Piri pounds Pumas
9 Oct 2011
MARK KEOHANE reports that Piri Weepu kicked 21 points against the Pumas as the All Blacks advanced to the World Cup semi-finals.
The All Black won 33-10 after leading 12-7 at halftime. They will play the Wallabies for a place in the final.
Wales and France will contest the other semi-final. Both play-off matches will be in Auckland.
The bookies had the All Blacks to win by 20 points and while the result was never an issue All Blacks coach Graham Henry would have expected more patience and precision from his side.
Weepu, starting at scrumhalf, also assumed the goalkicking as flyhalf Colin Slade stuttered through another 30 minutes of World Cup agony.
Slade was as poor as he has been in every Test and when he hobbled off after 33 minutes you could almost sense the relief of a nation. Slade may yet come of age as a Test flyhalf but it won’t be at this World Cup. His replacement Aaron Cruden was an improvement and played with a calm and authority not seen from Slade.
The Pumas, courageous from the first minute, played to avoid humiliation. They offered nothing outside of bravery and referee Nigel Owens could easily have carded half the team for repeated infringements at the breakdown. Owens’s leniency meant a decent play-off work out for the All Blacks and kept the Pumas crowd interested for an hour.
Argentina remarkably scored the first try, against the run of play, to lead 7-6 after 30 minutes but the scoreline never reflected the flow of the contest. The All Blacks were superior in every aspect. Twice they were denied a try by TMO decisions and more often than not Argentina opted to concede the three points instead of a potential seven.
The hosts were effective in disrupting the Argentina lineout, poaching five from 11, but they would have expected to create more with the ball and territorial advantage. The Pumas made 135 tackles to the All Blacks 54 so they at least won something on the night. They also had the more inspiring supporters and the prettiest.
But there was nothing beautiful about the way they played and it was a case of damage control. They did not want to be whipped and recognised (as did every observer) that they did not have the skill to turn on the kind of spectacle produced in Wellington when Wales played Ireland.
The All Blacks, when they did show patience and respect for holding onto the ball, looked dangerous, but often the attack was too lateral. Wingers Sonny Bill Williams and Cory Jane had their moments and so did the midfield pairing of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith. The best of the backs was Weepu who has matured as a player and a leader. He showed on Saturday night that he does a bit more than lead the haka in this team.
Jerome Kaino was again impressive and Kieran Read improved with greater game time, but Richie McCaw played as if he only had one leg and the tight five as a unit were decent without ever being destructive.
Argentina is never an easy opponent and they will always offer a contest. But they lacked individual pedigree and collective belief to ever threaten the scoreboard and the All Blacks were predictable and deserved winners.
247 Comments
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9 Oct 2011, 09:17 am
Go All Blacks…!!
9 Oct 2011, 09:19 am
Got the AB’s by 25.
9 Oct 2011, 09:19 am
Here we go boys. Time to step up to knock out footy! Come on NZ!
9 Oct 2011, 09:20 am
Give Aaron Cruden a run in the last 10 or so minutes.
9 Oct 2011, 09:22 am
@I am a stormer moffie(I am a stormer moffie)-2:
But you are still the BIG LOSER.
How about my 3 for 3 in these quarters with the ABs carrying me in this game?
9 Oct 2011, 09:24 am
ABs will win, let’s just hope the Argies can break a few bones here and there. Wales to take Bill.
9 Oct 2011, 09:26 am
@Nanashi(Nanashi)-6: You really shouldn’t drink so early in the morning.
9 Oct 2011, 09:28 am
@Nanashi(Nanashi)-6:
**** comment.
Karma gonna get you…
9 Oct 2011, 09:28 am
@ET.(ET.)-4: He may get on sooner than that. We are so light in the fly alf department. Let’s hope the rest of the team step up.
9 Oct 2011, 09:28 am
s hit
9 Oct 2011, 09:28 am
Congrats Mils on that 100th. Fully deserved. One of the great full backs to have graced the game.
9 Oct 2011, 09:32 am
congrats Mils!! You deserve it!
9 Oct 2011, 09:32 am
Come on blacks! Hope we close the game out early and get cruden some game time.
Let’s hope Cory has sobered up!
9 Oct 2011, 09:33 am
Go Blacks and go Pumas, make it a proper Test!
9 Oct 2011, 09:36 am
Lets hope Owens blows a straight game
9 Oct 2011, 09:37 am
Scrum officiating is a mess.
9 Oct 2011, 09:37 am
@Cane 73(Cane 73)-9:
Henry should have persisted with him after 2010 when he gave him 6 games.
I just think he has the better temperament for the occassion.
Note how quiet it is here as all my fellow S. Africans have rushed to church to ask very many serious questions.
9 Oct 2011, 09:41 am
@Cane 73(Cane 73)-16:
The refs are largely a complete mess and possibly because the laws are
too complex for them to apply.
