New Zealand v Argentina: Teams and Predictions
TRI-NATIONS, ROUND THREE: A wounded All Blacks are desperate to restore pride against Argentina on Saturday after a shock loss to Australia, with the Pumas facing a huge task to pull off their first-ever win against the three-time world champions.
The South Americans have failed to beat New Zealand in 29 Tests and head into their opening Tri-Nations clash at Sydney's Bankwest Stadium with the odds heavily stacked against them.
After not playing a Test since the World Cup last year, and a build-up badly disrupted by the coronavirus, they face a battle-hardened team stung by a 22-24 loss to the Wallabies last week.
In an ominous sign, New Zealand coach Ian Foster has named a near full-strength side after his eight changes to the starting team last week backfired.
The All Blacks were not sharp enough against Australia, hampered by poor discipline and tactical awareness, with 10 players purged in response.
"We were bitterly disappointed with the loss against Australia on the weekend, but we've taken a lot of lessons from that game," Foster said.
"Specifically, we need to be smarter in seeing space and executing our plan around that."
New Zealand have not lost back-to-back Tests since 2011 and have playmaker Richie Mo'unga and bruising wing Caleb Clarke returning to help prevent that happening again.
They also have a new-look front row of Tyrel Lomax, Dane Coles and Joe Moody, who returns after a head knock.
Despite the Pumas' disjointed build-up, Foster said he was expecting a tough opponent.
"They've had about three weeks of training and preparation so I'm sure their game understanding is going to be high," he said.
"They've had two really solid games in the last two weekends against Australia A, and they've shown a lot of the shape and flair that we've become accustomed to seeing from them.
"You only need to go back to Buenos Aires last year, when we had a real arm-wrestle with them, to know how tough they can be," he added of a game the All Blacks narrowly won 20-16.
However, he conceded the South Americans may initially struggle to adjust to Test-match intensity, saying: "That's something we've got to target early."
Ledesma: no excuses
Getting to Australia was a long and difficult journey for Argentina, with more than a dozen players and staff, including coach Mario Ledesma, testing positive for COVID-19 at a training camp before their arrival.
After 14 days in quarantine in Sydney, their preparations have been limited to two warm-up games against Australia A, both of which they won.
A naturally attacking side, they boost a host of players who ply their trade in Europe, including flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez, who has bagged 50 points in his last five Tests against New Zealand.
They have also benefited from having former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika as a team consultant, with the players raring to go.
"It's really exciting to play [Tests] again. Obviously, it’s difficult because they are one of the best teams in the world, but we will try to play our best," said Ledesma.
"We don't want to use the pandemic or quarantine as an excuse, we've just got to get on with it," he added.
"We have had a lot of time to discuss what we want from this team and where we want to take the jersey. We have really profited from enduring this situation to create our culture."
New Zealand top the Tri-Nations ladder on six points after picking up a bonus point in each of their two games against Australia, who have four points, with Argentina about to begin a run of four games in as many weeks.
Players to watch
For New Zealand: Wing Caleb Clarke is back in the team and he will surely be a handful for the Argentinians. Clarke destroyed the Wallabies in the second Bledisloe Cup match in Auckland a few weeks ago. Richie Mo’unga is back in the No.10 jersey and he is was outstanding in his last two outings against the Wallabies. Patrick Tuipulotu joins Sam Whitelock in the second row and he provides some speed and power in the pack.
For Argentina: Juan Imhoff is one of the world's most dangerous wings and he has the ability to break open the All Blacks' defence. Pablo Matera is a nuisance at the breakdowns and he will try and disrupt any quick ball the All Blacks hope to get. In the second row, Guido Petti is a colossus, and he will be a key figure in the line-outs and with ball in hand in open play.
Head to head
The All Blacks have Aaron Smith back in the No.9 jersey and they will need him against the livewire Tomas Cubelli. Out wide, Bautista Delguy is a fantastic ball runner and he will be up against Caleb Clarke, who is well and truly announcing himself on the international stage this year. The breakdowns will be key again and the battle between the two captains, Sam Cane and Pablo Matera, will be a blockbuster.
Recent results
Prediction
@rugby365com: All Blacks by 20 points or more
Teams:
New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Jordie Barrett, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Jack Goodhue, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane (captain), 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Joe Moody.
Replacements: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Tupou Vaa’i, 20 Hoskins Sotutu, 21 Brad Weber, 22 Rieko Ioane, 23 Damian McKenzie.
Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Nicolas Sánchez, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Francisco Gómez-Kodela, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chapparo.
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Santiago Grondona, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Lucio Cinti, 23 Santiago Cordero.
Date: Saturday, November 14
Venue: Western Sydney Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 17.10 ADST (19.10 NZ time; 03.10 Argentina time; 06.10 GMT)
Expected weather: It will be clear with a high of 24°C and a low of 16°C.
Referee: Angus Gardner
Assistant referees: Nic Berry, Paul Williams
TMO: Ben O’Keefe
AAP & @rugby365com