Pumas coach Michael Cheika hit back at All Blacks boss Ian Foster’s claims they got away with dirty breakdown tactics, as the Kiwi conceded the result “does hurt”.
Cheika guided Argentina to a stunning 25-18 win over New Zealand in Christchurch and landed one final blow in his press conference as he accused the All Blacks of utilising the same tactics as the Pumas.
Watch the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens. Every Game Live & exclusive to beIN SPORTS on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
“Well, he would be an expert on it because his team does it all the time, so he should know,” Cheika said.
“Maybe he’s right, I dunno.”
It was another disappointing defeat for Foster, as he pleaded with the New Zealand public for patience after his side lost to Argentina on home soil for the first time in Christchurch.
A dark cloud is now hanging over Foster and his team again after a performance that cast their 35-23 win over the Springboks in Johannesburg two weeks ago as a false dawn.
That win — ending three successive defeats — was enough to convince New Zealand Rugby to retain Foster as coach through to next year’s World Cup.
The decision was criticised as conservative by many in the New Zealand rugby fraternity who wanted Canterbury Crusaders coach Scott Robertson promoted to the top job.
MORE COVERAGE
‘It’s a first for me’: Cheika’s Pumas celebrate historic All Blacks shock
All Blacks in disarray as Cheika’s Argentina pull off upset for the ages in New Zealand
Foster said he was aware Saturday’s defeat will throw fuel on the fire for critics but asked for more time to get his side playing to a higher standard.
“For us, there’s a shed-full of people that are hurting right now, including me,” he said.
“We don’t like losing and we understand our country doesn’t like us losing. I guess we’re all in the same boat in that place — it does hurt.
“As I’ve said over the last few weeks, we are a team that’s rebuilding and sometimes confidence doesn’t come at the speed that we want it to.”
Foster said he was pleased with several parts of New Zealand’s game but criticised his players’ lack of accuracy in the closing stages.
Trailing by seven points, they had numerous attacking opportunities foiled by botched lineouts and poor option-taking.
He said those mistakes highlighted shortcomings that can be ironed out if given time.
“I was a bit surprised with us in the last quarter, to be honest … we didn’t execute in some big moments at the end,” Foster said.
“I guess it’s that little bit of belief about how to play your way out of tough situations and, I guess, how to problem-solve.
“In South Africa we saw a little bit of that start to creep into our game, which is positive, we started to problem-solve certain situations.
“Today we probably got stuck in one mode. There are a lot of really good teams that are going to try to slow us down and suffocate us. It’s how we break through that.”
