Welcome to live coverage of the Rugby Championship, where the All Blacks take on Argentina’s Los Pumas in Hamilton.
The All Blacks have burst out of the blocks against Argentina, scoring two early tries to open up a big lead in their Rugby Championship Test.
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After losing four of their opening six Tests in 2022, including three straight on home soil for the first time, Ian Foster’s side is under a wave of pressure to turn their season around.
While Foster was again backed in by New Zealand Rugby last month following a brilliant victory over the Springboks at Ellis Park, the focus immediately turned back on the coach’s future following their 25-18 defeat to Michael Cheika’s Argentine side last weekend.
Foster has named an unchanged side for the crunch Rugby Championship match while bringing experienced trio Dane Coles, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett via the bench.
“For those that want blood, I guess we haven’t given it have we?” Foster said.
“If you play under fear, you restrict your options, you restrict your thinking and what actually happens is you don’t get your game going,” he added.
“We believe the best way to build confidence in those pressure moments is put the guys out there who have just been through it, have felt it.”
Cheika, meanwhile, has made four changes to his side, who he still labelled as “underdogs”, despite successive victories over Australia and New Zealand that took them top of the Rugby Championship table.
The former coach laughed off suggestions that the Pumas would start as favourites, with last week’s historic result following a 48-17 dismantling of Australia in San Juan.
“Mate, we’re in New Zealand, playing against New Zealand,” he told reporters. “I know that you guys like to manoeuvre the story around, but we’re about as underdog as you get. You win once, and then no one expects you to win again.”
All Blacks (15-1): Jordie Barrett; Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, David Havili, Caleb Clarke; Richie Mo’unga, Aaron Smith; Ardie Savea, Sam Cane (c), Shannon Frizell; Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock; Tyrel Lomax, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Ethan de Groot.
Reserves: Dane Coles, George Bower, Fletcher Newell, Brodie Retallick, Dalton Papali’i, Finlay Christie, Beauden Barrett, Quinn Tupaea.
Los Pumas (15-1): Juan Cruz Mallia; Emiliano Boffelli, Matias Moroni, Matias Orlando, Santiago Cordero; Santiago Carreras, Tomas Cubelli; Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer, Santiago Grondona; Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti; Joel Sclavi, Julian Montoya (c), Thomas Gallo Reserves: Santiago Socino, Mayco Vivas, Eduardo Bello, Matias Alemanno, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Gonzalo Bertranou, Benjamin Urdapilleta, Lucio Cinti
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