Bledisloe bigger than Cooper
just improving. It’s going to be a big challenge and they fancy their chances in Salta but we’ve prepared well.
“We had a great week of preparation. The travel has been long but we are offering no excuses and we expect no favours from Argentina.
“They played better rugby in between the opening and closing minutes but there was a moment of brilliance [by Faf de Klerk] that turned the match around. They took their opportunities and we didn’t take ours and we made a lot of fundamental mistakes.”
The Pumas did not mince their words after being burgled in Nelspruit. They said they should have won. They also believe they could get only their second victory over South Africa in Salta.
The Pumas put pressure on the Bok breakdown, which forced De Klerk to supply rather lumpy ball for extended periods. That pressure transferred to flyhalf Elton Jantjies, who was not his usual self.
Jantjies’s boot has also deserted him somewhat, which is why Coetzee has bought himself insurance by bringing in 61-Test veteran Morne Steyn on the bench. Steyn’s boot, as it has done plenty times in his career, got the Boks out of jail in their 33-31 win the last time South Africa visited Salta.
“Unfortunately, Juan de Jongh loses out because Jesse Kriel covers 13 and 15 for us.
“Him and Johan Goosen are both attack-minded players but I would like Johan to focus on 15 at this time and not be a backup 10 because he has only been with us for two weeks.”
Up front, Vincent Koch has earned another chance to gain retribution against the Argentine front row, which almost killed his career in the Durban disaster last year.
Koch was driven like a wheelbarrow by Pumas loosehead Marcos Ayerza in that 37-25 defeat but began his road to redemption with a strong second-half performance in Nelspruit last weekend. NEW Zealand say tod Test in Wellington against Australia is all about securing the Bledisloe Cup for a 14th straight year, downplaying the appearance of the polarising Quade Cooper.
The world champion All Blacks are overwhelming favourites to win, given the way they steamrollered the Wallabies 42-8 in Sydney last week.
Coach Steve Hansen has expressed concern that his side was so dominant that complacency loomed as the enemy.
But captain Kieran Read said the need to retain the Bledisloe Cup was enough motivation not to go off the boil.
“It’s never easy backing up a great performance and we’re looking to go out and do that and really stamp our mark on the game.
“The Bledisloe Cup is a massive driver for us and that’s still up in the air right now, so we can’t be saying anything about holding onto it until we do the job one more time.”
Both New Zealand and Australia rate the Bledisloe Cup, the symbol of transTasman rugby supremacy, as second in importance only to the World Cup.
But the Wallabies have not sighted it for a long time. They have lost their last 18 matches on New Zealand soil, dating back to 2001, and last held the Bledisloe Cup 14 years ago.
In an effort to shore up their ranks after the Sydney drubbing, the Wallabies have brought back flyhalf Quade Cooper for
Played: South Africa wins:
Highest scores: Biggest Last wins: five results:
his first international 11 months.
Cooper is a ready target for elements of the New Zealand crowd given his history of incidents involving former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
New Zealand-born Cooper also has his detractors in Australia for his ability to run hot and cold, particularly when playing against country of birth. “There will be a queue trying to blame Cooper if things go pear-shaped,” wrote Jim Tucker in the Brisbane Courier-Mail newspaper. But with McCaw now retired, Read could not understand what the fuss was about.
“It’s a non-issue for us as a squad. We’re here to play footy,” he said.
“In the past, in New Zealand, it’s created a bit of stir but a lot of our guys weren’t involved in those moments and so it’s just another name on the team sheet.” — AFP in his