Shameful All Blacks blame game overlooks the most important factors in Los Pumas' historic victory
Argentina beating the All Blacks shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
Take the conversations about the time between games and various players coming down with COVID-19 to one side for a moment, the simple fact is that Los Pumas have been knocking on the door of the All Blacks for some time now.
For the critics of the current All Blacks regime, the last two weeks might have been a godsend because it’s appeared to confirm all of those long-held concerns about the status of an All Blacks side coached by Ian Foster and led by Sam Cane.
This might just be the greatest performance of the modern era for Argentina, one that took the All Blacks off-guard and proceeded to blow them off the park at every turn.
And yet, Ian Foster’s men had all the opportunities in the final quarter, squandering all but one of them.
That’s pressure, brought on by an opposition that wasn’t just on an equal footing, but one that played better.
What was evident on Saturday was that the Pumas came out of the sheds absolutely fizzing, and that in itself is nothing new either. They deserve their 25-15 victory over the All Blacks, who were apparently meant to walk in and walk out without managing to break a sweat at Bankwest Stadium.
The question that people should be asking is why were so many rugby pundits so quick to buy into such thinking? Was it because the All Blacks typically come back from a loss and tear the next opposition apart? Maybe, but to rely on that is a little naive.
Prior to kick off on Saturday, it had been widely accepted that Argentina couldn’t come close to putting together a performance of note – it simply wouldn’t be possible after having not played a game in over 400 days. It was almost as if this was to be a glorified training run for the All Blacks and that Los Pumas were to get nothing more out of it other than some well overdue game time.
How wrong those pundits were, but rather than take a step back and look at it from that perspective, the vitriol has gone into hyperdrive, as was astutely pointed out on Twitter by former TAB man Mark Stafford, who subsequently took some vitriol himself.
Wow. The vitriol being aimed at NZ coaches and players is embarrassing.
It’s a game of rugby.
Those of you giving credit to Argentina, I’m with you.— Mark Stafford (@stafnz) November 14, 2020
Of course, there is a lot to say when it comes to how underwhelming the All Blacks were in this particular encounter, and as lovers of rugby, fans have been rightly annoyed at some of the undeniable facts to come out of the game.
From just a single clean break, one victory at scrum time, to the high amount of ill-discipline that cost the All Blacks yardage and points. There is much to dissect about what went wrong, and this is a conversation made all the more poignant due to a lot of factors that point to the All Blacks being badly coached, and maybe even poorly captained.
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There is merit to all of it and now is probably the time to ask some of those tough questions. Those factors haven’t just appeared since this loss however. Many people feel that Ian Foster was the wrong choice to be the next All Blacks coach, and some of those same people say that Sam Cane being named captain was a questionable decision at best.
But to suggest that the legacy of the black jersey has been tarnished because of that and this subsequent loss to Argentina, a team that has consistently matched the All Blacks but never managed to get over the line until now, feels like a bit of a stretch.
It’s also highly disrespectful to those two men in particular.
Just look at what Cane has done in the All Black jersey – think of the number of turnovers and tackles the 28-year old typically makes on a consistent basis.
Don’t forget, Ian Foster was the assistant coach of that All Blacks side which won the 2015 Rugby World Cup and did a lot under Steve Hansen during their great run of results in that tenure.
You don’t think those two are quietly feeling the pressures themselves? Are they not giving their very best?
Much has been made about the All Blacks not seeming to have a Plan B or Plan C up their sleeves when the ship started to sink against Argentina. This isn’t exactly true either, it’s very hard to implement much change when you’re constantly losing the battle up front and playing with little to no go forward ball.
It would have been great to see the All Blacks forwards run onto the ball more rather than attempting to shift the ball wide and use the likes of Caleb Clarke as a glorified wrecking ball.
That only works when a backline has the space, and the All Blacks had next to no running space in this game. You’ve got to credit Argentina for coming in with the game plan to nullify these key areas, they made Clarke look like a shadow of the greatness he’s shown in recent times for both the Blues and the All Blacks to a latter extent.
Having already faced off against Los Pumas as part of a Rugby Australia XV, a Wallabies star has lifted the lid on how Australia can avoid the same fate as the All Blacks. #Wallabies #TriNations https://t.co/1Dc7yLwHvR
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 16, 2020
In the All Blacks midfield, some serious questions need to be asked of Jack Goodhue because right now the 25-year old looks like a player going through the motions, happy to hand the ball off rather than back himself and have a real go.
Likewise for Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, and even at a stretch his older brother Beauden. To the naked eye, the composure looks to be missing and the apparent game plan against Argentina was for these men in particular to try and run their opposition ragged.
It didn’t work, and when the pressure came on near the try line, balls were dropped and passes went awry.
When basic errors are made when opportunities for points knocks, like when Richie Mo’unga missed touch on halftime, the feeling in a team quickly goes from seeing an opportunity that has been executed time and time again both in games and on the training paddock, to one of real deflation.
That will be the overwhelming feeling in the All Blacks camp right now: deflation.
But there will also be a feeling of immense respect for what Argentina managed to do at Bankwest Stadium, because it was against nearly every one of the odds a rugby pundit could possibly imagine.
Sure, it will hurt massively to be on the losing side of that, but it’s also what makes rugby a great measure of character. History shows us that the All Blacks are indeed a team of great character and heart, many rugby fans and pundits alike have been very quick to question those aspects since Saturday, and that is a real shame.
In the wake of their 25-15 win over the All Blacks, Argentina have finally tamed the mountain that they’ve been ascending for quite some time. That’s the story here, and it’s an almighty good one for the game in general.
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Comments on RugbyPass
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
2 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
1 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
6 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
2 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
6 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to commentsI’ve put on 4/5 kilos since the beginning of the season too. Not good kilos. Bad kilos.
6 Go to commentsSurely there’s a ‘no knobheads’ policy ?
3 Go to commentsWallaroos have no chance of beating the Black Ferns unless Canada upsets them in Christchurch tomorrow but I doubt that as well!
1 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Could the victim do a course to reverse the long term CTE damage from the cheapshot?
2 Go to commentsTruely great player. In social media and opinion pieces he was held up and flogged for the results. People wanted someone to crucify, and he was the captain. He was still an immense presence respected by his peers. His battles with Siya Kolisi belong up with with Collins vs Burger in my opinion. Unlucky to be carded in the final, but I don’t agree that his red card was the defining moment. Not when you look at the dominant performances of the Springboks (PSDT in particular.) I think Cane should be remembered for the spirit and physicality that is special to test rugby.
16 Go to commentsSam was the man until he got injured .
16 Go to comments_Crusaders versus Leinster _at the moment might be a rout! But I would like to see the Blues play Toulouse, the Hurricanes front up against Stade Francais, and the Chiefs go against Toulon.
157 Go to comments