The 2012 Rugby Championship

All Black fan Tim Cronin from RugbyShirts.net is more than happy to wrap up the inaugural competition!

The inaugural Rugby Championship concluded on the weekend, with the All Blacks remaining unbeaten, and now steadily closing in on the mighty Lithuania’s record winning streak of 18 test matches.

The year after any World Cup is traditionally a dour one for international rugby. Players have retired, coaches are experimenting with personnel for the future, and there is the inevitable ‘come-down’ after the excitement of competing for the Webb Ellis trophy. This year has been no different.

While the All Blacks dominated the competition, finishing on 26 points, with South Africa and Australia both scoring 12, for much of the tournament they were average at best. The world champs probably had more to play for than any other side in the tournament – the quest to set a new world record winning streak, and the pressure of living up to their standing as the number one side in the world. But they didn’t necessarily dominate the competition as decisively as the final table suggests.

They should have put away the Wallabies more comprehensively in both their opening games. The Aussies were totally bereft of confidence, and it was the All Blacks’ inability to finish try-scoring opportunities clinically and really put the foot on the throat that saved Robbie Deans’ men further embarrassment.

South Africa outplayed the Blacks in New Zealand, and probably should have one, and Argentina adapted better to Wellington’s atrocious conditions when they visited, but lacked the self-belief to turn a courageous performance in to a memorable win.

The AB’s were fantastic in Argentina, although the expansive game-plan they entered the match with could have back-fired on them. Fortunately, early passes stuck, and their fast start (albeit once the hosts had opened the scoring themselves) dented the competition newcomer’s confidence and took their parochial crowd out of the game.

They were great in their final outing too, although the coaching staff will be concerned by their inability to retain possession and earn territory. But overall, I think the All Blacks were the best of a competition where all teams played below their best, accept perhaps the Pumas.

The Pumas were the other side with much to play for. A side that relies on passion at the best of times, the South Americans were buoyed by the excitement of finally entering the big time, and they played with steel and heart each time they donned the blue and white jersey.

Next season will be a tough one for the Pumas. Where this year, solid performances were enough to repay their fans’ loyalty and show the world that they belonged with the big boys, next year the expectation will be to win. Maybe not the whole tournament, but at least a game or two. Without the motivation of entering a new competition, the Pumas will have to find the self-belief to turn their aggressive, combative style in to victories, and I think we might see them tumble back to earth somewhat next season.

The South Africans were disappointed in their performance throughout the competition, but I don’t necessarily think they’re in a bad place, three years out from the next world cup. A new coach invariably takes time to adjust to, and this season was undoubtedly a ‘feeling-out’ year for Heneke Meyer. His conservative game-plan, which focused around Morne Steyn being as accurate as ever, backfired, resulting in the Bulls five-eight being given the boot, and the style of play they employed in their last two games, in their comprehensive victory over the Wallabies and their entertaining loss to the All Blacks, holds much potential moving forward.

They were criticised for their ineffective displays at the breakdown in the first half of the competition, but there is so much depth in the loose-forward department of South African rugby that this will be easily sorted over time. They have exciting young players in the mix, many of whom featured in the Championship this year and who will have grown immensely from the experience, and I think the ‘Boks are tracking okay at this stage.

Obviously the Wallabies took the most stick from media, fans and commentators during the tournament, and I certainly jumped on the band-wagon at times. But the fact that they scrambled in to a second place finish on the final table, and secured a gutsy win in a hostile environment in Argentina in the final round, when their side was absolutely injury ravaged and expected to lose, shows the determination and self-belief that Aussie sportsmen seem to be born with.

Yes, there are problems in Australian Rugby. Deans hasn’t been great, and he obviously hasn’t connected with the rugby community and his players over there. Likewise, the players themselves have to learn some cold hard facts about maturity and professionalism.

But I think they deserve some credit for the way they fought in the face of such adversity, and I’ve certainly learnt over the years that you can never write off the Australians. My first inclination is to feel that the Lions should clean-sweep them next year, but I can also see a fairytale happening – Deans gets the shove, Ewan McKenzie comes on board and inspires the Wallabies to a famous 2-1 series win. Time will tell!

Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sportsteam, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.

Rugby Championship–final round preview

The All Blacks have secured the title but still much pride to play for in round six…our man down under Stephen Humphreys sets the scene.

How time flies when you are having fun: this week, seemingly as soon as it started, the Rugby Championship comes to an end which fixtures in Argentina and South Africa to round out the competition. We already have a winner of the competition with the dominant All Blacks wrapping up the title last week against the Pumas so the bulk of the interest in this round will be around whether the slumping Wallabies can rest their drop down the rankings with a make shift line-up.

Game One: South Africa v New Zealand at FNB Stadium Soweto

The fact that this match is now effectively a dead rubber will do nothing to dampen the passion of the combatants in this fixture. On the line of the All Blacks is an unbeaten record in the tournament as well as a 16^th win in the row which will put them within reach of the world record for victories in a row in international rugby (17 games presently held the All Blacks and Springboks).

The line-up for the All Blacks is yet to be named and will be interesting to see whether they will field their strongest line-up or line-up with some of their key men rotated out to gain a rest. I would be surprised if they did not run out with their top team behind Richie McCaw because it is simply not the All Blacks style to take any test match likely.

Last week’s victory in Argentina was close to a complete performance by the All Blacks inasmuch as they dominated the play and were outstanding in all aspects. Putting 54 points on the here thereto defensively impressive Pumas was nothing short of excellent with the return of Dan Carter reviving a backline that was previously sputtering with Aaron Cruden in the number 10 jersey.

They are the best team in the world and have lifted to a new level since the World Cup to completely dominate this tournament. Whilst they have not been overwhelmingly dominate in the forwards, they possess one of the slickest backlines we have seen in world rugby and got to a point last week where they seemingly were able to cross the try line at will. If they get good service from their forward pack, the All Blacks will again be very very difficult to stop in this fixture. One question mark that remains is whether they will be a bit jetlagged off the back their significant travel demands over the last couple of weeks and a little bit jaded off the back of having already won the tournament.

