Dangerous Pumas ready to build on progress
Argentina won six matches in their first 10 seasons competing in the southern hemisphere championship, but have claimed as many victories again in the last three years alone.
That includes their best ever campaign in 2024, when they won in New Zealand for the first time, beat the world champion Springboks and claimed a record 67-27 victory over Australia.
They have gone from whipping boys to a team that, while perhaps not feared yet, has gained huge respect and on their day are a match for anyone in the competition.
Recent form has been mixed, including a 2-0 home series loss to a severely under-strength England in July, but coach Felipe Contepomi had rested several players for those matches too.
He has recalled Juan Cruz Mallía, Santiago Chocobares, Marcos Kremer, Bautista Delguy, Mateo Carreras and Ignacio Ruiz in what is a significant bolster to the squad for Sunday morning's match (NZ time) in Córdoba against the All Blacks.
The likes of Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Garcia, Franco Molina and Joel Sclavi, who all featured in the 28-24 win over the British & Irish Lions in Dublin, but missed the England series, are also back.
Kremer says the experience built up over the last few years in the Rugby Championship has given the team confidence.
"The team has been doing things very well, the staff has been doing things very well," he told reporters. "We have to put nerves aside and dedicate ourselves to playing rugby, we know how to do it and what to do with the players (we have).
"The work that the forwards have to do is to try to give those opportunities to the three quarters, those fast balls or those balls advancing. We know that if the forwards work and are going well, then behind we have things to fly a little more."
Argentina host New Zealand in their first two Rugby Championship matches in Córdoba (9.10am on Sunday) and Buenos Aires (August 24) before a two-match trip to Australia.
They then face the Springboks in Durban and finish their campaign in London on October 4 - the first time a Rugby Championship game will be played in the northern hemisphere.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
All Blacks team naming brings little surprise
There was little in the way of surprises from the All Blacks team naming today. Scott Barrett returns from injury to lead the team into this Sunday's showdown with the Pumas in Argentina. Despite a somewhat predictable starting line up, coach Scott Robertson did make a few changes. Sports reporter Jamie Wall spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
All Blacks: The full strength issue Scott Robertson now faces
Pumas v All Blacks Kick-off: 9:10am Sunday 17 August Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba Live blog updates on RNZ Analysis - Nine changes but not really any surprises. That's the takeaway from the All Black team naming out of Córdoba this morning, but there's a fair chance that we'll be saying the same thing for the rest of the season. On the surface, a strong All Black team should be expected - but the draw the All Blacks face from here on out shows that there's little room for experimentation. The next two tests are against a Pumas team that beat them last year and then the All Blacks face their biggest challenge of the year against the Springboks. Then there's the Bledisloe Cup and a Grand Slam tour, with the only fixture that would usually stick out as a gimme test being against Scotland. Except that Scotland ran the All Blacks very close the last time they were in Edinburgh and provided some of the key players for the recent British & Irish Lions side. And that Robertson has made it very clear that he doesn't want to take any chances, with last year's arguably overly cautious selection approach against lowly Italy the best example of that. So the argument is very much there that Robertson will have to pick his best side for every remaining match in 2025. Which is fine in theory, but can his squad absorb the inevitable injury toll? It's something that will get put to the test this Saturday, as Cortez Ratima finds himself in charge of a very makeshift halfback corps. "Obviously it's unfortunate that two guys (Cam Roigard and Noah Hotham) can't be here," said Ratima. "I guess for me trying to help them (Finlay Christie and Kyle Preston) out, with any details. If I don't know the answer, I'll go ask the coaches…as nines we always pick off each other's ideas." Du'Plessis Kirifi. Photo: ActionPress Flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi stressed that the team had been impressed at how the new look halfbacks had got into their work. "Just like any other unit in our group, we're always pushing each other to be better. Only two people can play on the weekend, but during the week, we're right there…it's been pretty awesome to see these guys operate in pretty unique circumstances." The key now is to almost view this circumstance as not so unique, though. Robertson has been clear that he wants four players deep in every position over the next four years, but the trick now is to actually give his new players enough game time to make that a reality - something that is kind of at odds with the way he's picking the team right now. Then there's the number of minutes that the key men are playing. Robertson rightfully pointed out that Ardie Savea has just had three weeks off and will be fresh for this weekend, but it will be his 16th game of the year after his mammoth workload with Moana Pasifika. Ardie Savea. Photo: ActionPress Savea is a special player so therefore can be treated with special rules, but it's likely he will play every test this season and rack up potentially 25 games. Savea generally doesn't get subbed, so he's looking at a potentially record-breaking amount of work this season. As per usual, the All Blacks will only publicly focus on one week at a time, however there will some serious work going on behind the scenes to make sure that the likes of Savea are kept as healthy as possible long term. Pumas: 1. Mayco Vivas, 2. Julian Montoya, 3. Pedro Delgado, 4. Franco Molina, 5. Pedro Rubiolo, 6. Pablo Matera, 7. Marcos Kremer, 8. Joaquin Oviedo, 9. Gonzalo Garcia, 10. Tomas Albornoz, 11. Bautista Delguy, 12. Santiago Chocobares, 13. Lucio Cinti, 14. Rodrigo Isgro, 15. Juan Cruz Mallia Bench: 16. Ignacio Ruiz, 17. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18. Joel Sclavi, 19. Guido Petti, 20. Juan Martin Gonzalez, 21. Simon Benítez Cruz, 22. Santiago Carreras, 23. Justo Piccardo All Blacks: 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Codie Taylor, 3. Fletcher Newell, 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Fabian Holland, 6. Tupou Vaa'i, 7. Du'Plessis Kirifi, 8. Ardie Savea, 9. Cortez Ratima, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Billy Proctor, 14. Sevu Reece, 15. Will Jordan Bench: 16. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17. Ollie Norris, 18. Pasilio Tosi, 19. Patrick Tuipulotu, 20. Samipeni Finau, 21. Finlay Christie, 22. Anton Lienert-Brown, 23. Damian McKenzie
