Latest news with #RodrigoIsgro
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Argentina look to take positives into second match against All Blacks
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina were beaten handily by New Zealand in last weekend's Rugby Championship clash in Cordoba but winger Rodrigo Isgro says the defeat should not overshadow the positive aspects of the home team's performance. The two countries meet again in Buenos Aires on Saturday in their second game of the Southern Hemisphere competition after the All Blacks won 41-24 last weekend. "Obviously, it's the All Blacks. They knew how to take advantage of our mistakes,' Isgro told reporters at training. "But we also cancelled a lot of what they had planned, but they changed their game and started to make it simpler, and we couldn't dominate them there. "Even so, I think we were in the contest throughout the entire match. We came within a try in the second half of tying them. There were a lot of things that we worked on during the week before that we utilised well in the match, which for me is super important." The 26-year-old, who plays his club rugby at Harlequins in London, was one of the three try scorers for Argentina in Cordoba. "It was my first game against the All Blacks. There's something different about playing them," he said. 'The day before the test, I remembered when I used to do the haka at home. There were sentimental aspects to playing the All Blacks, which made me really emotional. "But once I was out there, I knew the attention the game required, and you must try to manage any emotions. "Personally, I felt good. I'm quite self-critical. I know I must keep improving and there are things I can do much better.' Looking ahead to Saturday's game at Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Isgro said: "This weekend is going to be tougher and they're going to come with other things. "We have to focus on ourselves. We made a lot of unforced errors in the match, and we have to work on that, on the details." (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Johannesburg; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Argentina look to take positives into second match against All Blacks
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox BUENOS AIRES - Argentina were beaten handily by New Zealand in last weekend's Rugby Championship clash in Cordoba but winger Rodrigo Isgro says the defeat should not overshadow the positive aspects of the home team's performance. The two countries meet again in Buenos Aires on Saturday in their second game of the Southern Hemisphere competition after the All Blacks won 41-24 last weekend. "Obviously, it's the All Blacks. They knew how to take advantage of our mistakes,' Isgro told reporters at training. "But we also cancelled a lot of what they had planned, but they changed their game and started to make it simpler, and we couldn't dominate them there. "Even so, I think we were in the contest throughout the entire match. We came within a try in the second half of tying them. There were a lot of things that we worked on during the week before that we utilised well in the match, which for me is super important." The 26-year-old, who plays his club rugby at Harlequins in London, was one of the three try scorers for Argentina in Cordoba. "It was my first game against the All Blacks. There's something different about playing them," he said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Emergency broadcast system to alert S'pore public of disasters via their mobile phones: Edwin Tong Singapore New annual course will groom future leaders of Singapore's Chinese community Singapore Grab users in Singapore shocked by fares of over $1,000 due to display glitch Singapore Singapore indie cinema The Projector owes over $1.2m to creditors Life Five things to do at Singapore Night Festival – from kampung chilling to spotting luminous crabs Asia Calls to cut ties: Malaysia flag furore tests PH-BN relations Singapore Proposals sought to develop Changi East Urban District next to T5 Business New CDC job-matching drive may bring overlooked front-line roles closer to applicants: Experts 'The day before the test, I remembered when I used to do the haka at home. There were sentimental aspects to playing the All Blacks, which made me really emotional. "But once I was out there, I knew the attention the game required, and you must try to manage any emotions. "Personally, I felt good. I'm quite self-critical. I know I must keep improving and there are things I can do much better.' Looking ahead to Saturday's game at Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Isgro said: "This weekend is going to be tougher and they're going to come with other things. "We have to focus on ourselves. We made a lot of unforced errors in the match, and we have to work on that, on the details." REUTERS
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Pumas take positives into second All Blacks clash
Argentina were comfortably beaten by New Zealand in last weekend's Rugby Championship clash in Cordoba, but winger Rodrigo Isgro says the loss should not overshadow the positive aspects of the Pumas' performance. The countries meet again in Buenos Aires on Saturday in their second game of the Southern Hemisphere competition after the All Blacks won 41-24 last weekend. "Obviously, it's the All Blacks. They knew how to take advantage of our mistakes," Isgro told reporters at training. "But we also cancelled a lot of what they had planned, but they changed their game and started to make it simpler, and we couldn't dominate them there. "Even so, I think we were in the contest throughout the entire match. We came within a try in the second half of tying them. There were a lot of things that we worked on during the week before that we utilised well in the match, which for me is super important." The 26-year-old, who plays his club rugby at Harlequins in London, was one of the three try scorers for Argentina in Cordoba. "It was my first game against the All Blacks. There's something different about playing them," he said. "The day before the Test, I remembered when I used to do the haka at home. There were sentimental aspects to playing the All Blacks, which made me really emotional. "But once I was out there, I knew the attention the game required, and you must try to manage any emotions. "Personally, I felt good. I'm quite self-critical. I know I must keep improving and there are things I can do much better." Looking ahead to Saturday's game at Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Isgro said: "This weekend is going to be tougher and they're going to come with other things. "We have to focus on ourselves. We made a lot of unforced errors in the match, and we have to work on that, on the details."