As for South Africa, having seemingly completely changed their game plan against the Wallabies last week and secured a five-tries-to-one victory at altitude at Loftus Versfeld, they will be looking to end their tournament with a win against the best team in the world who bested them in Dunedin in the last meeting between these two teams.

It will be interesting to see whether the Springboks return to their previously rigid, robotic, kick-obsessed game plan against the world champions or proceed with the more free flowing and spontaneous game plan that served them so well against the Wallabies. It strikes me that the Springboks might be a bit gun shy of taking a similarly open approach given how desirous of counter attacking the All Blacks are.

That said they definitely have the pack, as they proved in Dunedin, to match the New Zealanders both for physicality and quality ball. One big question mark will be whether the new flyhalf in Johan Goosen will suffer from “second game syndrome” having been excellent last week against the Wallabies.

This is a fixture between the best team in the world and a team that is very difficult to best at home. For the Springboks to win they will have to be perfect in executing their “new” game plan whilst for the All Blacks, business as usual should see them triumphant. I am leaning toward the All Blacks on the basis of how impressive they have been to date and because of the nagging concern I have about whether Goosen can repeat his performance from last week. All Blacks by 8.

Game 2: Argentina v Australia in Rosario

Here is a list of names worth remembering as you watch this game: Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore, Dan Palmer, James Horwill, Scott Higginbotham, Ben McCalman, David Pocock, Wycliff Palu, Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Drew Mitchell, Berrick Barnes, Rob Horne, James O’Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper. Cooper Vuna, Joseph Tomane and Nic White. All are injured and all would have, likely, played a role in this test match had they been fit.

The simple fact is that the Wallabies have been decimated by injuries, so much so that only the side that will run out on Sunday morning Australian time is basically unrecognizable compared to the one that kicked off the season against Scotland in monsoonal conditions in Newcastle in May.

They come into this fixture off the back of another demoralising performance, this time against the Springboks where they leaked 5 tries and where lucky not to leak some more. Yes the team is in an injury crisis but it also must be remembered that the Wallabies have been far from in optimal form all season.

In what ended up being an ugly outing for the Wallabies last week a shining light was the performance of Kurtley Beale who stepped into the breach at fly half admirably. Coming into this fixture he will again need to be at the peak of his form here. The forwards for the Wallabies will need to lift their intensity and go forward at the breakdown to challenge what has been a very impressive Pumas forward pack to date.

The Pumas have developed as a team throughout the last six weeks and have moved from playing a distinctly defensive game to last week being more prepared to spread the ball around and attack the line of their All Black opponents. The score line last week belied the performance of the Pumas who tested the All Blacks at times. It should not be forgotten just how good the All Blacks are at the moment.

Their forward pack has held its own against each of the All Blacks, Wallabies and Springboks forward packs with their prop Roncero seemingly a medical marvel who just keeps rolling forward. In the backs they possess a mix of experience and youthful flair that is finding its feet in this tournament and can be dangerous when they deign to through the ball around.

The Argentinians have shown that they can mix it with the best of teams on their day and on the Gold Coast their game plan against the Wallabies was close to perfect until they ran out of puff with 15 minutes to go. If they perform to that level for a full 80 minutes in front of their home fans they will be very tough to beat.

This is a tough game to tip for me: the heart is saying the Wallabies but everything else is coming out with a Puma’s victory to make the infamy of the Wallabies’ Rugby Championship campaign complete. That being the case I will tip to readers the Pumas in this game and fear that it will not be a small score. Pumas by 12.

Steve (@shumpty77) is sports tragic and is particularly fanatical about rugby and cricket. A proud Reds member, Steve is also a fan of Wallabies as well as the Welsh team (when they are not playing the Wallabies). When not following rugby, cricket and all other sports, Steve is an account director at an accounting firm.

Wallabies run out of players

All Black fan Tim Cronin from Rugbyshirts.net actually has some sympathy for the Wallabies with their current plight.  Well I did say “some”….

I’ve sympathised a bit recently with the plight of the Wallabies, such has been the unprecedented number of serious casualties their key players have sustained, and this remarkable injury toll came to a head on the weekend when Robbie Deans’ side quite literally ran out of players, being forced to finish their match against the Springboks with 14 men on the field.

The shocking injury toll has highlighted something which has always threatened to derail Australian Rugby, but until now hasn’t necessarily become a major issue – their lack of depth.

Sure, they compete with Aussie Rules and Rugby League for players, but, with a population of 20 million-plus people, there should be enough quality sportsmen to go around. I think there is an inherent problem with the structure of the game in Australia, which fails to retain enough decent players, and puts those that do commit to the ARU on such a high pedestal that they become arrogant divas who believe they are bigger than the game and the jersey they represent.

Following the weekend’s match in Pretoria, Deans stated that the ARU would be forced to try and rush through Visa applications to allow a number of new players to join the squad as they travel to Argentina for what must now look like an incredibly daunting tasks, such is the state his injury-ravaged squad currently finds itself in.

I believe one of the problems behind the lack of quality talent waiting in the wings for their opportunity to pull on the green-and-gold jersey lies in the structure of the national competitions, or lack there-of.

While ARU officials have frequently noted the problems, and tinker with ineffectual solutions every now and again, the fact is that the breeding grounds for young, up-and-coming players in Australia are sparse, with no national competition of note being in operation, and the Sydney club competition acting as the primary feeder for the entire countries’ Super XV sides.

Because there is no avenue for aspiring players to prove themselves and to challenge the incumbents, those that are in the national team become complacent, safe in the knowledge that the ARU probably needs them more than they need Australian Rugby. Quade Cooper is the obvious example, but I think you can see similar qualities in players like James O’Connor and Kurtley Beale, to pick on just a couple, who walk about with an air of self-importance, and seem little bothered about whether they’re actually performing and delivering results for their country or not.