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- RNZ News
Wild facts about the first All Blacks
The first New Zealand rugby team played its inaugural match, defeating a Wellington XV 9–0 at Newtown Park in 1884. Photo: Alexander Turnbull Library Pumas v All Blacks Kick-off: 9:10am Sunday 17 August Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Córdoba Live blog updates on RNZ The All Blacks return to action this weekend against the Pumas in Cordoba. While things have come a long way from training on the decks of ships, or making a mad dash from milking the cows to playing a test match, the age of professionalism was paved through over a century of amateur pioneers. The early days of the All Blacks were full of incredible tales. Though the team did not officially adopt the iconic name until 1905, the country has been selecting its best players to represent Aotearoa since 1884. Here are some of the most fascinating, quirky and tragic stories from New Zealand rugby's earliest characters. An All Black strawweight John Dumbell, an 1884 All Black who weighed just 50kg. An ironic surname considering he could have been curled by a few of today's All Blacks. All Black shot dead Alfred Cooke, who debuted in 1894, was killed in 1900. He was shot accidentally by a friend during a shooting expedition at Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora, preventing him from seeing his brother debut for the All Blacks in 1903. Coast to coast Henry Butland traversed the Southern Alps on foot to get from Hokitika to Lyttleton for the 1893 tour of Australia. Took part in the Klondike Gold Rush and his son Jack founded Chesdale Cheese. The OG Barrett brothers The Bayley bunch had six brothers who played for Taranaki in the late nineteenth and early 20th centuries with Alfred and Walter making their debuts for New Zealand in 1893 and '94 respectively. Horse kills All Black James Lambie first played for New Zealand in 1893. In 1905 while travelling home on horseback after watching Taranaki play Great Britain, he was kicked in the head by his horse and died as a result. Boots and bulbs William Balch, who won a sole New Zealand cap in 1894, was also a noted authority on growing daffodils. Boy amongst men Joe Warbick, who played 21 matches for the 'Natives' and seven for New Zealand starting in 1884, was the youngest person to ever play provincial rugby at just 15. He would often play barefooted and could slot a droppie from halfway. Killed by the Waimangu Geyser eruption of 1903. The fraud forward James O'Donnell was selected for the first national side to tour Australia in 1884, but was arrested on a fugitive warrant at Clinton and returned to Invercargill to face fraud charges. A taboo romance In a 19th century Romeo and Juliet tale, David Gage and a Scottish Aristocrat fell in love during the 1888-89 'Natives' Tour, eventually forced to part ways due to interracial romance being forbidden in Scottish high society. The story was adapted into a three part mini series called 'Savage Play.' The 1888 Native Team played 107 matches over 14 months, winning 78, drawing 6, and losing 23. Photo: Boats 'n all Thomas Ryan, the first player to kick a conversion and a drop goal for New Zealand in 1884, was a renowned artist with three of his pieces in the collection of the Auckland Art Gallery. He also skippered a ship for 20 years which ran between Taupō and Tokaanu. Typhoid takes trailblazer Named the first captain of the All Blacks in 1884, William Millton died from typhoid at just 29. Original big bopper Timothy O'Connor was the heaviest All Black in the original 1884 side at a whopping 89kg. Swept away John Taiaroa, a member of the first new Zealand side in 1884, drowned on New Years Eve in 1907 after slipping off his boat in the Otago Harbour. His body was recovered two weeks later, ten miles away. All Black author Billy Stead, a member of the 1905 Originals tour to Britain, wrote 'The Complete Rugby Footballer,' published in 1906, widely regarded as one of the best rugby manuals ever written. Founder of the fern Thomas Ellison was the first captain of New Zealand in 1893, one of the first Māori lawyers in New Zealand, and was the man behind the iconic silver fern on black uniform. All Black hero In 1897, All Black Robert Oliphant was given a bravery award for saving a little girl from drowning in the Auckland Harbour. Mining death An All Black in 1894, John Swindley died in Sumatra in a mining accident in 1918. In the family A member of the first All Black team of 1884, Henry Robert's son Teddy, also a halfback, was a member of the All Blacks in 1913, making them the first father-son duo to play for New Zealand. Edward and William Millton marked the first All Black brothers in 1884. A lucky escape In 1906, Fred Roberts was too ill to travel home with the All Blacks and stayed in San Francisco for several weeks. After surgery to remove his infected tonsils, he travelled back to New Zealand, narrowly missing the 1906 San Francisco earthquake which destroyed his hotel. Reporting from the field Ernie Booth was also a journalist at the same time he played for the All Blacks from 1905-07. Way to get the scoops! On field fatality In 1913 on a tour to Canada, a player on the Victoria team was carried from the field after suffering a big hit from an All Black. He died after the game and it was first thought this was due to concussion of the brain, but a medical investigation showed that he had suffered a heart attack. Tri-code star Before there was Israel Folau, there was George Gillett who played for the All Blacks from 1905-08, and also represented the the New Zealand rugby league and Australian rules sides. An early artist's impression of a rugby match. Photo: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
