Just a few days after it’s conclusion, we’re already pining for the resumption of the Rugby Championship next year.

Typically, New Zealand were crowned Champions for the third consecutive year; the All Blacks did, however, lose their long standing unbeaten record, which stood at 22 games, to South Africa last Saturday.

Thanks to LysesalotRUGBY, we can relive a try saturated, physically draining and wholly entertaining Rugby Championship with this brilliant montage.

Youtube Credit: LysealotRUGB

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With two rounds of action remaining Steve Hansen’s All Blacks boast a six-point cushion over Australia and South Africa in second and third respectively.

Such a margin means a bonus-point win over the Pumas will see New Zealand extend their Rugby Championship hegemony, having won both titles since the inaugural competition began with the introduction of Argentina in 2012.

Skipper Richie McCaw will equal a 43-year record Saturday, matching legendary lock Colin Meads who made 133 appearances for the All Blacks — 55 Tests and 78 other matches — before his 1971 retirement.

Flanker McCaw has worn the famous black jersey 132 times to date with all but one match against the Barbarians being Tests.

In a 15-year international career, the sheep farmer became an iconic figure, adored by his rugby-loving countrymen and respected by all opponents.

McCaw has developed into a modern rugby colossus, who led hosts New Zealand to the 2011 World Cup title.

While the All Blacks have dominated the Rugby Championship with 15 wins and a draw, Argentina have found life among the elite extremely difficult with one draw and 15 losses.

But New Zealand coach Hansen was quick to praise Argentina, who have lost three of four Championship games this season by seven or fewer points to earn a losing bonus point.

Physicality

A 28-9 defeat in soggy New Zealand was the only Test in which the Agustin Creevy-skippered South Americans failed to collect a losing bonus point.

“To beat the Pumas we must deliver a quality performance, full of excitement, energy, physicality and accuracy,” stressed the coach.

“The Pumas have been playing very well and are a much improved side since last season. Expectations of a home win among supporters will be high.”

Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade hopes a team lacking injured back-row star Juan Manuel Leguizamon can recover from a “shameful” 32-25 loss in Australia.

“It was our worst performance of the season as we spent most of the time defending,” he said. “The only consolation was that we still came close to a draw.”

Injuries and ill-discipline forced Hansen to change five of the team that started against the Springboks in a 14-10 Wellington win a fortnight ago.

In come centre Malakai Fekitoa, fly-half Beauden Barrett, hooker Keven Mealamu, lock Sam Whitelock while flanker Jerome Kaino, with the injured Ma’a Nonu, suspended Aaron Cruden, father-to-be Dane Cole as well as the dropped Jeremy Thrush and Steven Luatua making way.

Meanwhile, Pumas coach Hourcade has made three changes to his side following their 32-25 reverse against the Wallabies; Tomas Cubelli coming in at scrum-half, Thomas Lavanini returning at lock and Benjamin Macome replacing the injured Juan Manuel Leguizamon.

Keys

The weather will be crucial. It’s been a wet week in the Bay and more rain is predicted on Saturday night. It could denude the All Blacks of some of their attacking weapons and kicking will be crucial. Have they learned from their mistakes in Sydney? The Pumas’ scrum is a beast and the All Blacks’ pack need to stick to their task or they could be backpedalling at a rate of knots.

Prediction

While the Puma’s have performed stronger than anyone predicted in this year’s quad-country competition, beating the All Blacks at home or away, is a tough ask for anyone, let alone a team – somewhat unjustly, ranked outside the top 10.

For the Puma’s to have any chance, they’ll need to force the All Blacks into many, many scrums. But even then, the All Blacks looks too strong across the field.  Even with the off-field distraction of Aaron Cruden, the Kiwi’s should walk it in. I’m tipping New Zealand by 18.

Teams

All Blacks: Israel Dagg, Ben Smith, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Julian Savea, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (capt), Liam Messam, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Owen Franks, Dane Coles, Wyatt Crockett

Bench: Keven Mealamu, Ben Franks, Joe Moody, Jeremy Thrush, Sam Cane, TJ Perenara, Colin Slade, Malakai Fekitoa

Argentina: Joaquin Tuculet, Horacio Agulla, Marcelo Bosch, Juan Martin Hernandez, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, Nicolas Sanchez, Martin Landajo, Leonardo Senatore, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Tomas Lavanini, Mariano Galarza, Ramiro Herrera, Agustin Creevy (capt), Marcos Ayerza

Bench: Matas Cortese, Lucas Noguera Paz, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Matas Alemanno, Rodrigo Baez, Tomas Cubelli, Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, Juan Imhoff

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Tatafu returns from a knee injury to earn his 50th cap for the Wallabies and to re-claim the cursed #2 jersey. Polota-Nau strengthens the Wallabies scrum, which was embarrassed by the All Blacks in Auckland and sent backwards on two occasions when Rob Simmons was yellow carded and they decided to scrum with only seven, and by the Boks in Perth, resulting in two penalties. They could battle again on Saturday against a Pumas pack that dominated South Africa in Salta and sent the All Blacks pack backwards on a number of occasions in Napier.