While no-one could have foreseen the devastating string of circumstances that have befallen the Wallabies over the last couple of months, the simple fact is that competition for places breeds players who are constantly striving to better themselves, and constantly looking to perform every time they get the chance to take the field. Until Australia can create a system which fosters talent and creates depth they will be highly susceptible both to strings of injuries, and over-rated players with over-inflated egos, who know they can’t be dropped as there aren’t any better options.

As for this coming weekend? The All Blacks may well have done the Wallabies a huge favour by denting the confidence of the Pumas, but Deans’ patched-together team still face a huge task if they’re to avoid becoming the South American’s first scalp in the Rugby Championship.

Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sportsteam, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.

Rugby Championship Round 5 preview

The inaugural Rugby Championship is nearing its conclusion and our man down under Stephen Humphreys has the low-down.

After a short break, the Rugby Championship returns to action this week with the Wallabies travelling to Loftus Versfeld to take on the Springboks and the Pumas hosting the All Blacks at La Plata.

The break between rounds has been filled with controversy for Australian fans that has all been generated from the twitter account of Quade Cooper. The less said about that issue the better given that the drama seems to have abated and there is now rugby to watch again. In other news, the move by Richie McCaw to announce he is taking a rest next season has left the McCaw fanatics bereft and weeping.

Game 1: South Africa v Australia in Pretoria, 4pm (Irish time)

Altitude has never been kind to the Wallabies and their record at Loftus Versfeld reflects this having never won there. Unfortunately I do not think this game will lead to a change in that record.

Frankly both teams have been in disarray during the course of this competition and Heyneke Meyer and Robbie Deans both desperately need a win. Meyer has rung the changes from the line-up defeated by the All Blacks in Dunedin with the biggest casualty the home town hero Morne Steyn who has been dropped in favour of Johan Goosen from the Cheetahs after an indifferent performance with the boot. Frans Steyn is struggling with an injury and it is expected that Jaco Taute will come into the side at outside centre with Jean de Villiers moving to inside centre. The other change sees Eben Etzebeth return from suspension. In addition to these changes to the starting line-up there are four new faces on the bench for Springboks.

The game plan for the Springboks has been limited and focused on seeking field position and penalties through the boot of Morne Steyn and frankly it has not worked from them so far with their only success being a victory against the Pumas in the first game of the competition. They have been strong in defence generally and have held their own in the forwards but they just have not been able to score enough points. Until the 10 man rugby plan of Coach Meyer is jettisoned they will continue to struggle with point scoring. That said, if there was ever anywhere a field possession game plan could work for the Springboks it will be in the rare air in Pretoria.

The Wallabies have had changes to their line-up again forced upon them with injuries to Quade Cooper and Stephen Moore seeing them out of the line up for the remainder of the Rugby Championship. The Wallabies are now onto their fifth captain in twelve months through injury and also remain without James O’Connor. It appears likely that Kurtley Beale will be the new number 10 for the Wallabies albeit as at the time of writing the Wallabies line up has not yet been named.

Whilst the Wallabies have been hammered by injuries to key players the fact remains that the execution by the Wallabies as well as their play at the set pieces has been generally woeful so far this season. The focus tactically for the Wallabies seems to have been also on playing a field position game however just about every kicking duel they have entered into has seen a net loss for them regardless of the opposition. Reliance again on a field position game will not bode well for the Wallabies as one does not see them winning a kicking duel with the Springboks. Discipline in their own half will also be a key for the Wallabies.

The Wallabies have won the last five games against the Springboks which is a record albeit each of these fixtures have been close run affairs and, indeed, have won the last two match ups held in South Africa. Despite the Springboks sitting below the Wallabies on the table at present, their performance against the All Blacks last time out was far superior to the form the Wallabies have shown against the same opposition. The Wallabies defeat of the Pumas should not mask just how poor the Wallabies were in that game and whilst I expect some improvement from them I think the Springboks are simply in better form at the moment and in front of their home crowd I am tipping them to win this fixture in a close game. Springboks by 5.

Game: Pumas v All Blacks at La Plata, 12:10am Sunday (Irish time)

The All Blacks continue to dominate this competition however despite this coach Steve Hansen has again made key positional changes for this round’s fixture. Not surprisingly Dan Carter has been installed back into the line- up at the expense of the suddenly out of sorts Aaron Cruden. Seemingly expecting a physical encounter in the forwards, the All Blacks selectors have opted for the pairs of Luke Romano and Brodie Retallick at lock with Sam Whitelock returning the warming the bench for this fixture. The unluckiest man in world rugby at the moment might just be Liam Messam who, despite recently excellent form is again on the bench with Victor Vito getting the start on the blindside flank.

Whilst the All Blacks do remain undefeated their run of matches at home in the last two rounds have presented performances that have been somewhat below their usual standard with the Puma pushing them all the way in round 3 and the Springboks failing to get over the line in Dunedin only because the collective radars of their goal kickers were awry. The return of Dan Carter is a big one for them and one expects he will provide a calming influence in the All Blacks star studded backline that has been sorely missing in recent weeks.

For the Argentinians coach Santiago Phelan has named the same starting side as that which narrowly lost to the Wallabies on the Gold Coast a fortnight ago. This is a side playing with passion and poise for the most part in their games but again were found wanting in the last twenty minutes against the Wallabies to let them back into the game.

In this fixture, the Pumas will be looking to defeat the All Blacks for the first time in their history and will need to play a full 80 minutes with the same passion and poise coupled with their commitment in defence to challenge the best team in the world.

