Blacks battle past Pumas

Blacks battle past Pumas

8 Sep 2012

SIMON BORCHARDT saw the All Blacks score two tries in the final quarter to beat Argentina 21-5 in Wellington.

Wet weather is a great leveller and that proved to be the case here as the Pumas went into half-time just one point behind the world champions. But the rain stopped, the wind died down, and the visitors’ resistance predictably crumbled at the 60-minute mark after flanker Julio Farias Cabello was yellow carded for a deliberate knock down.

Soon after, Conrad Smith committed three Pumas’ defenders before sending Julian Savea away for a try that made it 14-5. And with five minutes to go, and the Pumas back to 15 men, a long pass from Aaron Cruden saw Cory Jane dive over in the right-hand corner.

The match had begun in driving rain and swirling wind, with the latter pushing Cruden’s first penalty attempt wide. The All Blacks flyhalf, who was a late replacement for the injured Dan Carter, then knocked on (a sign of things to come for his side) before succeeding with his second attempt at goal.

The Pumas had effectively slowed the Boks’ ball down at the breakdown in Mendoza but French referee Romain Poite was not so charitable in Wellington and they were pinned a couple times early on. However, that didn’t deter the visitors from flooding the breakdown.

The committed Pumas’ defence forced the All Blacks into making mistakes that could not be blamed on the weather. In the 13th minute, Ma’a Nonu lost possession in the tackle and Argentina sent the ball wide. Their forwards then bashed away at the line, with loosehead prop Rodrigo Roncero finding a gap around the fringes to score the first try of the game.

Cruden’s boot edged the All Blacks back in front 6-5 soon after, but the handling errors continued with Kieran Read knocking on with the tryline in sight and Richie McCaw spilling the ball just before the break.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen must have given his side a helluva tongue-lashing at half-time and a city-wide power failure gave him an extra 10 minutes to do so.

His side produced a better performance in the second half, with better conditions allowing them to sent the ball wide on two occassions that resulted in two tries.

But Hansen will be the first to admit that there is massive room for improvement, and Heyneke Meyer will be hoping the world champions don’t hit their straps in Dunedin next weekend.


488 Comments

Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10 » Show All

  • 401.Pencil: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:28 am

    @rangerman-392:

    But what part of it was bs? If he wasn’t legitimately trying to intercept that it was a yellow card. if he didn’t stick his hand out it was close to a certain try(although maybe not with the poor handling of NZ tonight).

    It didn’t look to me like he made any effort to catch the ball, but I’d like to see it again, I could be wrong.

  • 402.CSI:Rugby: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:28 am

    AB

  • 403.Hurricane: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:29 am

    @Te Rangatira-400:
    Piri looked better than Smith, no matter what i think. Smith threw some shoddy passes and he is weak around the fringes and his box kick was lacking

  • 404.The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:29 am

    Nothing against Cruden, he is phenomenal playmaker BUT: I don’t think that 1st half would have been quite as tight if Mr Carter was controlling things in those frenetic 40 minutes. Just feel he would have slowed the game down and put a stop to tactics that weren’t working.

    Well done Argies – long may you fight!

    Congrats AB’s.

  • 405.Nils: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:29 am

    2 conclusions from the game

    1st The ABs turn the heat on when it matters
    2nd I just love those Argies, well played – again!

  • 406.TASSIES: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:29 am

    well done both teams. AB’s for their comeback. Two great tries against great defence.

  • 407.Te Rangatira: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:29 am

    @kaksioek-399:
    Ridiculous……yellow card was warranted…..deliberate knock down

  • 408.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:29 am

    good hard game of rugby, was a joy to watch… good warm up for the Saffas next week too..

    Well done Argies.

  • 409.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:30 am

    @Te Rangatira-400:

    Lol, to be fair to piri he seems to be only overweight now and no longer obese.

  • 410.Hurricane: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:31 am

    @kaksioek-399:
    Your kidding?
    Dont tell me the yellow card that stopped a try was the turning point.