9 Oct 2011, 09:42 am
Mills, Slade & Weepu wont even make the Lions side! they are k@K, k@k & k@K!!!!!!!!!!
9 Oct 2011, 09:44 am
@ET.(ET.)-17: Not so sure I agree with you. We need to wake up to the professional era and should have considered Nick Evans. Mind you Henry conceded he had no idea when Donald was selected for so many tests. Sorry about the Bokke. Living in SA for ten years, I was gutted as well. NZ need to sharpen up. Bloody glad we didn’t get France at the quarters with the attitude they rocked up with yesterday.
9 Oct 2011, 09:45 am
@ET.(ET.)-18: And there aren’t too many front row forwards amongst the ranks”
9 Oct 2011, 09:46 am
@Boks_B_to_win_RWC_2011(p0ppa69)-19: Don’t be bitter. Seems Weepu can slot goals at least.
9 Oct 2011, 09:47 am
@Boks_B_to_win_RWC_2011(p0ppa69)-19: Damn right, they won’t. They won’t even try.
9 Oct 2011, 09:49 am
@Cane 73(Cane 73)-20:
Yes but you have to protect your home rugby and discourage those who wist to leave home shores. That is about the only thing to do.
Unless they apply a rule of a restriction of no more than two from foreign shores.
9 Oct 2011, 09:50 am
@ET.(ET.)-24: Valid point. A free pass for all would probably be the start of the end to strong AB rugby.
9 Oct 2011, 09:51 am
@Cane 73(Cane 73)-21:
totally agree
@ET.(ET.)-24:
should read wish and not wist
9 Oct 2011, 09:54 am
@Cane 73(Cane 73)-25:
And that is very important.
Look at all the national teams that have Kiwi coaches, Canada, Japan, Wales annd surely more.
9 Oct 2011, 09:56 am
how Mills can play 100 tests for the Blacks is shocking! its a slap in the face of the likes of : Zinzan, Fitzie & Cullen = it makes the jersey kinda cheap doesn’t it
9 Oct 2011, 09:59 am
@ET.(ET.)-27: Over 40 guys that played senior leve footy involved with teams other than the AB’s at this world cup. Crikey, boys looking decidedly nervous. That’s better. Argies doing well on defense.
9 Oct 2011, 10:02 am
@Boks_B_to_win_RWC_2011(p0ppa69)-28: Although I suspect you’re stirring as opposed to believe what you write, Mils is a champion. At the end of his career, but still a champion. Cullen suffered regular injuries and fell out with management, Fitzy had no meniscus left in either knee and Zinzan was robbed at the start of his tenure rather than the end ironically.
9 Oct 2011, 10:04 am
ABs not looking too flash
9 Oct 2011, 10:04 am
Your countrymen certainly have vanished E.T.
9 Oct 2011, 10:05 am
@Cane 73(Cane 73)-29:
They are rather lethargic and maybe too over-cautious. But Argies play spoiling game well and defend like terriers.
It should open up sometime soon, hopefully.
9 Oct 2011, 10:05 am
Colin has a front row seat.
9 Oct 2011, 10:05 am
Cane which cane are you!
So many threads countrymen don’t know where to go first.
9 Oct 2011, 10:06 am
omw chokers!
9 Oct 2011, 10:06 am
Argies playing great defensive rugby – argies just score !!!!! Hey hey , there ya go. We need to sharpen up !!!
9 Oct 2011, 10:06 am
Nice try Pumas, game really on. No one way traffic at all.
9 Oct 2011, 10:06 am
@Cane 73(Cane 73)-32:
Big bullies all and the Biggest Cry-babies you will ever find.
9 Oct 2011, 10:06 am
So the AB’s have a game on their hands.
9 Oct 2011, 10:06 am
wow! Argies!
9 Oct 2011, 10:07 am
@KiaKahaNZ(KiaKahaNZ)-37: Indeed, you need to put these guys away, remember what they did to the French 2007 …
9 Oct 2011, 10:08 am
We look flat , trying but flat, no spark , yet clinical, Cruden on for Slade
9 Oct 2011, 10:08 am
slade is ffcuked
9 Oct 2011, 10:09 am
Slade off, Cruden on
9 Oct 2011, 10:09 am
Wow Argies lead. Wake up ABs.
9 Oct 2011, 10:09 am
@Dawn(Dawn)-31: That’s a beautiful understatement Dawn. And now for the 53kg Cruden. Talk about time to step up.
9 Oct 2011, 10:09 am
Lower Hutt rocks
9 Oct 2011, 10:10 am
come on ABs, you guys need to focus! lol
9 Oct 2011, 10:10 am
cruden was chilling @ home last week & boozin, today he is playing in a quarter-final hehehe
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