The Pumas at home is probably the new toughest test in southern hemisphere rugby for visiting teams and again the All Blacks can expect to face a hostile environment in La Plata. Whilst I expect the Argentinians to lift in front of this most parochial of home crowds, I equally do not expect the All Blacks to under-estimate the Pumas here, as evidence by the return of that man Carter. Whilst this will be a close fixture I cannot see the Puma’s breaking their duck against the All Blacks here and am tipping the All Blacks to win by 13. All Blacks by 13

Steve (@shumpty77) is sports tragic and is particularly fanatical about rugby and cricket. A proud Reds member, Steve is also a fan of Wallabies as well as the Welsh team (when they are not playing the Wallabies). When not following rugby, cricket and all other sports, Steve is an account director at an accounting firm.

Rugby Championship Round 4 preview

Our man Down Under Stephen Humphreys looks ahead to the third round of matches…

Another week and another interesting round of the Rugby Championship beckons.  Last week saw the Wallabies open their account in this competition with a hard earned victory against the Springboks in Perth whilst the All Blacks defeated the Pumas in Wellington in a game in which the All Blacks could not have been happy with their performance.

This week the Springboks travel to Dunedin to face the All Blacks at Forsyth Barr Stadium and the Wallabies and Pumas face off in the first rugby test match to be played on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Game 1: All Blacks v Springboks, Forsyth Barr Stadium

Both coaches have made changes to their sides ahead of the All Blacks’ clash with South Africa in Dunedin on Saturday.

Dan Carter’s injury enforced absence has secured Aaron Cruden another start after his insipid performance last week against the Pumas.  This week he will have a different halves partner with Piri Weepu replacing Aaron Smith at number 9 due to disciplinary reasons.  In the pack, Sam Whitelock and Liam Messam return to the run-on side.

The All Blacks will be stung by criticism of their performance last week, which is not in any way meant to be derogatory about the performance of the Pumas, and will be looking to return to their previously dominant form from earlier fixtures against the Wallabies.  They have class all over the park and particularly will be looking to use their speedy outside backs to pierce the Springboks defence.  Equally, off the back of a fairly even forward battle with the Pumas last week, the All Blacks back row can be expected to seek to dominate their opponents to allow for more positive attacking opportunities and ultimately more points. 

The Springboks have been outmatched in the back row contests in each fixture to date and again Heneke Meyer has made some changes to the starting pack with a view to adding more impact.  The front row for the Springboks also has injury concerns and has been a surprise weakness for them to date.

The Springboks have, to date, focused on playing 10 man rugby and relied on a game plan that that revolves around kicking for territory and hoping that their opposition makes mistakes so that Morne Steyn can kick them to a victory. This is a strategy that did not work against a Wallabies team in patchy, at best, form last week however there has been no indication that a different strategy will be used by the Springboks in this fixture.

The All Blacks will have to be careful not to gift the Springboks too many scoring opportunities through penalties, particularly if they are overzealous at the breakdown.  That said, if they manage this part of their game well and don’t give away a large penalty count, I do not believe the Springboks will have enough points in them to best the number one team in the world in this fixture particularly as they will be looking to rebound from their fairly poor display last week. I am tipping the All Blacks to remain undefeated and to win this game in a bit of a canter.  All Blacks by 14

Game 2: Wallabies v Pumas, Skilled Park

In this preview last week, I commented that the Pumas would put in a good effort for the first 60 minutes against the All Blacks and then fall away in the sight of the finishing post and that was how that fixture ended up.  The Pumas were very good against the All Blacks and played to their game plan very well.  So well in fact that despite losing, the Pumas certainly would have taken more positives from the game than their vanquisher.

The Pumas have made two changes in the back line to the team that tested the All Blacks last week with scrum-half Nicolas Vergallo and full-back Martin Rodriguez dropped and replaced by Martin Landajo and Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino respectively.  The forward pack that did so well last week remains unchanged and it will be through the forwards that the Pumas will be looking to test the Wallabies.

Such an emphasis on forward power and dominance at the break down is not without risk though and the Pumas have found themselves on the end of some heavy penalty counts so far this season.  That will need to change against the Wallabies as will their propensity to fade out in the last 20 minutes of games.

Another week and another Wallabies line up loaded with changes, some forced by injury and some based on form.  In the backs, Will Genia’s knee injury sees Nick Phipps take over at number 9 whilst Kurtley Beale’s ongoing struggles at fullback have seen Rob Horne rushed back from injury to play inside centre with Berrick Barnes moving to the custodian role.  Kane Douglas makes his debut in the forward pack in place of the injured Sitakeli Timani. Former Gold Coast resident and Queensland Reds captain Nathan Sharpe takes the reins in his former home town.

I have been vocal on twitter about my views on the balance of this team and, whilst this is not the forum to vent those views again, a real concern I have is the lack of a bona fide goal kicking replacement for Berrick Barnes with Mike Harris not being selected on the bench.  Barnes has struggled with cramp in just about every test match this season (including the June tests) and at the Gold Coast the humidity will again do him no favours.

Setting that concern to one side, the Wallabies thus far this season have been one dimensional in attack whilst being largely excellent in defence.  As much as has been stated in the media this week that the Pumas are no longer the “surprise packets” they were at the start of this competition, if the Wallabies have not changed their game plans from previous weeks there will be no surprises at all for their opponents and this presents a danger for them going into this fixture.  The selection of Pat McCabe will not assist in fostering an expansive style of play however if the Wallabies forwards set a solid foundation then hopefully Quade Cooper will be able to conjure some try scoring opportunities.

All things considered, I do not think the Pumas will break their Rugby Championship duck in this fixture and whilst they will be very competitive, particularly in the forwards, I again expect an evenly matched game at half time to be blown out at the end by the Wallabies.  Wallabies by 11.

Steve (@shumpty77) is sports tragic and is particularly fanatical about rugby and cricket. A proud Reds member, Steve is also a fan of Wallabies as well as the Welsh team (when they are not playing the Wallabies). When not following rugby, cricket and all other sports, Steve is an account director at an accounting firm.

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Rugby Championship Round 3 preview

Our man Down Under Stephen Humphreys looks ahead to the third round of matches…

After a fortnight’s break, the Rugby Championship returns to our screens this week with matches from Perth in Western Australia between Australia and South Africa and the New Zealand All Blacks hosting the Pumas from Argentina in windy Wellington.

