What the All Blacks expect from ‘passionate’ Los Pumas
Assistant coach Jason Ryan is expecting a “passionate” and “aggressive” Los Pumas side when the All Blacks open their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina this weekend.
Having flown into South America late on Sunday evening, the All Blacks appeared to be in good spirits ahead of their first Test match of 2023.
While there’s plenty of talk within the rugby community about this year’s World Cup, the All Blacks haven’t even given the prestigious event a thought.
As a collective, the New Zealanders are firmly focused on the task at hand – and with good reason.
The All Blacks played Argentina twice in New Zealand last year and split the series with their opponents at one win apiece.
Los Pumas shocked the rugby world with a stunning seven-point win in Christchurch, which was only their second-ever win over the All Blacks – their first was two years earlier in Sydney.
While the All Blacks have long dominated the history of this matchup, which included a 29-Test unbeaten streak, Los Pumas pose a very different threat today.
Under the tutelage of head coach Michael Cheika and defensive mastermind David Kidwell, Los Pumas have taken their game to an all-new level.
“They’re a passionate side,” Jason Ryan told RugbyPass in Mendoza. “I love the way they play and express themselves with lots of emotion and they play with a lot of pride.
“They’re really good in contact, they’re aggressive, they’ve got good variation in their game and their defensive pattern through David Kidwell I think has broken down some teams.
“It should be exciting.
“Everyone’s got to rise up for each Test match and this is no different.”
After playing Argentina this weekend, the All Blacks will return home to New Zealand where they’ll face fierce rivals South Africa in Auckland.
Then, two weeks later, the men in black will finish their Rugby Championship campaign against Eddie Jones’ Wallabies on the hallowed turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
But the All Blacks are just taking it one game at a time – the group aren’t even talking about the Rugby World Cup yet according to Jason Ryan.
“We’ve just got to start The Rugby Championship well. We’ve got to get a rhythm in our game,” Ryan added.
“Respectfully, we haven’t really even talked about the World Cup this year at all, it’s the first time I’ve heard you say it.
“This is this Test match. We’ve got to get our training right today and go through our systems and make sure that we’re keeping the boys sharp and we build it accordingly.
“This is The Rugby Championship, it’s (a) short, sharp campaign. I’m sure all teams will want to hit the ground running, we’re no different.”
The All Blacks named five uncapped bolters in their initial 36-man squad for The Rugby Championship, with Shaun Stevenson added as injury cover.
Stevenson could potentially make his debut in the black jersey in Mendoza with Will Jordan and Leicester Fainga’anuku both staying in New Zealand.
The other potential debutants include Cam Roigard, Dallas McLeod, Tamaiti Williams, Samipeni Finau and Emoni Narawa.
Hurricanes prop Tevita Mafile’o has also flown with the squad to Argentina.
“It can be quite intimidating coming into the All Blacks as a newbie but I think we’ve made a couple of shifts in here in making sure we’re welcoming the guys in.
“The experienced guys have been outstanding in bringing guys up to speed in their own position and sharing knowledge and understanding what the legacy is about of the All Blacks and the black jersey.
“We’ve seen some good, quality sessions there.
“As well as understanding their role, they’ve just got to appreciate pretty quickly that they’ve just got to do their own job and do it well.
“They’re talented, that’s because they’re here, and the intensity goes up so the quicker they learn off the grass, the easier it’ll be for them.”
The All Blacks take on Los Pumas at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza at 7.10 am NZST on Sunday morning.
Comments on RugbyPass
The best outside centre in the world at one point. He will be greatly missed.
2 Go to commentsYip his great for the big moments when needed as a safa really enjoy watching him
4 Go to commentsOne that will start to come up from now on is penalties for back pushes during kick chase scrambles. Very difficult to detect. In Croke Park if you replay the Hendy NH try, you will see Furbank push Porter in the back, who collides with Larmour knocking the ball across into Hendy’s path to dot down. A more significant example was in the RWC QTR final where Arendse pushes Fickou into two other French players for the ball to spill into Arendse’s path for him to gather and run in to score SAs first try. Not cheating if you are not caught and very difficult to spot but with kicking becoming so critical I feel its an area that will referreeed/TMO-ed more.
3 Go to commentsWhat a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
114 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
2 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
3 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
3 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
114 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
4 Go to comments