Bravo Argentina, who claimed a famous 28-24 win against the Lions in Dublin at the weekend. The excuses quickly flowed for the Lions, conveniently ignoring the fact that the magnificent Pumas were missing nine starters from the side that thrashed the Wallabies in Argentina last year.
The reality is the Lions played with a hint of hubris, throwing needless offloads, and a hint of vulnerability, with their big South African winger Duhan van der Merwe second best in the aerial battles and their back row looking undersized with three natural opensides. But the main story really was about Argentina, whose players are scattered throughout the world but who consistently show a remarkable ability to come together quickly. They exposed the Lions’ narrow defence, counterattacked with brilliance and scrambled as if their lives depended on it. They should have beaten Ireland on the same ground in November but are clearly a team on the up under a young and innovative coaching crew.
Schmidt’s already inside their heads
On the eve of the Argentina game, the Lions’ Australian “general manager of performance” David Nucifora gave an unintentionally illuminating interview in which he talked about Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. Nucifora admitted that he was an avid listener to Schmidt’s interviews, trying to get a read on what he was thinking, with the two men knowing each other very well from their time in Ireland. Good luck with that, given Schmidt’s habit of qualifying everything that he says. But Nucifora’s attempted Kremlinology shows the Lions have a degree of wariness about Schmidt and what he might be planning. Based on what they dished up against Argentina, with captain Maro Itoje decrying it as “tippy tappy” rugby, their energy would be better spent elsewhere.
Lions scrum was good – but only to a point
Argentina’s scrum has been a weakness for years, so the penalties won by the Lions in Dublin for most of the game wouldn’t have surprised or alarmed Schmidt or Wallabies scrum guru Mike Cron. However, they will have noted that when the Lions tried to use their scrum in the latter stages to squeeze Los Pumas when it really mattered, they got no joy. At that point, the Lions forwards had clearly decided the backs were running around like headless chooks and they would need to win the game themselves, but with replacements Tadhg Furlong and Pierre Schoeman on the field there were a couple of messy, evenly contested scrums. Furlong is world-class but hasn’t played since early May and is clearly some way off his best.
Argentina’s scru packs down against the Lions.Credit: Getty Images
Super Rugby’s No 10 myth busted
Super Rugby Pacific is arguably the most forward-oriented competition in the world, at least when it counts in the winter months when the playoffs occur. For the second season in a row, the winners (the Crusaders on Saturday) did so without a Test 10, never mind a world-class one. It was the same last year, when the Blues won the comp with the then-uncapped Harry Plummer (he went on to win a solitary cap for the All Blacks with five minutes off the bench against the Wallabies in Sydney). Contrast that with other major comps this year. The Top 14 final will be between Toulouse and Bordeaux (and their French No 10s Romain Ntamack and Matthieu Jalibert), the English Premiership was won by Bath (Scotland and Lions No 10 Finn Russell), the URC was won by Leinster (Ireland No 10 Sam Prendergast) and Japan Rugby League One by Toshiba (and their No 10 Richie Mo’unga). Super is won by tight fives – there wasn’t a single minute of the Crusaders-Chiefs final on Saturday when the Crusaders weren’t operating with an all-All Blacks front row.
Sotutu, Tele’a for AusNZ team
Les Kiss is going to have some firepower for the AusNZ Invitational team against the Lions in Adelaide. The Herald was told by NZ Rugby this week that up to half-a-dozen players are going to be released to join Kiss and Ian Foster, consisting of players who don’t make the All Blacks squad that will be announced on Monday or the Māori All Blacks squad to be unveiled on Tuesday. The Herald believes Blues No 8 Hoskins Sotutu and winger Mark Tele’a are very good chances, and will be joined by players of similar calibre. None will have the Mo’unga stardust, but they’ll all be coming off good Super seasons and they’ll all have a point to prove.
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