Round 3 kicks off with the All Blacks v Pumas fixture from Wellington earley Saturday morning. The All Blacks come into this fixture having dominated the Wallabies in the first two fixtures of this competition whilst the Pumas will be buoyed by their draw against the Springboks at home in Round 2 in a match they had the best of.

The Pumas have made two changes to their side from Round 2 with fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez and openside flanker Juan Manuel Leguizamon returning to the team. Whilst it is obvious that the Pumas will play physical and direct style of play, one thing that is clear from last week’s performance is that they struggle to convert opportunities into points. Their style of play is focused on gaining field position through the set pieces and then rely upon their opponent’s ill discipline to lead to scoring opportunities.

The All Blacks have made multiple changes to the side that defeated the Wallabies 22-0 at Eden Park for this fixture with Julian Savea starting on the wing and Brodie Retallick starting in the second row. Additionally, Tony Woodcock and Conrad Smith return to the side and Victor Vito replaces the, seemingly desperately, unlucky Liam Messam at blindside flanker. The biggest change for the All Blacks though is the loss of Dan Carter to a training injury which sees his “apprentice”, Aaron Cruden, start.

Despite this plethora of changes, the All Blacks are the best side in the world of rugby by a long way at the moment and will again look to the starve their opponents of ball whilst unleashing their speedy back three from set plays to secure points.

New Zealand teams historically struggle to defeat the men from Argentina and this battle will again be a hard fought encounter. Make no mistake, the Pumas will present a strong challenge in this fixture and in defence and at set play time the sides are fairly evenly matched. I expect this to be a close game in the first half with the All Blacks to run away with it in the second stanza as the Pumas tire and the All Blacks’ class comes through. All Blacks by 19.

The second fixture of the round says the presently much maligned Wallabies host the men from South Africa in Perth at Patersons Stadium. The no 2 ranking in world rugby is on the line this fixture and that will be motivation enough for both teams to lift after very disappointing performances two weekends ago.

The Springboks have made a number of changes to the team that disappointed against the Pumas and have overhauled the back of the scrum with a view to, seemingly, dominating the Wallabies at the break down and in the set pieces. With this focus in mind Andries Bekker and Jacques Potgieter have been dropped with Juandre Kruger and Duane Vermeulen coming into the team. The Springboks have also looked to improve their stuttering attack and selected experienced halfback Ruan Pienaar to the starting line up and have dropped Mvovo for Francois Hougaard.

The Springboks are expected to play 10 man rugby in this fixture in the hope of stifling the Wallabies and by the look of their pack will be focused on physically challenging the Wallabies at every opportunity. Again it looks like the boot of Morne Steyn will be vital to the Springboks chances and one really can not see him being off form two weeks in a row so the Wallabies will need to be wary of any ill-discipline in their own half.

The Wallabies were thrashed by the All Blacks a fortnight ago and were flattered by the scoreline in both test matches they have played to date in the Rugby Championship. Robbie Deans, possibly facing a match to save his job at the helm of the Wallabies, has again made significant changes to the line up that played in Auckland. Kurtley Beale returns to the team at fullback with Adam Ashley Cooper replacing Rob Horne at inside centre. Dom Shipperley replaces the injured Drew Mitchell on the wing while Scott Higginbotham has been dropped to the bench with Radicke Samo taking his place on the bench. Mike Harris has also made his way onto the bench for this fixture.

The immediate reaction to this line-up is that it presents as a much more balanced team in attack than that selected for the first two games. That being the case, it would be hoped by many that the Wallabies jettison their approach of kicking the ball at every opportunity and keep the ball in hand more. Equally, it is vital that the Wallabies win the physical battle against this very large South African line up. All in all a large approval across all aspects of the game will be need by the Wallabies to avoid being ensconced at the bottom of the table after three rounds.

This will be another brutal encounter and it is worth noting that whilst the Wallabies have a recent rich vein of form against the Springboks at home, games in Perth historically have fallen the way of the Springboks.

The result of this game is likely to come down to whether the Wallabies misfiring attack can reserve the form of previous weeks and fire on all cylinders. If it does they should score enough points to defeat the 10 man attack of the Springboks.

I am tipping the Wallabies return to form after their terrible last two weeks and win this game in a close encounter. Wallabies by 7.

Steve is sports tragic and is particularly fanatical about rugby and cricket. A proud Reds member, Steve is also a fan of Wallabies as well as the Welsh team (when they are not playing the Wallabies). When not following rugby, cricket and all other sports, Steve is an account director at an accounting firm.

The All Blacks – Depth Perception

All Black fan Tim Cronin from rugbyshirts.net fears the famous assembly line, while mostly strong, may be a little light in some areas.

The year directly following a World Cup is traditionally rife with retirements and players moving off-shore to chase lucrative contracts, but thanks to some forward thinking by the NZRFU the All Blacks, in general, are looking in great shape. But while there are some areas where the depth is better than it has ever been, there are other areas which should be of concern as the coaching and management staff look to the future.

In the front-row the All Blacks have unprecedented depth. In Owen Franks and Tony Woodcock they have two of the world’s very best props, while Ben Franks and scrummaging machine Wyatt Crockett are also more than capable of holding their own at international level. Factor in youngsters like Charlie Faumuina and Ben Tameifuna and the propping stocks look particularly healthy.

While they could do with developing some more young talent to accompany Hika Elliot at hooker they are blessed by the fact that their hooking main-stays, namely Keven Mealamu and Andrew Hore, have stuck by New Zealand rugby, as his the injury-prone Corey Flynn, so there is plenty of experience floating around at number 2.

In the second row there is a great mix of youth and experience. Sam Whitelock has firmly cemented his standing as the countries’ number one second rower, and both Brodie Retallick and Luke Romano showed they are more than capable of mixing it with the big boys when they made their test debuts this year. With Ali Williams still in the mix to help with the transition, and other hard-grafting locks like the Chiefs’ Craig Clarke waiting in the wings, the tight-five looks to be in good hands.

