan Cruz Mallia tried to run into, and gives away the penalty by blocking him.

Again, the commentators seem to think that Valentini didn’t close that gap, but I don’t think they’re quite right. He didn’t do much, admittedly, but he did close out that lane for him to run in to.

Argentina kick deep for a lineout.

By Simon Smale

58′ Knock on Argentina

Oh the Wallabies get away with one there.

Argentina were flooding forward again, Matias Moroni with a decent run initially.

There was an intercept thrown to Petaia, who almost apologetically gave it straight back to the Argentinians.

Taniela Tupou put a thumping tackle in the midfield that barely interrupted the Pumas’ mometum.

A chip in behind isolated James O’Connor and the Argentinans counterrucked to win the turnover, but then knocked the ball on five meters out from the Wallabies line.

By Simon Smale

55′ Penalty Argentina

The Wallabies are caught offside as Argentina flood forward with some nice passing plays.

The hosts are swarming all over the breakdown to create that quick ball which resulted in the offside penalty.

The penalty is just inside the Wallabies half, but they’ll kick for touch this time.

By Simon Smale

Key Event

53′ Penalty goal Argentina!

The Argentinians kicked deep straight away off the lineout after seeing a big gap in behind.

The Wallabies get back through Tom Wright but as he runs the ball back he gets isolated.

The kick from the ten-meter line is good from Emiliano Boffelli and the gap is out to 19 points, 29-10.

By Simon Smale

52′ Wallabies turn the ball over

Some good ball movement right and left from the Wallabies but then a pass out the back goes behind and it will be out for a lineout, that Argentina takes quickly.

By Simon Smale

50′ Penalty Argentina

Gee, the last couple of scrums have been all over the place.

That one moved sideways at a rate of knots before Taniela Tupou was pinged.

They kick up towards halfway.

.

Categories
Sports

ABs’ failure to cope with Boks’ pressure ‘a bit of an uppercut’

ABs' failure to cope with Boks' pressure 'a bit of an uppercut'

Richie Mo’unga, a good chance to start for the All Blacks in the second Test against the Springboks, has hinted at the frustration being felt in the camp after the Mbombele Stadium defeat, saying his team’s inability to cope with South Africa’s defensive pressure was “a bit of an uppercut.”

Richie Mo'unga, a replacement for the All Blacks last Sunday, gets the ball away under pressure from Boks Eben Etzebeth, left, and Damian de Allende.

Richie Mo’unga, a replacement for the All Blacks last Sunday, gets the ball away under pressure from Boks Eben Etzebeth, left, and Damian de Allende. (Source: PhotoSport)

Mo’unga went further about the All Blacks’ near constant stream of mistakes during their 26-10 loss, their third consecutive reverse and their worst in 94 years against the Boks, when saying it didn’t take confidence or a good mindset to do the bare minimum on a rugby pitch.

“I wouldn’t say it’s mental, I’d say it’s skill error,” he told reporters in Johannesburg ahead of Sunday’s Test at Ellis Park.

“You don’t have to be in the right frame of mind to catch a ball or to complete your job or to do the basics well and I think not executing those put us under pressure.”

Mo’unga is a chance to start at No.10 should Beauden Barrett either not be available after landing on his neck after a horrific high-ball challenge from Kurt-Lee Arendse late in the Test or, if he is passed fit, moved to fullback to cover for brother Jordie, who has an ankle injury.

Readmore: Foster’s ‘massive concerns’ about hit on Barrett by serial offender

A message from Barrett posted on the All Blacks’ social media accounts saying: “my neck’s feeling good and I’ve bounced back really well from the collision at the weekend. I’m good to go”, bodes well for Barrett being involved in some capacity.

Mo’unga, who served his Crusaders apprenticeship under Dan Carter, has long been known as a hard taskmaster at that level and it appears he is increasingly comfortable asking for higher standards to be applied at Test level, as a team’s navigator should. I did not mince his words from him on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old, who has played 35 Tests, should also have relatively fond memories of Ellis Park. It was there that he led the Crusaders to their first Super Rugby title under Scott Robertson in 2017.

Five more championships have followed for Mo’unga under a head coach denied the All Blacks job in 2019 but who is increasingly likely to replace Ian Foster and sooner rather than later.

All Blacks hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho attempts to tackle outstanding opposite Malcolm Marx at Mbombele Stadium.

All Blacks hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho attempts to tackle outstanding opposite Malcolm Marx at Mbombele Stadium. (Source: PhotoSport)

Mo’unga said it was key the All Blacks found a way to break out of the “cycle” of pressure the Boks exerted via their set piece, big ball runners around the fringes, and penalties. By way of contrast, the All Blacks failed to build any of their own during the entire 80 minutes.

Asked about the recent criticism aimed at the team after five losses in their last six Tests, a run which has dropped the All Blacks to a lowly fifth on the world rankings, Mo’unga said it was “fair”.

“We’ve got younger guys in the squad who haven’t experienced that before so it’s tough on them,” he said. “It’s tough on our families. But as someone who has been around for a little while, my mindset doesn’t change, my energy doesn’t change … the outside noise doesn’t matter to me or affect me.

“I can understand that the fans and people out there can get frustrated but we’re trying our best. We know it’s not up to All Blacks standard. Our preparations will be very deep to get a result this weekend.

Readmore: Opinion: Time up for Foster – small ‘improvements’ aren’t enough

“It’s very fair. The team they support that usually gets results is not getting results at the moment. It’s fair for the fans to care, because they do… but it’s also fair on us to not care what they think because we have a role to play and a job to do, and hearing that isn’t going to help us at this moment .”

Foster’s team announcement, likely to come on Thursday night, will be highly anticipated as he shuffles his cards for what may be his final hand as All Blacks coach.

Mo’unga, who hasn’t started a Test since he ran out against France in November last year, may be elevated but so too may prop Ethan de Groot and possibly loose forward Shannon Frizell.

“I’m capable of a start as well,” Mo’unga added. “I’m capable of being the guy if the team needs me to be that guy. I also understand I have a role to come on in the last 30 or 20 to try to change a game around. I’m ready.”

.