  • 411.Te Rangatira: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:31 am

    @Hurricane-403:
    Yep….Piri brought a calmness behind the Ab pack…a Legend

  • 412.whatever: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:31 am

    Mmmmm, not the smashing all were predicting!

  • 413.Puma: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:31 am

    Well done Abs.

    Very well done to Pumas for not allowing the 4 tries.

    And here we we so bliksem mad that we never got the 4 tries at home against them. So for equal unless Abs beat them on their turf which they probably will or who knows may not.

    Come on Boks get the damn win today and try play with some style to get the 4 tries. We do that we most definitely back in the hunt.

  • 414.nama1: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:31 am

    CONGRATULATIONS to the ALL BLACKS and their supporters.

    That’s how you absorb pressure.

    Well played in the end.

    Well done Argies. Your supporters can be proud. No team is going to find it easy against them.

    Hope they are not buggered by injuries as the tournament progresses.

  • 415.Puma: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:32 am

    @Puma-413: double we…. one should have been – were :roll:

  • 416.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:32 am

    now we kiwis can relax and cheer on the Aussies…

    always love having the early game :D

  • 417.CSI:Rugby: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:32 am

    Argentina, Argentina, Argentina, well done lads, see you in Buenos Aires.

  • 418.Hurricane: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:32 am

    Well done agies. You guys have heart.
    Oh and some mean forwards.

  • 419.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:33 am

    The AB’s missed SBW a lot today and will most likely miss him even more next week.

  • 420.Hurricane: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:34 am

    @whatever-412:
    All?
    Not i.

  • 421.Puma: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:34 am

    Honestly thought ABs would come out and smash the Argies. They never and also never got the 4 tries. A bit of a surprise for me today. Still think we should have got the 4 tries at home. Anyhow gone and dusted.

    Now we need to play smart against those Aussies and pick up the win. We lose well that will be it all over for us this season.

  • 422.kaksioek: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:34 am

    @Te Rangatira-407: @Hurricane-410: That would not have been a yellow card if the Pumas were playing against SA. And yes, it was absolutely the turning point.

  • 423.Pencil: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:35 am

    @Robzim-419:

    True, although I think Nonu played okay. He wasn’t as influential as SBW, but I think he did a lot of good, without doing a lot wrong. Solid.

  • 424.Nils: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:35 am

    @whatever-412: Tell us who were those “all”.

  • 425.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:35 am

    @Puma-421: weather wasnt the greatest Puma

  • 426.CSI:Rugby: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:35 am

    Argentina v Wallabies in Mendoza, I think I’ll put the house on the Argies, also Poppas, and Cannes house, trust lads it’s foregone conclusion ;-)

  • 427.nama1: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:35 am

    Winning a test match by 16 points is quite a beating imo.

    Yes, they may have scored the majority of their points in the last 15 minutes but a game lasts 80 minutes, remember?

  • 428.Pencil: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:36 am

    @kaksioek-422:

    I think the point was that if he didn’t slap the ball down New Zealand would of scored anyway, which possibly still could of turned the game? But it’s impossible to know how that would of changed the game!

  • 429.spartan: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:36 am

    Argentina got away with murder
    specially with releasing tackled player ,supporting own body weight and entering through the gate

  • 430.nama1: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:37 am

    @nama1-427:
    …also keeping in mind that the weather was not great.

  • 431.poppa69: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:37 am

    thank fark Bakkies is no longer watching these games..

    the bloke would have had a heart attack with the light situation

  • 432.Hurricane: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:38 am

    @kaksioek-422:
    hahaha
    Dude you know how silly that sounds??
    How can you say that would not be a yellow card if SA was playing?
    We started the 2nd half better and gain momentum. If the guy didnt slap the ball down we had 2 players unmarked, he stopped a try. That would have been the turning point anyway.