Loose-forward, on the other hand, doesn’t look so rosy. In a position where the All Blacks have traditionally be particularly strong, they really only have two world-class loose-forwards, in Richie McCaw and Keiran Read. With Jerome Kaino plying his trade off-shore there is a definite gap at blindside flanker, not to mention on the bench, should McCaw or Read suffer a long-term injury.

And let’s be honest, Richie McCaw’s not getting any younger, nor are the physical demands he places on his body week-in, week-out getting any less. No doubt the powers-that-be have recognised this, and I am sure the search for a genuine openside is well underway.

For a couple of years it looked like Canterbury’s Matt Todd (lead photo) would be the successor to McCaw’s throne. In fact, had McCaw succumbed to the injuries that threatened his world cup campaign we could well have seen Todd in the black jersey for that all important tournament.

But he seems to have dropped off the radar this year, with Waikato’s Sam Cane being introduced in to the squad, and performed well against Ireland. But Cane failed to secure a starting spot in the Chiefs side which went on to win the Super XV, and the young tearaway has a long way to go, both with his game-play, but more importantly with his physical development, before he can be considered for a full-time role at seven in the New Zealand side.

And number 6 remains an issue. While Liam Messam has come-of-age this season the fact that it took him so long to take ownership of the black jersey suggests that this current form may be a rare aberration, rather than a genuine realisation of his true ability. But both Victor Vito and Adam Thompson failed to make the jersey their own when they had their opportunities, and were it not for the fact that McCaw and Read are so very good I am sure we would be bemoaning our lack of quality blindside flankers.

The halves are just the opposite, with things looking just as sound there as they are in the tight-forwards. Aaron Smith has had a stunning year, and is now unquestionably the number one halfback in the country. Should his form continue, and his game develop as it has been, he has a long and illustrious international career ahead of him.

And behind him he has the vastly experienced Peri Weepu, not to mention Andy Ellis, both of whom have proved they have plenty to offer at the top level. Gazing towards the future, both TJ Peranara and Tawera Kerr-Barlow had break-out seasons this year, and should both wear the black jersey at some stage in the next few years.

Dan Carter is the greatest number ten New Zealand has ever had, and, dare I say it, probably the best the world has ever seen, and there really hasn’t been anyone nipping at his heels and challenging for his jersey – until now. Such was Aaron Cruden’s form during the Chiefs’ history-making Super XV campaign that he really is a genuine option at first-five now.

For years I’m sure the popular perception has been that Carter would be an automatic starter at ten for the All Blacks until the day he retired, or succumbed to injury. But if Cruden’s form continues to be so compelling, then Carter will have to work hard to stave off the challenge of the diminutive five-eighth.

Adding further depth is the Hurricane’s Beauden Barrett, who has that dependable style of play that any side would cherish, and the desperately unlucky Colin Slade, who continues to be ravaged by serious injuries.

Midfield is the other position of real concern in the immediate future. In Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith there is a top-quality midfield, perhaps the best in the world, although I daresay the South African’s might have something to say about that. But outside those two, and with Sonny Bill Williams traipsing around the globe chasing his next pay day, there really are very few options. Of the experienced campaigners, the Highlanders Tamati Ellison had a great season, but is a solid ‘fill-in’ at best, while both Isea Toeava and Rene Ranger have failed to demonstrate any sort of consistency at the top level.

Ryan Crotty’s name was bandied about before SBW announced his availability for the opening rounds of the Rugby Championship, but like Ellison he is solid without being spectacular. Robbie Freuan has X-factor, but his defensive fallibilities, and his ongoing battle with his fitness, due to a serious heart condition, mean he is unlikely to be given the responsibility of an All Black role any time soon.

If Richard Kahui could stay fit he would be a genuine option at centre, but he really is an unknown quantity – he obviously has talent in abundance, but he plays so rarely that we simply don’t know whether he can perform week-in, week-out at the top level or not.

While it’s doom and gloom in the midfield, particularly if Nonu or Smith were to be injured, the outside backs are in fine shape. Israel Dagg remains the first choice at fullback, while Corey Jane and Hosea Gear got the nod for the opening games of the Championship. Ben Smith, a versatile player who can cover all three back positions, was preferred on the bench, which left the likes of Zac Guildford and Julian Savea right out of it. Then there’s the Hurricanes’ Andre Taylor, who was on scintillating form during the Super XV, and some breath-taking talent starting to move through the Auckland system. And all these players are young, with long futures in the New Zealand system ahead of them.

All in all, there is more depth in New Zealand rugby than there ever has been, and the NZRFU seems to be able to retain more of them than they have in the past 15 years. As long as some depth can be nurtured in the loose and the midfield, New Zealand’s reign as the best team in the world could be a long one.

Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sports team, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.

Ends don’t justify the Deans

All Black fan Tim Cronin from rugbyshirts.net reckons the battle to avoid the Rugby Championship wooden spoon could be more fierce than that for first place.

The All Blacks cruised to a comfortable win over an increasingly hapless looking Wallabies side while the Argentinians came desperately close to securing a famous victory over the ‘Boks as Round Two of the Rugby Championship took place over the weekend.

Eden Park has never been a happy hunting ground for the Wallabies, but the beleaguered side must have truly been dreading this visit, with media, fans, and former players becoming increasingly impatient with their poor form, and calls for coach Robbie Deans to fall on his sword becoming louder and louder.

If there was one positive Deans’ and his men can take away from their 22-nil loss on Saturday it was their scrambling defence, which kept the scoreline from getting completely out of hand. While it was the first time in over 50 years the Australian’s had been kept scoreless against their Trans-Tasman neighbours, the score could have been considerably worse, as the world champions poured on the pressure late in the game. However, desperate work on their own line managed to deny the black machine and save the visitors the embarrassment of what could easily have been a 50 point loss.

