Pumas take a bite out of the All Blacks

Argentina beat the All Blacks for the first time in New Zealand with a stunning 25-18 Rugby Championship win in Christchurch yesterday, piling further pressure on coach Ian Foster.

Playing with passion and physicality, the Pumas won the battle of the breakdown and benefited with 20 points from the boot of Emiliano Boffelli to lodge just their second win over the All Blacks. The home side, who squandered an early 15-6 lead, have now lost six of their last eight Tests and can expect more severe criticism after the pressure had eased following their last-start 35-23 defeat of the Springboks in Johannesburg. They have lost three successive Tests at home for the first time following successive defeats against Ireland last month and it could be four on the trot if they succumb again to the Pumas in Hamilton this week. Victory for Argentina followed their record-breaking 48-17 win over Australia in San

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Juan and extends their lead at the top of the Rugby Championship standings.

Led by non-stop flankers Pablo Matera and Marcos Kremer, the latter playing his

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50th Test, the Pumas tackled themselves to a standstill, including over the dramatic final minutes when they repeatedly denied the desperate hosts. It was a courageous performance eerily reminiscent of two years ago, when they stunned New Zealand for the first time 25-15 in Sydney. On that fly-half Nicolas Sanchez kicked six penalties and a conversion, a feat matched by the winger Boffelli, who landed all seven of his shots at goal. —