Bouncebackability

By Aiden McLaughlin

A response was badly needed and a response certainly came at a wet and wild night at Eden Park as the All Blacks blew Argentina away by six tries to one to get their Rugby Championship campaign back on track.

It’s certainly a cliché to say that the All Blacks are at their most dangerous after a loss, but like so many clichés, they are based on truth. As much as the Argentinians seek the ability to put back-to-back wins on New Zealand, Scott Robertson’s group, like so many before them, showed that a defeat can see them regroup and find an extra gear, or three, when the pressure is on and a country expects.

Many had expected more when the All Blacks named their 23 on Thursday morning; there were four changes from the starting line-up from Wellington and a further one on the bench as Sam Cane returned to the matchday squad for the first time since last year’s Rugby World Cup final. With Tamati Williams replacing Ethan de Groot at loose head, in light of de Groot having a neck injury assessed, the other three changes were in the backs, and were form based, as Rieko Ioane came back in at centre for Anton Lienert-Brown, and Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan replaced Mark Tele’a and Sevu Reece on the wings,

Last week, in a windless Wellington, the scoreboard had a to and fro nature to it; the All Blacks unable to turn any lead into a match winning one. With Argentina remaining in touch, the door was left ajar, and it was the visitors who claimed the upset. This week, in front of a crowd of 40,122, a first half five-try blitz, alongside a perfect performance off the tee by Damian McKenzie, saw the test decided by half-time, as the teams ran back down the tunnel with the score standing at 35-3.

In challenging conditions, the All Blacks were precise and clinical. Damian McKenzie will have been boosted by his head coach’s backing after last week’s display, where he was far from his best. McKenzie at number 10 doesn’t work for everyone, but Robertson and his fellow selectors are keeping faith for the forseeable.

So many assumed that Will Jordan would slot in at fullback from 2024 onwards and although that may well still happen as time progresses, for now, he picks up where he left off before injury, on the wing where he has done so much to impress when in black.

The pack, led by the actions of their skipper Ardie Savea, got into their work tonight with far more intensity than they did in the capital a week ago. Ethan Blackader, Sam Darry and Tupou Vaa’i showing their stuff on the international stage as four different backs, McKenzie, Clarke, Jordan and Beauden Barrett, added to the try scored by their captain to mercilessly keep the scoreboard ticking over in the first 40.

As decisive as the first half was, a stalemate ensued in the second 40, despite Jordan scoring his second try of the night after 42 mins, to make it 33 tries for him in 33 tests. The scoreboard wasn’t updated for a further 28 minutes, until full back Juan Cruz Mallía got the only try of the night for the visitors.

Sam Cane did indeed come on for his 96th test match appearance after 50 minutes, as he replaced Dalton Papali’i, as a raft of changes were made and the game, as so often happens, started to lose its shape.

There was late disappointment for the All Blacks with a yellow card awarded to replacement hooker Asafo Aumua after 76 minutes, following a head clash, a decision that remained after a review.

But although the second half wasn’t as spectacular as the first, New Zealand can reflect on a job well done, as steps forward returned following the setback of seven days ago

From the relative comfort of Auckland, the All Blacks now head to South Africa, where they play back-to-back test matches in Johannesburg and Cape Town, starting in a fortnight. As much as they improved tonight, they’ll need to find even more to challenge the world champions in their backyard and really see where this new All Blacks era stands.

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