But the signs really do look bad for the Wallabies. It’s obvious that there is discontent in the shed, and it shows on the field, with inaccuracy at set pieces and a disjointed backline that never really looks like constructing anything meaningful or threatening. Unless things change drastically they will not only struggle to keep things respectable when they meet the Springboks, but look odds on to provide the Argentinians with their first ever win in the Championship, a milestone that they were oh-so-close to achieving on the weekend.

Los Pumas hosted the South Africans at Mendoza in their first home game of the Rugby Championship, and were only denied an historic win thanks to an intercept try from Springbok midfielder Franz Steyn.

In front of a hostile crowd the hosts managed to make the game in to the kind of encounter they thrive in – a brutally fierce physical encounter. You could almost feel the intensity at the collision zone every time the Argentinians catapulted themselves at a ruck, and their approach obviously got under the skin of the Springboks, who were ill-disciplined and lacked accuracy.

But the Pumas have got plenty to work on, much of which will develop as they gain experience at this level. There was an obvious lack of self-belief and confidence at stages, and this affected their ability to execute when the opportunity to score arose. They must have been bitterly disappointed when Steyn crossed with 15 minutes to go to level the scores at 16-all, and it was a sound effort to hold on for the draw in the face of that disappointment.

Even though the Springboks were below-par there was enough to suggest that a trip to Argentina is going to be an arduous journey for any of the other Championship sides, and, once they genuinely believe in their ability, a win will be inevitable. At this early stage though it already looks like the title will be decided between New Zealand and South Africa, with Australia battling desperately with Argentina to avoid the wooden spoon.

Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sports team, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.

The Rugby Championship – Week 2 preview

Our man down under @shumpty77 looks ahead to the second round of matches.

An historic weekend of rugby last weekend panned out as many expected as the defence orientated Wallabies could not pounce on the mistakes made by the rusty All Blacks and the Springboks ran away from the gallant Pumas.

This week of fixtures present the “return bouts” with the All Blacks hosting the Wallabies at Eden Park and the Pumas hosting the Springboks on that evening in Mendoza.

Game 3 : New Zealand v Australia   (kickoff 8:35am Irish time)

What can one say about the clash between these sides last week? Frankly it was scrappy and the score line flattered a very ordinary Wallabies outfit. This week this fixture comes to us from Eden Park where the Wallabies have not been victorious since Alan Jones was the coach of the Wallabies in 1986. I do not expect this record of losses to be resolved this weekend given the disparate level of quality and class between the two line-ups.

The All Blacks have made one change to their line-up from last week with Woodcock out through injury. Last week they showed that they are somewhat more flexible in attack than most expected with their “big” centres playing a limited roll and acting mostly as decoys in the set plays that lead to tries. They also dominated the Wallabies at scrum time and were so effective at the breakdown that ball to Will Genia was consistently slow.

Equally the All Blacks did play below their usual lofty standard in their first run together for some weeks so they will be looking to improve significantly on last week’s performance rather than trotting out “more of the same”. In order to do this it will again be important for the All Blacks to dominate the set pieces, win the collisions and score points through their slickness in the backline rather than just barging it up through their outside centres.

What do the Wallabies need to win? It might sound facetious but given that last week was probably their best chance to defeat the All Blacks this year it looks likely that a miracle will truly be required to dent the All Black’s Eden Park dominance. The Wallabies have the look of a rudderless ship in disarray in a storm at the moment with selection condundrums and injury concerns compounding the woe that rests with being the second best team in the ANZAC colonies.

No David Pocock this week is a big blow for the Wallabies albeit it must be said that he was nullified at the breakdown last week before he was injured and in Michael Hooper he has a star of the future to replace him. More worrying for the Wallabies will be their total ineffectiveness in attack last week. Coach Deans has tried to mitigate against a similar performance this week with the injection of Quade Cooper into the line up at fly half however the inclusion of the Waratahs’ 13, 14 (noting Drew Mitchell’s lack of match time in the sky blue this year) and 15 will not be causing the All Blacks’ brain trust to unduly loose sleep at night.

Simply put, Cooper cannot do it all on his own no matter how mighty his performance might be. Across the backline the key match ups aside from those between the fly halves look like the rest easily in the favour of the All Blacks and thus the ability of the Wallabies to score points will continue to be a worry.

The well beaten front row from last week has also been shaken up through injury with the Brumbies’ hooker Stephen Moore returning to the run on side. Equally the well beaten Benn Robinson retains the number one jersey ahead of James Slipper, so it will not be a surprise of the problems of last week at scrum time do not raise their ugly head again.

Ultimately, the All Blacks are the number one team in rugby for a reason as well as being prohibitive $1.09 favourites to win this game: they loose at home rarely if at all and will be primed for an improved performance before an Eden Park crowd that has little to cheer about so far this season. Whilst my heart is begging for a Wallabies victory my brain is saying to consider same a possibility is an act of stupidity on current form and that being the case I this the All Blacks will win this game and win it well. All Blacks by 19

Game 4 : Argentina v South Africa  (KO 7:10pm Irish time)

It has long been said that if the Pumas are to win a game in the Rugby Championship this season it will be at home albeit most pundits presently suggest that that win may well come later in the season against the wobbling Wallabies.

The Pumas have suffered a major blow already this week with Juan Martin Hernandez ruled out with a torn hamstring that occurred at training. They have made one other change to the side from Newlands with Martin Rodriquez coming at fullback for the incumbent Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino whose performance last week was calamitous to say the least.

This week the competition debutants have another mountain to climb to threaten the Springboks and they will need to do so through their strengths in the forward pack as well as in defence which was praised by the Springbok’s coach last week despite leaking 27 points by full time. In order to beat this Springboks outfit the Pumas must score at least 25 points in my opinion and must have an early lead. They must also carefully monitor their discipline to ensure that they do not present Morne Steyn with any opportunities to bolster the Springboks score.

