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LIVE: Los Pumas vs All Blacks | Tri-Nations

By RugbyPass
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Follow all the action on the RugbyPass live blog from the Tri-Nations clash between Los Pumas and All Blacks at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle.

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Keep up to date with the latest score, stats and join the conversation from anywhere in the world in our Live Match Centre (click here).

Argentina will honour Diego Maradona in their Tri-Nations test against New Zealand on Saturday by trying to match his passion for playing for the country, coach Mario Ledesma said on Thursday.

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Maradona, who played 91 times in the pale blue and white striped shirt of the Argentina football team, died at the age of 60 on Wednesday, plunging the nation into mourning.

Ledesma, who played 84 tests in the similarly coloured but hooped rugby shirt, met Maradona on several occasions and said the 1986 soccer World Cup winner was a big Pumas fan.

“He would watch tennis, hockey, rugby, football, whenever there was an Argentina jersey he was there and he was an example of how to represent that jersey,” Ledesma told reporters in Sydney.

“He’s a big figure in our country and he epitomised a lot of the way the Argentinians are. We’ll try to remember him the best way possible, on the field representing the colours.”

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Maradona attended several Pumas matches and Ledesma recalled one occasion when he appeared in the stands during a match against New Zealand, who Argentina beat for the first time two weeks ago in Sydney.

“The world stopped when he was there, he had a kind of magic,” he said.

“One game against the All Blacks, the game had started and Diego came out and he (raised his arms) and everything stopped. We Argentinians all stopped and looked up, and the All Blacks stopped.”

 

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Ledesma said the impact of Maradona’s death had been felt more acutely by the team staff, who remembered Maradona as a player.

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“He gave a lot of happiness to a lot of people in difficult times,” he recalled. “He went from very little and became the king of the world and that gives hope to a lot of Argentinians who are struggling.”

Argentina’s win over the All Blacks and draw with Australia have been another bright spot in difficult times for the country, which is heading towards a third year of recession and still reporting thousands of new cases of COVID-19 every day.

Ledesma hoped the breakthrough win over New Zealand had also brought a smile to Maradona’s face as he struggled with ill-health.

“The last couple of months have been really difficult for him, he’s been switching off slowly and everybody felt it was coming,” said Ledesma.

“So if we could have made him happy just a little bit, that would have been great.”

Ledesma was asked whether he thought Maradona might be present in some way in Newcastle on Saturday.

“I hope, I hope, why not?” he laughed. “He loved the Pumas so he’ll be watching.”

The All Blacks, meanwhile, have handed loosehead prop Joe Moody in his 50th test, six years after his test debut in 2014.

The matchday 23 also sees prop Nepo Laulala come into the starting front row, with Tyrel Lomax moving onto the bench alongside Karl Tu’inukuafe.

Lock Scott Barrett starts with Patrick Tuipulotu on the bench; and loose forward Akira Ioane will start in the number six jersey, after his test debut against Australia in Brisbane was cut short.

In the backs reserves, TJ Perenara returns, while outside back Will Jordan, who also had limited time in the Brisbane Test, will also get another opportunity, coming off the bench.

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

34 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

34 Go to comments
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