If the Wallabies can achieve parity at scrum time it will allow them to unleash their dangerous backs, including Israel Folau and Tevita Kuridrani. The Pumas have no such game breakers and will rely heavily on their big men to stay in the contest.

The Wallabies and Pumas have both made three changes to their starting lineups.

Apart from Polota-Nau’s return, Ben McCalman replaces Wycliff Palu (concussion) in the gold No 8 jersey and Peter Betham comes in for Adam Ashley-Cooper (neck) on the wing. For the visitors, Juan Imhoff and Manuel Montero replace Horacio Agulla and Lucas González Amorosino on the wings respectively, while Matias Alemanno starts at No 5 lock in place of the suspended Tomas Lavanini.

The Pumas have not beaten the Wallabies in Australia since 1983, but have come close since joining the Rugby Championship, with a 23-19 defeat on the Gold Coast in 2012 followed by a 14-13 loss in wet conditions in Perth last year. If it rains (there is a 50% chance) Argentina will really fancy their chances of finally getting the job done.

KEY MATCH-UPS

Tatafu Polota-Nau v Agustin Creevy

Australia’s hooking crisis has been abated – somewhat – by the timely return from injury of human wrecking ball Polota-Nau. The Waratahs No.2 has recovered from a knee injury and will line up for his 50th Test on Saturday night. The Wallabies pack faces a massive challenge against the renowned Pumas scrum, but having a top-line hooker back should ready the front-row.

Polota-Nau will also provide plenty of punch around the field, with his aggressive defence and ability to bust through tackles with ball in hand. Creevy has been front and centre as Argentina demolished the Springboks scrum in the opening two rounds of the Rugby Championship and then gave the All Blacks plenty of headaches last weekend. But while Creevy and his fellow front-rowers will again try and establish set-piece dominance, it’s a victory on the scoreboard that they crave.

The skipper is no slouch around the field either and will be leading from the front to try as the Argentines chase their first win in The Rugby Championship.

Ben McCalman v Leonardo Senatore

An injury to Wycliff Palu has paved the way for McCalman to earn just his third Test start since 2011. The Western Force No.8 edged out Scott Higginbotham for the starting role, with coach Ewen McKenzie lauding his “abrasive and physical” play. Nicknamed the “Big Dog”, McCalman will be looking to bite into a powerful Pumas pack.

Along with their scrum, the back-row has been a source of strength for Argentina and McCalman’s opposite number Senatore slotted in nicely against the All Blacks when he replaced the injured Pablo Matera for his first start of the tournament. He was controversially denied what appeared a straightforward try at a crucial period early in the second half, but will be hoping for more joy on Saturday night.

Matt Toomua v Juan Martin Hernandez

Kurtley Beale’s late cameo off the bench against South Africa – and his combination with fellow Waratahs Nick Phipps, Bernard Foley and Israel Folau in particular – has left many questioning the starting claims of Toomua. The Brumbies playmaker has held on to his spot at inside centre but will be looking for a big game to silence the doubters.

While Toomua’s defensive abilities might tip the scales in his favour at present, he’ll still have his work cut out containing his rival on Saturday night. One of world rugby’s outstanding fullbacks over the years, Hernandez has moved closer to the action for Argentina. He’s getting on at 32 but his class remains and, alongside in-form flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez, shapes as a dangerous attacking threat.

Prediction

If the Wallabies pack manages to hold strong at scrum time, and keep the penalty count for the Argentines low, we should see the Wallabies run away with it with the wealth of talent they possess in the back-line.

The Puma’s are not the push-over they’ve been in the past, and strong performances against the All Blacks and the Springboks indicates that. However, we see the likes of Folau, Foley, Kuridrani, Toomua ect… being too much for the Puma’s to handle out wide. Wallabies by 15.

Teams

Wallabies – 15 Israel Folau, 14 Peter Betham, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 James Slipper.
Bench: 16 James Hanson, 17 Pek Cowan, 18 Ben Alexander, 19 James Horwill, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Matt Hodgson, 22 Nic White, 23 Kurtley Beale.