The Springboks were workmanlike in their disposal of the Pumas last week and gave the impression of being a team that still had a few gears to get through before they reached top gear. They have made two changes to their line-up last week with Keegan Daniel dropped to the bench after a moribund performance in game one and Bismarck du Plessis ruled out with a knee ligament injury. Adriaan Strauss and Jacques Potgieter come into the team.

One suspects they will need to lift a couple of gears in this fixture as they will be against a Pumas side desperate for their first win in the competition before their home fans. That said they are team with class across the park who will rely upon their combinations formed during the Super 15 which have largely been maintained to again beat the debutants. In Messrs Kirchner, Habana and Mvovo they have a back three with pace to burn who will use the platform created by their enormous forward pack to their absolute advantage if the Pumas are not diligent in defence.

I do not expect an upset in this game but do expect the Pumas to present more of a test to the Springboks this week in their first home match of the Rugby Championship and thus I expect this game to be closer than last week’s away loss for them. Springboks by 11

Steve is sports tragic and is particularly fanatical about rugby and cricket. A proud Reds member, Steve is also a fan of Wallabies as well as the Welsh team (when they are not playing the Wallabies). When not following rugby, cricket and all other sports, Steve is an account director at an accounting firm.

World Champions can only get better

All Black fan Tim Cronin from rugbyshirts.net wasn’t 100% happy with the win on Saturday…

The All Blacks kicked off their Championship campaign and their bid to retain the Bledisloe Cup with a 27-19 win in Sydney on Saturday night, but I can’t help but think that they let the Wallabies off the hook a bit.

When Mike Tyson was in his prime it was said that some (if not most) of his opponents had already lost the fight before the opening bell sounded. Standing in the opposite corner, black trunks and boots with no socks, a chiselled physique designed purely for inflicting pain and a hungry, menacing glare on his face, Tyson was simply so intimidating that his opponent lost all self-belief, and at best harboured thoughts of survival, but never really of victory.

The Wallabies looked like that as the opening match of the Championship got underway in Sydney on Saturday night. Sure, they landed a lucky punch early on when Sonny Bill Williams (New Zealand’s own Heavyweight boxing champ as it happens!) threw an ill-advised forward pass, but they still looked to be shaking at the knees as play restarted and the black machine, like Mike Tyson in a rugby shirt, began rolling forward.

Such was Australia’s lack of confidence that they started playing ‘catch-up footy’ with 65 minutes to go. They so clearly lacked the belief that they could beat the All Blacks in a stand-up battle that they began running it from their own goal-line, throwing obscenely bad passes and making cringe-worthy decisions when they were only trailing by 10 points.

If the All Blacks had have played somewhere near their real capabilities they could have crushed the Wallabies, ruining their confidence completely for the rest of the season. The Aussies played so poorly in the opening half hour of the Sydney test that the All Blacks could have led by 30 at the break, and gone on to canter past the half-century mark. Had that happened, Robbie Deans’ task would have been insurmountable. They would have travelled to New Zealand this weekend knowing that the result was a fore-gone conclusion, would have suffered another heavy defeat, and would have struggled to win a game throughout the tournament, even against Los Pumas.

But the All Blacks weren’t on their game. Yes, Alain Rolland was super-proud of his new whistle and grabbed any excuse to show us how loud he could blow it, but he was at least consistent. The All Blacks simply failed to execute with any accuracy.

I’m not saying that they should have been in tip-top form in their first outing since the Super XV; I’m just saying they could have well and truly crushed the will of an opponent who is notoriously resilient when times get tough.

The Australians are too smart to kid themselves in to think they were anything other than poor on Saturday night, but the fact that they were within 5 points of the All Blacks with just 5 minutes remaining will give them some heart. The World Champion’s inability to ‘finish-off’ their foe in the clinical fashion we have come to associate them with gave the Aussies an inexplicable sniff of victory on Saturday, and the wily Wallabies will take some motivation from the fact that they played so badly yet could well have won the match.

Captain McCaw’s decision to take the three-points on offer at the death, rather than simply kicking the ball out and letting the final whistle blow, did show the killer instinct you’d expect from the All Blacks, with Dan Carter’s successful kick denying the Wallabies a bonus-point. But while a win away from home is always gold when the Southern Hemisphere’s premier tournament takes place, it’s also nice, in this instance anyway, to kick your opponent when they down, and I think the All Blacks missed a huge opportunity to do just that on the weekend.

Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sports team, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.

The Rugby Championship fixtures

(all times Irish)

Now Super Rugby is over here’s some dates & times to stick in your diary…there are some kickoff times you may not be used to!

Saturday, 18 August 2012

Australia v New Zealand, Stadium Australia, Sydney, 11:05am

South Africa v Argentina, Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, 4pm

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Saturday, 25 August 2012

New Zealand v Australia, Eden Park, Auckland, 8:35am

Argentina v South Africa, Estadio Mundialista Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza, 8:10pm

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Saturday, 8 September 2012

New Zealand v Argentina, Westpac Stadium, Wellington, 8:35am

Australia v South Africa, Subiaco Oval, Perth, 11:35am

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Saturday, 15 September 2012

New Zealand v South Africa, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin, 8:35am

Australia v Argentina, Skilled Park, Gold Coast, 11:05am

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Saturday, 29 September 2012

South Africa v Australia, Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria, 4pm

Argentina v New Zealand, Estadio De La Plata, Buenos Aires, 12:10am (Sunday)

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Saturday, 6 October 2012

South Africa v New Zealand, National Stadium, Johannesburg, 4pm

Argentina v Australia, Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, 12:10am (Sunday)

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Saturday, 20 October 2012

Bledisloe Cup (doesn’t count towards TRC)

Australia v New Zealand, SunCorp Stadium, Brisbane, 11am

Click here for the final All Blacks squad

Click here for the final Springboks squad

Click here for the final Wallabies squad

Click here for the Pumas squad for their opener