Rugby: the All Blacks take revenge on Pumas with a crucial victory in the Tri Nations with extra points

All black 38
Argentina 0

What a difference two weeks make.

Under immense pressure after successive defeats, the All Blacks gave the required response in their final test of the year that ensures that they will return home in a much more positive frame of mind. Almost certainly with the title of the Three Nations in your luggage as well.

Two attempts by the Electric Crusaders outside of back Will Jordan, moments after he entered the field late in the second half, propelled the All Blacks to a bonus point win over the Pumas after leading 10-0 at the middle. weather.

A definitive statement performance that rectified all the mistakes that it was not.

However, it did demonstrate the All Blacks’ ability to learn and adapt. It also pushes the All Blacks to the top of the Tri Nations ladder, five points ahead of Pumas and Wallabies, with a dominant advantage in point differential: 92 ahead of Argentina and 100 ahead of Australia. The Pumas and Wallabies will meet in the final clash next week.

Two weeks after losing to the Pumas for the first time, the All Blacks were a totally different beast, scoring five attempts that allow head coach Ian Foster to take a deep breath during the summer to reassess.

Before taking their revenge, the All Blacks presented Argentina with a black jersey with the number 10 and Maradona on the back to honor the memory of the legendary footballer who passed away earlier this week.

It was a gesture that contrasted with the fury that the All Blacks would bring to their work.

Almost everything the All Blacks stopped doing two weeks ago they did on this sweltering Newcastle night. That doesn’t mean it was a perfect performance. The All Blacks bombarded several chances to score attempts due to lack of precision and overconfidence on the start. But most of the areas that were horribly wrong last time around showed signs of improvement.

The All Blacks’ revamped forward package, with Akira Ioane, Nepo Laulala and Scott Barrett adding momentum after being promoted to the starting lineup, brought infinitely more urgency to the break that generated a noticeably faster ruck ball.

Ioane, in particular, delivered an outstanding performance in his second start from the blind side. Laulala was also very involved, taking advantage of the fact that the Pumas exchanged both pillars between 10 initial changes while the All Blacks crushed the Argentine scrum on three occasions, the last one that led to Ardie Savea coming out of a lineout.

In their hauling and cleaning, the All Blacks pack played with the dogfight attitude; a chip in your shoulder mentality.

Dane Coles running the first punt by Nicolás Sánchez highlighted the defensive pressure and line speed applied by the All Blacks.

With the ball in hand, the All Blacks embraced the attacking variety that was sorely lacking last time. They aimed at the short side; they were straight from the ruck, used inside balls and back door plays. They unloaded on contact, and kicked the leather off the ball. Too much sometimes.

When the hands had done the work, they often opted for the high-risk kick option to finish off the attacking moves.

Coles scored the first try in the corner after a cut pass from Richie Mo’unga, but the All Blacks should have claimed at least two more in the first half. Jordie Barrett was caught too far on the field to finish off his brother Beauden’s cross kick, and Caleb Clarke, who otherwise delivered a huge impact throughout, was pushed to the other side of the field.

Despite the vastly improved All Blacks attack that controlled much of the ball and territory, the Pumas’ defensive wall held firm for long periods. Their struggles on defense prevented many chances to score attempts, stopping Sam Cane, Savea, and others inches away with desperate efforts on their own line.

While the All Blacks’ final performance was off at times, unlike their last outing, they at least created ample scoring opportunities. And they remained patient.

Gone are the nervous frustrations and moments of poor discipline, plus Tyrel Lomax’s late yellow card, which proved so costly in successive losses to the Wallabies and Pumas.

In hot and humid conditions, the All Blacks bench injected significantly more shock than in recent weeks: Jordan’s two attempts and Patrick Tuipulotu’s final strike cases at the point.

Just as they try not to sink too low after the losses, the All Blacks will not get carried away by keeping the Pumas scoreless for the first time.

The Pumas were nowhere near the same level as their historic victory, with repeated errors giving the ball to the All Blacks. But they were not allowed to reach those levels either.

With fewer kicks and a bit more offensive execution, the All Blacks will now believe that next year they can deliver better results than this year’s record of three wins, two losses and a draw.

All black 38 (Will Jordan 2, Dane Coles, Ardie Savea, Patrick Tuipulotu tries; Richie Mo’unga 5 cons, pen)
Argentina 0
HT: 10-0