BBC Sport Rugby Union: All Blacks Stunned by Argentina’s Brilliant Display
The rugby world was left in shock as the New Zealand All Blacks suffered a surprise 38-30 defeat against Argentina in their Rugby Championship opener on Saturday. Despite entering the match with three successive victories under new head coach Scott Robertson, the All Blacks were outplayed by a resilient Los Pumas side.
Former All Blacks stars Mils Muliaina, Sir John Kirwan, and Jeff Wilson were all impressed by Argentina’s performance, acknowledging that the home team had outclassed the visitors on the night.
“We all thought the All Blacks would come here and deliver a strong performance, but tonight they were outplayed,” said Wilson on Sky Sport NZ. “When [Argentina] start to believe, they’re so very, very difficult. They’re beating tier one nations consistently now. They are in the conversation going forward.”
Kirwan echoed similar sentiments, praising Argentina’s tactical execution.
“I really liked [the Pumas’] 9-10 combo tonight. I like their innovation in attack. They hit one point, then swing back the other way. The kicking game was good early. They started incredibly well and then the All Blacks sort of hung in defensively, but the nice thing about them is they kick when they should kick and they kicked properly and they also attack when they need to.”
While Muliaina acknowledged that the All Blacks had their chances, he believed they were ultimately let down by a lack of clinical finishing.
“They just weren’t clinical enough to put the Argentinians away and then a big moment in the end where they effectively gave them a scrum five metres out,” he said.
The defeat leaves the All Blacks with plenty to ponder as they seek to bounce back in the Rugby Championship. Argentina, on the other hand, have firmly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in international rugby union.
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