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
All Blacks beat Argentina 41-24 to reclaim rugby's world No. 1 ranking
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox New Zealand's Ardie Savea faces Argentina's wing Rodrigo Isgro in the Rugby Championship match at Mario Alberto Kempes stadium, on Aug 16, 2025. – New Zealand's Samisoni Taukei'aho scored two late tries to seal a 41-24 Rugby Championship win over Argentina and return the All Blacks to the top of the world rankings on Aug 16. Ahead 31-10 at the interval, New Zealand held off a second-half fightback from the Pumas in Cordoba and ultimately emerged victors by scoring six tries to three. The All Blacks clinched the world No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2021, leapfrogging world champions South Africa, who were stunned 38-22 by Australia in Johannesburg in the tournament opener. Winger Sevu Reece also scored a double for the visitors, while fly-half Beauden Barrett kicked 11 points and was a controlling figure with his tactical kicking. Barrett's counterpart Tomas Albornoz scored 14 points, including a try, but the Pumas were unable to end their winless record on home soil against New Zealand, which stretches to 15 matches. The result continues an unbeaten start to 2025 for the All Blacks, who swept France 3-0 in their July home series. All Blacks captain Scott Barrett said he was pleased with the result but conceded that his team had played well only in patches. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore What led to Changi Airport runway incursion involving 2 China Eastern Airlines planes in Aug 2024 Singapore Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner Singapore CPIB nabs 9 suspects for alleged match-fixing in national basketball league Singapore Live Singapore-raised seafood on sale at 3 Giant supermarkets from Aug 19 Asia Singaporean man sentenced to 72 years' jail in Malaysia for murdering wife and stepson Singapore Court to assess if teen who advertised vapes for sale on WhatsApp can receive probation Life Local indie theatre The Projector ceases operations from Aug 19 after a decade 'We talked about starting well and I think we did that. We finished the second half quite strong – it was a bit of a statement there,' said Barrett, whose team fell away badly in the closing stages of several 2024 Rugby Championship matches. 'In the second half, we were a little bit slow and probably a little bit of indiscipline fed their game, which was disappointing and allowed the crowd to get in behind them. 'They threw a lot of punches at us and I'm pleased the guys who finished the game were able to win some arm wrestles, get some territory and most importantly come away with a good win.' Reece scored the opening try after an early Beauden Barrett penalty before Argentina responded, when pressure created an overlap for winger Rodrigo Isgro. Pumas prop Mayco Vivas was shown a yellow card for a professional foul and New Zealand capitalised on their one-man advantage. Fullback Will Jordan sliced through on the halfway line and sent scrum-half Cortez Ratima clear for the best try of the match and a 17-7 lead. The visitors took control late in the first half through a try to back-rower Ardie Savea – arguably the game's best player – followed by Reece's second score. Albornoz kick-started Argentina's second-half rearguard with a tackle-busting try. New Zealand lost centre Billy Proctor to a yellow card and the home side closed to within seven points through a try from back-rower Joaquin Oviedo. However, All Blacks replacement hooker Taukei'aho sucked the energy out of the crowd by barging across to score twice in the last 12 minutes. The teams meet again in Buenos Aires on Aug 23. AFP
Telegraph
04-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Wingers in danger as law change unleashes chaos
The press box at Ashton Gate offers an impeccable view of the pitch, which often brings small instances – such as friendly fire during the warm-ups – to the attention. On Saturday afternoon, as the Harlequins starters were running against replacements and travelling reserves half an hour before kick-off, Rodrigo Isgro and Jake Murray charged in opposing directions to vie for a high ball. They leapt into the air and whacked into one another, with Murray coming off worse. Clearly in some pain, the young scrum-half peeled himself off the floor. Fortunately, he would be fit to come off the bench against Bristol Bears later on. Topsy Ojo, meanwhile, was preparing to commentate for BBC Radio 5 Live high up in the media seats. The former London Irish favourite winced. Fairly or unfairly, wing used to be regarded as the position where one could most easily avoid the physical stuff and keep a clean shirt. These days, chiefly because of a refereeing directive that has made a profound impact, back-three players must be immensely courageous because many believe that the pivotal battleground of aerial competition has become as perilous as anything in rugby. Fans of rugby union have become accustomed to the concept of unintended consequences and an apparent increase in aerial collisions is a result of the crackdown on 'escorting'; the practice of teams protecting their own back-field catchers by shepherding chasers after an opposition kick. Angus Gardner set a decisive tone during England's loss to New Zealand last November, demanding that players be granted 'access' to the ball, and the sport has looked different since. 