Argentina’s stunning upset of the All Blacks has given the Wallabies a splendid opportunity to eradicate one of the major flaws in their game – inconsistency.
Under previous head coach Michael Cheika, Australia rarely strung together more than two or three consecutive wins.
At the start of the Tri-Nations series many observers dismissed Argentina’s chances on the basis of their apparently poor preparation for the tournament, but Los Pumas’ famous victory in Sydney on Saturday gives the Wallabies one of their biggest challenges yet at their bogey ground in Newcastle this weekend.
While wildly inconsistent in the four Bledisloe Cup Tests, a win over the in-form Pumas would demonstrate they might yet develop the level of consistency required to win big trophies.
Of course, no one saw the Pumas’ win over the All Blacks coming, especially the Kiwis, shell-shocked by successive losses for the first time since 2011.
All the talk after the 24-22 loss to the Wallabies in Brisbane how severe their response would be against the Pumas – fair enough observations.
There were also question marks about the Pumas’ competitiveness given about half of their squad spent several months in isolation because of the coronavirus pandemic, although many of their key players were battle-hardened after being brought back from Europe.
The perception was that the Pumas were under-prepared, having not played a Test for 402 days. New Zealand rugby commentators predicted a 40-point win for the All Blacks and few contradicted that viewpoint.
New Zealand are still the most dangerous attacking team in world rugby – provided they are allowed to do what they want to do. Unlike the Wallabies in their record 43-5 humiliation in Sydney, the Pumas did not give Ian Foster’s side the chance.
Almost to the letter, the Pumas followed a well-established blueprint to upset the world powerhouse. Some would argue Eddie Jones’ England devised the plan at the 2019 World Cup in Japan; others others might suggest it was actually Sir Clive Woodward’s England side of 2003.
Whatever the case, the strategy is similar. It involves physicality in the forwards, aggressive and fast line speed in defence and, above all, discipline.
The All Blacks are like a counter-punching boxer, thriving on turnover ball and counter-attack from broken play. If a team can control the ball, it can significantly reduce their scoring opportunities. The most telling statistic was that the Pumas made only one handling error. The Kiwis have fed off opposition mistakes for so long they have almost lost the capacity to create their own chances.
And when a team shuts them down the way the Pumas did, they become frustrated, ill-disciplined and petulant, as evidenced by the face-slapping incidents in last Saturday’s Test match.
How do the Wallabies combat an Argentine side that so comprehensively outplayed and outmuscled New Zealand?
The Wallabies followed a similar blueprint in Brisbane, but it should be noted they beat the All Blacks’ B team, while the Pumas defeated the A team – although after those two results there must be some confusion as to what constitutes the best New Zealand outfit.
The Pumas celebrated their historic first-ever win against the All Blacks as if they had won the World Cup. Tears ran down the face of coach Mario Ledesma. Can they reproduce that same level of physicality and intensity just a week later?
Cheika, who is acting as a consultant to Argentina, will certainly have the squad revved up with his motivational speeches. It is difficult to know precisely what impact Cheika had on Saturday, but he was doing a lot of talking to the players at half-time. What is “golf club” in Spanish?
It is hard to see the Wallabies going through the middle of the Pumas, which means they will have to go around them. They will have to play for territory to prevent five-eighth Nicolas Sanchez, who scored a record 25 points against the All Blacks, from keeping the scoreboard ticking over with his goal-kicking.
If James O’Connor is fit, he should be restored to five-eighth to create width in the Wallabies’ game, which was how they secured a 16-all draw in the first Bledisloe Cup Test in Wellington. But there must also be a place in the Wallabies’ starting line-up for utility back Reece Hodge, who played strongly at five-eighth in Brisbane.
If Hodge starts at full-back, he could interchange with O’Connor in attack and defence and also assume the kicking duties in general play.
Most observers believed the Pumas were just making up the numbers in the Tri-Nations. Their unexpected victory has created a situation in which all three teams can win the tournament.
Should the Wallabies beat Argentina in their next two Tests they will collect a rare piece of silverware. To do that, though, they must overcome one of their biggest issues – inconsistency.
