By Greg Stutchbury
WELLINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) – New Zealand coach Steve
Hansen and captain Richie McCaw were effusive in their praise of
Argentina’s defence and aggression in their Rugby Championship
clash on Saturday, with the All Blacks only securing victory in
the final 15 minutes.
The world champions needed two late tries for wingers Julian
Savea and Cory Jane to seal the 21-5 victory, and third
successive win in the southern hemisphere competition, but the
brutal defence of the Pumas and error-ridden All Blacks display
were the main talking points from the match.
The All Blacks have attempted to play the game at a higher
tempo than ever before this season, with the Pumas forwards
appearing to be struggling to keep up with the pace of the game.
Their veteran players like try-scoring prop Rodrigo Roncero
and captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, however, took the sting
out that plan by meandering to set pieces and organising a
brutal defensive screen around the fringes and in the backline.
“They’re probably one of the best defensive teams in the
world,” Hansen told reporters.
“The system they use is very good. They give you a lot of
space on the outside and make you think there’s a fool’s gold
out there and if you go too early with missed passes they drift
out and cover that.
“And their one on one tackling is good. They’re a very
passionate team and have a lot of desire to play for their
nation.”
McCaw also pointed to the aggressive defence from their
forwards, while the Pumas also slowed down the All Blacks’ ball
by flooding the breakdown, and proving virtually immovable when
the home side tried to drive them off the ball.
Continued…