'Duty of care for catcher appears to have gone' Training practices, tactics and even recruitment have been influenced. Trends are cyclical, and one source stressed the point that it is less than a decade since there was a push to protect catchers with a spate of red cards for reckless chasing. 'You are essentially encouraging contact in the air now, which only seems to get penalised if something bad happens,' a senior Premiership coach said. 'The duty of care for the catcher, which was there a few years ago, appears to have gone. I think that's very, very strange. Only a couple of years ago, we were trying to reduce those situations. Now, we're openly trying to get more of them. 'It's definitely more dangerous now, of course it is. You can go up high, at pace and bump the catcher. That's how we have to coach it. And that's very challenging because you don't want to risk injury in the week, but you have to expose them to what it is going to be like in a game. 'Catchers need to really own the space and almost go through the chaser, where the chaser has free licence to make contact. It seems very like AFL.' AFL laws allow players to call for a mark anywhere on the pitch provided the ball has been kicked 15 metres, which obviously heightens the significance of a clean catch. By last summer, escorting in rugby union had effectively become coordinated obstruction. Possession from kick-returns was so reliable that it was treated like another set-piece and the 'gloves' of backpedalling team-mates that cocooned catchers were ugly on the eye. Authorities were also eager to create more broken-field scenarios. Alex Goode, the Saracens full-back who bowed out last weekend after 402 club appearances, remains highly sceptical. 'I don't think it's better for the game,' he says. 'Escorting had probably gone too far, but it's now chaos. You've got guys running into the air and colliding with each other and the refs are in a difficult position. 'It just encourages more kicking, because there is such a good chance of winning back the ball. There was a theory that there would be more transition situations and more unstructured attack, but I don't think that's coming to fruition.' Saracens train 'live' aerial drills once or twice a week, but Goode fears that the injury situation 'will only get worse' because 'there are collisions left, right and centre'. It is understood that governing bodies are more focused on eradicating 'always illegal' actions such as shoulder charges and reckless actions against vulnerable players at the breakdown. Ben Stevenson, the Newcastle Falcons wing, copped a ban this week after being sent off for a mistimed challenge that flipped Santiago Carreras of Gloucester, showing that sanctions are still doled out. Ojo highlights Freddie Steward as an emblem of how the landscape has changed. Close to indispensable to England at one point, the Leicester Tigers full-back was usurped by George Furbank as head coach Steve Borthwick leant into kick-return as a source of attacking impetus. Steward could find himself coveted again soon because there is agreement that chasers have a big advantage. 'Before, chasers had to work a bit harder to get around the escort while keeping their eye on the ball and then getting up,' Goode adds. 'The kick had to be good and the chase was something you had to really refine to make it a skill. Now, it does seem a bit too easy to get up and spoil with one arm. I'd say that it encourages a more kick-focused game.' Andy Farrell's cohort of back-three players in the British and Irish Lions squad leaves little doubt over the importance of aerial prowess. Tommy Freeman, Mack Hansen, James Lowe, Duhan van der Merwe, Elliot Daly, Hugo Keenan and Blair Kinghorn all stand at least 6ft. Darcy Graham, who is 5ft 9in, was overlooked. 'I think [the directive] will affect recruitment strategies over the coming years,' suggested one source. 'Wingers' values had dropped, if you look at the positional stuff that comes out of the salary-cap report. People weren't spending as much money on them because they were putting it towards other areas. 'The change means a full-back who is very, very good in the air becomes more important and valuable. It will be the same for wingers who can go and get the ball. 'Will Muir is probably the best in the Premiership. He owns the space really well, he's brave in the air and goes for it with one hand a lot of the time. Kyle Steyn had a field day there on Friday night for Glasgow Warriors against Stormers as well.' The days of wings keeping a low profile and returning to the changing rooms in spotless kit are long gone. In the air, fierce commitment is critical and danger now comes with the territory.