Argentina – 15 Joaquín Tuculet, 14 Juan Imhoff, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Juan Martín Hernández, 11 Manuel Montero, 10 Nicolás Sánchez, 9 Martín Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe, 6 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 5 Matías Alemanno, 4 Mariano Galarza, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Marcos Ayerza.
Bench: 16 Matías Cortese, 17 Bruno Postiglioni, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Benjamin Macome, 20 Rodrigo Báez, 21 Tomás Cubelli, 22 Jerónimo De la Fuente, 23 Lucas González Amorosino.

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After injuries to the incumbent hookers, Mike Sherry and Damian Varley, Munster have signed Argentinian international Eusebio Guinazu on a four month contract.

The thirty three year old, formerly of Bath and Biarritz, has earned thirty six caps for his country and the Munster coach, Anthony Foley, is looking forward to the Argentinian adding some experience and nous to the group

“We have short-term setbacks with Niall Scannell rehabbing from wrist injury and Damien Varley managing a foot injury, but with Sherry ruled out until next year it is great that we can call on the services of an experienced versatile player such as Eusebio.

“His availability will certainly help us get through the opening period of the season, ” said the man affectionately known as Axel to the Munster faithful.

Article Source: The Irish Times

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South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer has spent the week stressing the difficulty of the task at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria (kickoff 1505 GMT) when many of rest of his compatriots are looking further ahead to the meetings with Australia and New Zealand in the annual four-nation competition.

“Argentina have always been difficult to play against so we are going out there to play our best rugby possible,” he told reporters.

A bruising forward challenge is expected as Argentina have shown signs of becoming a scrummaging force again and they will have a polished set of exciting backs to boot.

“In the scrum it’s a huge contest, you have to scrum well to get your ball. They have some of the best guys at the breakdowns,”

Meyer added of an Argentine team who have spent close to a month working on their conditioning at a high performance centre in Pensacola, Florida.

South Africa, who have captain Jean de Villiers back from injury, will be firm favourites to get off to a winning start but the unpredictable nature of the South Americans means the Springboks can never be sure of what they will be up against.

Although they are yet to win a Rugby Championship game, Argentina show continuing sign of improvement but usually offer either stout resistance or implode as they did last year when the Springboks romped home in a nine-try 73-13 rout at Johannesburg’s Soccer City.

 Scramble

A week later, however, albeit on Argentine soil, South Africa had to scramble two late penalties to squeeze home 22-17 in Mendoza.

Argentina have a familiar look about their line-up as well as a promise of freshness with the appointment of Daniel Hourcade as coach and hooker Agustin Creevy as new captain.

“South Africa are a thoroughbred team with strong players and a physical game both in attack and defence,”

Hourcade said on Thursday. He was appointed to a two-year contract after the end of last year’s Rugby Championship.

“Discipline will be crucial and we have talked a lot about this and trained hard for this. Defence is key but we will use our opportunities to attack,” he added.

The two countries meet again on Aug. 23 in Salta.

Prediction

As unpredictable as Argentina can be at times, this is easily the best Springboks side we’ve seen in recent memory. In what’s shaping up as the closest Rugby Championship/Tri Nations series we’ve seen in quite some time, I can’t help but feel for the Puma’s.

They will struggle against all opposition this year, and this game won’t be any different.

No matter which way I try to shed light on the game, it’s difficult to find positives for Argentina, and areas of the game where they may have an advantage.

I’m tipping South Africa to win in a canter – Springboks by 20.

Teams

South Africa: 15-Willie le Roux; 14-Cornal Hendricks, 13-Damian de Allende, 12-Jean de Villiers (captain), 11-Bryan Habana, 10-Handre Pollard, 9-Ruan Pienaar, 8-Duane Vermeulen, 7-Willem Alberts, 6-Francois Louw, 5-Lood de Jager, 4-Bakkies Botha, 3-Jannie du Plessis, 2-Bismarck du Plessis, 1-Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16-Adriaan Strauss, 17-Trevor Nyakane, 18-Frans Malherbe, 19-Eben Etzebeth, 20-Marcell Coetzee, 21-Francois Hougaard, 22-Morne Steyn, 23-Jan Serfontein

Argentina: 15-Joaquin Tuculet, 14-Horacio Agulla, 13-Marcelo Bosch, 12-Juan Martin Hernandez, 11-Manuel Montero, 10-Nicolas Sanchez, 9-Martin Landajo, 8-Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 7-Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, 6-Paul Matera, 5-Thomas Lavanini, 4-Mariano Galarza, 3-Ramiro Herrera 2-Agustin Creevy (captain), 1-Marcos Ayerza
Replacements: 16-Matias Cortese, 17-Paz Lucas Noguera, 18-Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19-Matias Alemanno, 20-Leonardo Senatore, 21-Thomas Cubelli, 22-Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 23-Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino

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