Humiliation as ABs mauled
Nicolas Sanchez leads the way as rampant Pumas score famous victory as out-of-sorts New Zealand crumble in Sydney.
What a nightmare for the All Blacks.
There can be no excuses for the 25-15 loss to Argentina last night, with the shambolic display during the capitulation in Sydney having to register as one of the most disappointing efforts from the men in the black in recent memory.
No wonder All Blacks coach Ian Foster looked as if he had just seen his own ghost as he sat high up in Bankwest Stadium, as he tried to fathom how Nicolas Sanchez could score all Argentina’s points to make his first year in charge so difficult.
This was the All Blacks’ first defeat to Argentina since tests between the two countries began in 1985. A famous victory for the Pumas. Humiliation for the All Blacks.
From the opening minutes it was Argentina, not the All Blacks, who gave the impression that they were battle-hardened from playing four tests against Australia.
The Argies didn’t just have fire in their bellies, it was as if there were hot coals smouldering in their intestines as they threw themselves at the New Zealanders.
It was hard to believe this was largely the same All Blacks XV that beat Australia by a record score of 43- 5 a fortnight earlier; line breaks were rare, No 10 Richie Mo’unga looked a shadow of the wizard who bounced off his throne to create such misery against the Aussies and the All Blacks forwards looked as if they had run a marathon before kickoff.
Sam Cane was one of the All Blacks’ best and tackled himself to a standstill, but no-one in his team was able to stem the blue and white tide as the passionate South Americans repulsed everything thrown at them.
Argentina – and no-one should forget this – were outstanding.
Remember, they had been largely starved of rugby since Covid-19 forced Super Rugby to shut down in March and only had a couple of warm-up games against Australian selection teams to sharpen themselves for test footy.
No-one gave them a chance, not when Foster named a team loaded with so many stars and not when Argentina had not played in 13 months.
Yet Argentina, led by the magnificent Pablo Matera, blasted them off the park with their urgency and aggression. This was a famous victory.
Following the 24-22 defeat to the Wallabies last weekend, Foster had reason to sound-off about the lack of discipline.
‘‘ It’s a special moment for them. As much as it’s hurting us, it’s an historic win for them, and I bet for the people of Argentina there are big smiles on their faces. We’re hurting greatly, but they should be very proud of their team,’’ Foster said.
‘‘It’s the second week in a row we haven’t had good composure when things haven’t quite gone our way.
‘‘ We’re getting hit with the discipline with the penalty count, and again we got rattled.’’
Shannon Frizell was an early offender when he slapped Marcos Kremer in the face, instigating a scuffle that led to his back row partner and Matera steaming in to offer Frizell advice about why he should be concerned with his own self preservation.
‘‘They need to show respect. I am playing for my country,’’ Matera told referee Angus Gardner.
The All Blacks trailed by more than 13 points after the first 40 minutes, and as they retreated into the comfort of their shed they looked shell shocked; silly penalties, turnovers and rubbish execution contributed to a rotten display.