  • 433.Pencil: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:38 am

    @spartan-429: @spartan-429:

    Maybe they did, but can you really put the AB’s performance down to that? Argies still smashed them on defence, and the ab’s couldn’t catch/retain possession. Nothing stuck, in the first half especially.

  • 434.kaksioek: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:39 am

    @Pencil-428: If that was an attempted intercept then at most it would have been a scrum for a knock-on.

  • 435.Esoteric: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:39 am

    Hate to say it but the All Blacks are going to miss SBW.

  • 436.grant10: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:40 am

    Kiwis done well….hung in and counterpunched….

    Just glad no bonus point….

    Now for the Perth Dance of the Desperate Dans Deans and Herr Himmler Meyer

  • 437.Big Hit: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:40 am

    @nama1-427: well SA won by 21 points.

    Today was only 2 tries to 1 and Argentina missed quite a few points with the boot. I think Argentina can be proud of themselves and look forward to the return leg.

    They’ve done you boys a favour denying NZ the bonus, it’s up to your Boks to take advantage of it.

  • 438.Hurricane: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:40 am

    @spartan-429:
    lol
    These guys here missed all that. All threy saw was Kwiw forward passes and the slap down that stopped a try that to a few of them should not have been.
    But Argies did well to get away with what they did. They got caught a few times as well but really slowed us down alot. Around the fringes they took us apart

  • 439.kaksioek: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:40 am

    @Hurricane-432: Depends on where you’re sitting, I guess. Well done. Enjoy it.

  • 440.Pencil: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:40 am

    @kaksioek-434:

    Aye, I’d like to see it again. I only saw the replay once and it looked like a thinly veiled attempt to spoil to me, but I’m open to be proven wrong once a replay is out.

  • 441.Hurricane: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:41 am

    @poppa69-431:
    lol
    He watched,he is at the moment looking at his keyboard and shaking

  • 442.goforthegap00: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:42 am

    Live feed for the Bok game ? anyone got a good site ? Tv down and can’t go out.

  • 443.Pencil: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:42 am

    Live feed: http://www.vipboxsports.eu/watch/66792/8/the-rugby-championship—new-zealandvsargentina-live-stream-online.html

    Enjoy.

  • 444.Big Hit: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:43 am

    @goforthegap00-442: coolsport.tv/stream4.php

  • 445.Robzim: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:43 am

    Argies defence was unreal today but unless they improve their attacking game and bring some variety into their game they will not win a match in this competition.

  • 446.Nils: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:43 am

    @Hurricane-432: It totally depends on who is playing.

    If instead of ABs there would have been Boks playing Pumas you can bet hour house that you would not hear a single complaint about the card, every local would be screaming blue for it.

  • 447.gunther: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:43 am

    @grant10-436:

    What he’s a nazi now?

    Any other playground insults.

    You sound sillier than just buggery with his Broederbond nonsense.

  • 448.AiDoc: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:43 am

    The Pumas will clean up the dingoes next week and then beat them at home. The Dingoes will beat the Bokke at least once. So wooden spoon is a fight between the Dingoes and the Bokke.
    Next week the Kiwis on a dry track will be asked to take it easy after putting half a ton in the first half.
    1. NZL
    2. ARG
    3. AUS
    4. RSA
    If you’re a blow-hard, man life sucks, and then you’re dead!

  • 449.kaksioek: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:43 am

    At any rate, the Pumas are going to shake things up enormously. I don’t think the Wallabies will be able to live with their physicality.

  • 450.The Analyst: Reply to this comment
    8 Sep 2012, 11:46 am

    @nama1-291:

    AB’s always need a leg up from the ref in NZ…. just like quarter finals … nail the Boks with Bryce and card the Argies to help them over the line.

Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10 » Show All

Keo.co.za has always promoted uncensored views, but has never tolerated racist or crass outbursts. Come on guys and girls. If you can't moderate yourselves or each other then I am going to be forced to regulate the posts and enforce a registration process for comments. The choice is yours.

Have your say

You must be logged in to post a comment.