Ahead of the second round of the Rugby Championship, Planet Rugby delves into the action and picks out the storylines to follow from Australia’s clash with Argentina.
Reaction following heavy defeats
It was certainly not the most auspicious of starts for either Australia or Argentina, who found South Africa and New Zealand too strong respectively. Both will have been incredibly disappointed with their efforts having been completely outplayed in the first round of the Rugby Championship.
For the Wallabies, hopes were particularly high under new/old head coach Eddie Jones, who was making his return to the hotseat after 18 years away, but it proved to be a damp squib. They were outmuscled by the Springboks and ended up on the wrong end of a 43-12 scoreline.
That defeat was pretty much matched by Argentina after they succumbed to the All Blacks, 41-12. Michael Cheika’s men simply made too many errors and by half-time found themselves 31-0 behind in Mendoza. Although they improved in the second period, the damage had already been done.
It leaves both sides searching for answers as they prepare for this Round Two encounter. As they look towards the Rugby World Cup, a victory is absolutely vital, while a loss will set their preparations back even further.
Eddie already under pressure
Not for his job, obviously, but supporters certainly expected much better from his Wallabies outfit. Previous head honcho Dave Rennie copped plenty of abuse for their performances, as well as his miserly 38 per cent win record, but this was hardly an improvement from that.
In fact, considering Rennie’s last game as boss was an incredible come-from-behind success in Wales, this was a serious step back from those final 25 minutes. And while Jones was insistent that he would bring back an Australian way of playing, this felt like he copy and pasted the blueprint from his failed England side.
One of our criticisms of the Wallabies under Cheika and Rennie was that they tended to overplay, but their performance against South Africa was completely the opposite. Instead, they kicked too much and needlessly gave possession away deep inside the opposition half. It was reminiscent of the Red Rose towards the end of Jones’ tenure and you wonder whether the 63-year-old is once again bluffing over his preferred game plan.
Cheika’s record against Jones
A big positive the Wallabies head coach will take into this encounter is the winning streak he had over his former Randwick team-mate. After Jones took charge of England in 2016, he won seven in a row against Cheika’s Australia with the last, a 40-16 thrashing in the 2019 World Cup quarter-final, leading to Rugby Australia changing their head coach.
Cheika would spend three years out of the limelight before he returned as boss of Los Pumas where he finally ended his hoodoo against Jones, claiming a 30-29 triumph over the Red Rose at Twickenham. That defeat would prove to be catastrophic for the 63-year-old as he lost his job at the end of the year.
Jones was quickly back in work, joining the Australian set-up after Rennie’s sacking, and as a result these two now go head-to-head once again, this time in the Rugby Championship. Another fascinating duel, both on and off the field, awaits.
🇦🇺 Michael Cheika’s record against Eddie Jones as Australia head coach: Played seven, lost seven.
🇦🇷 Michael Cheika’s record against Eddie Jones as Argentina head coach: Played one, won one. 😎 pic.twitter.com/92wLP8B8jZ
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) November 6, 2022
Argentina’s set-piece
While the All Blacks were dominant in most departments in Mendoza, they particularly enjoyed taking apart the hosts’ scrum and lineout. The front-row has been a key weakness in Los Pumas’ armoury for a few years and once again they had no answer to New Zealand’s power and technique in the tight.
In Julian Montoya, they have one of the best hookers in the world, but there is not enough quality to complement him. Loosehead Thomas Gallo has the potential to be a force in both the loose and tight, but he is not quite there yet, while they are completely lacking in the tighthead department.
At lock, Matias Alemanno and Tomas Lavanini are good international players – even if the latter is hardly reliable on the disciplinary front – but they aren’t top level performers. Ultimately, the South Americans need Guido Petti, who struggled with injury in 2022/23, back to full match fitness looking towards the World Cup.
It is a mixture of both execution and a lack of world-class talent which is hampering Argentina at the moment, but we will see a better representation of where their front five stands this weekend. If it struggles once again, alarm bells will very much ring.
Muddled Wallaby selection
As he showed with England, Jones likes throwing in a few curve balls but it certainly did not work against South Africa. The biggest surprise was seeing rugby league convert Suliasi Vunivalu in the starting XV having endured a mixed couple of years in the 15-a-side game. It was a gamble which did not pay off, with the Reds flyer completely exposed at the highest level.
Vunivalu’s basics are simply not good enough for the Test arena, while at full-back Tom Wright struggles to control the backfield and is a liability in defence. Wright is much more effective on the wing, but ultimately it would be better for Jones to bring back Mark Nawaqanitawase, who impressed in the 2022 end-of-year series.
That leaves a spot at full-back, which could be taken by Reece Hodge after his failure to impress at inside centre. Hodge’s best position is in the backfield where his booming boot can be used to its greatest effect. It would also allow Jones to put Samu Kerevi at 12, whose physicality will help the fly-half, whether that be Quade Cooper or Carter Gordon.
READ MORE: Wallabies co-captain Michael Hooper set to miss Argentina game – report
Article courtesy of
Source link
