Springboks haven't delivered but hopefully will rise for the All Blacks
Don’t know about you, but I’ll be disappointed if the All Blacks aren’t beaten in this year’s Rugby Championship.
In ideal circumstances, Argentina might have given them a game this season. But we’ve now clearly seen they’re no chance.
Not because the players aren’t willing, nor because Mario Ledesma and sidekick Michael Cheika aren’t capable coaches.
The Pumas’ preparation for this tournament has been appalling and we may be about to see an emerging rugby power fade into obscurity.
It’s not so long ago that the Jaguares were in the Super Rugby final. Even more recently than that, the Pumas beat the All Blacks.
But with Covid having redrawn the Southern Hemisphere rugby map – and with the Jaguares potentially an historical footnote to match the poor old Sunwolves – that might be it for Argentine rugby in the short to medium term.
I sincerely hope I’m wrong and that the second A in SAANZAR does again signify a competitive Argentine Super Rugby franchise, but it’s hard to see that happening any time soon.
The Pumas will try hard in this Rugby Championship, but they will battle to score points or stay on the right side of referees.
Maybe Nic Berry will reflect on New Zealand’s 39-0 win over Argentina and decide that maybe he didn’t need to sinbin Pablo Matera, well into first-half added time. Or maybe he’ll conclude that unnecessarily penalising the weaker team is one of life’s great refereeing pleasures.
Either way, the Pumas are going to be flat out keeping 15 blokes on the park.
So that’s now two teams who won’t trouble the All Blacks in this year’s Rugby Championship.
Australia barely fired a shot at the men in black and, rather than rejoice that they were able to sneak past South Africa on Sunday, I couldn’t help think about how mentally weak the Wallabies are.
Their efforts against the All Blacks were pathetic this year and now they turn around and beat the world champion Springboks.
If that’s the Wallabies’ standard – and if they have designs upon being an elite team – then they actually have to perform when there’s some expectation placed upon them. Not just, as was the case on Sunday, when there doesn’t appear to be a hope in hell of them winning.
We’ll get to the Boks in a minute, but Australia deserve some scrutiny first.
It is an indictment upon those charged with running and coaching the game in that country, that Quade Cooper retains even a shred of relevance.
He has barely strung two good games together in ten years, yet so parlous are Australia’s rugby stocks that Cooper didn’t just play against South Africa, he won the bloody match.
With a fit-again James O’Connor waiting in the wings, you don’t suddenly enthuse about the Wallabies’ five-eighth depth, as much as lament the fact that these two are still the best options they’ve got.
Which brings us to South Africa.
Boy, I wanted them to be good this year. To be big and boring and ruthlessly efficient and to finally put some of this year’s All Blacks performances into perspective.
We all know 2020 was a challenge for New Zealand. They were good in parts, but then blotted their copybook a bit by losing to Australia and Argentina.
Those circumstances were unique and most people were prepared to celebrate the fact that the Wallabies and Pumas had fronted up for a change, rather than criticise the All Blacks.
More than anything, though, folk took a longing look towards South Africa and dreamed of titanic tussles to come.
Now, we might still get those. The Springboks might be shamed into action by their 28-26 defeat to Australia. We might see them wipe the floor with the Wallabies this weekend and then rise again for their traditional All Black rivals.
I certainly hope so and I assume most rugby fans do too.
The All Blacks can only beat the teams who are put in front of them, and they’ve done that. We can all argue about what sort of competition Tonga, Fiji, Australia and now Argentina have been, but the bottom line is New Zealand have beaten them all comfortably.
Much was expected from the Springboks in 2021 but, so far, they’re yet to really deliver. There’s still time, but their shock defeat to Australia hardly augured well.
Comments on RugbyPass
We had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
7 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
7 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
60 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
60 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
7 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
60 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
60 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
60 Go to comments