RugbyRebels

Well, it turns out it's easier to defend a 5 metre line out when you can flood a maul from whatever angle you like.

New Zealand just spent all the luck they earned from being screwed in the cricket. Interception try, Sanchez missing the easiest kick he had all day, Argentina somehow managing to screw up two golden try-scoring chances, and then a 5m lineout in the last minute where NZ came round the side in about three different ways and then collapsed it. How that wasn't a penalty is utterly beyond me.

Still, a good win away from home and with a heavily rotated team. I think Argentina's snobbishness over favouring Jaguares over foreign players did cost them though - they could have used both Isa and Cordero today, but chose to leave them out of the XXIII.

Puja

Shouldn't have even got to the final maul if the AB's had employed the sensible game management approach that the Crusaders would have. By that I mean it should've been over once the Argies kicked away that free-kick and the ball was under control at the maul. From that point it didn't need to ever get more than a few metres away from the forwards. An inward angled (i.e. towards the maul) Laumape crash-ball is as exotic as it should've got. Then just grindy, grindy grind until the end. FFS the Blues managed it. Hopefully sanity, and game management skills, return with Whitelock next weekend.

I got the feeling that the All Blacks coaching staff had given Cane a list of playbook pages to tick off through that match.

Did that include "knock the ball on every second attacking play"?

Carefully. Eddie will be tapping him up.

You pervert. That's disgusting.

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After years of doing their own thing NZ are finally copying other sides more, and in fairness doing it well with that linespeed in defence. Not sure we'll see NZ kick that badly too often with Smith at 9, that should be quite an easy tidy up