All-conquering All Blacks have big point to prove during Rugby Championship

Alex Broun 15:30 17/08/2017
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  • The Rugby Championship, the annual tournament for southern hemisphere rugby supremacy, kicks off this Saturday in Sydney when the Wallabies take on the All Blacks.

    Here we look at the big questions facing each team…

    ARGENTINA

    Can they attain magic two wins?

    Daniel Hourcade’s side are in danger of plateauing after taking a single win in each of his first three seasons in charge and have yet to reap the expected dividend of having most of the squad also playing for the Jaguares in Super Rugby.

    It is now 10 years since Argentina’s breakthrough third place at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France and with the future of southern hemisphere  up in the air, the Pumas could benefit from making a statement.

    They have plenty of talent all around the park – from hooker and captain Agustin Creevy, to bad boy locks Matias Alemanno and Tomas Lavanini, to skillful midfielder Juan-Martin Hernandez. They just need to put it together on a week-to-week basis.

    Will their set-piece return?

    Teams feared facing the famed Argentina “badja” or eight-man shove. Whatever you did, you know you would have to deal with that and overcome the Pumas elsewhere on the park.

    But that fear has dissipated and Argentina have fallen back to the pack at scrum time. Indeed if you had to pick the strongest pack in the Rugby Championship it would be New Zealand. Argentina have improved their all- round game but to be a real threat their ferocious scrum needs to make a comeback.

    Argentina captain Agustin Creevy

    Argentina captain Agustin Creevy

    AUSTRALIA

    Can they keep it simple?

    Ever since Michael Cheika was appointed as coach back in late 2014, he has spoken a lot about identity, “playing the Wallabies way”. “We want our fans to know who we are when we step on to the field.”

    Three years later and Wallabies fans, and the rest of the rugby world, is still waiting.

    It’s all well and good to be ambitious but you also have to know your limitations – and to be frank the Wallabies at this point simply don’t have the cattle to execute an attractive game plan.

    It’s like watching a confused infant trying to paint a masterpiece – there is effort there (sporadically) but nowhere near the skill levels or precision needed to execute at anywhere near the level required.

    The Wallabies need to go back to basics and stop trying to be the All Blacks – they simply are not good enough to play 15-man Rugby.

    Will Kurtley Beale hit the ground running?

    When Cheika won Super Rugby in 2014 with the Waratahs a crucial part of the puzzle was the creative playmaker. But ‘KB’ is rushing to be fit in time for the opener against the All Blacks in Sydney.

    Beale injured his hamstring playing for Wasps in May before he returned to Australia but, such is his importance to the Wallabies cause, that he was still named in the squad. If fit, the 28-year-old is likely to rekindle his former Waratahs combination with fly half Bernard Foley against the world champions, giving Cheika a dual playmaking option.

    Kurtley Beale is back to lead the Wallabies charge

    Kurtley Beale is back to lead the Wallabies charge

    NEW ZEALAND

    How good can the ABs get?

    For Test nations across the globe, the British and Irish Lions sharing the series with the All Blacks was a disaster. As thrilling as the series was and as magical to see both teams gathered together for a group photo at the end of the third Test, it was the worse possible result for upcoming opponents.

    This was a series New Zealand was desperate to win and you could see in the end the pain etched into coach Steve Hansen’s face.

    After winning a Rugby World Cup, numerous Bledisloe Cups and Rugby Championships, this was a career achievement he wanted to tick off on his CV – he was bitterly disappointed that he was not able to do that. As was his squad.

    What it means is that any hint of complacency the All Blacks may have carried into this year’s Rugby Championship will have been banished.

    The All Blacks feel their crown has been dented and they will want to send a strong statement that they are still No1 and the failure to win the Lions series was just a blip.

    Will Beauden get his aim right?

    When you are tinkering with perfection the margins are small. But one area where the All Blacks can improve is goal kicking. If, and it is a big if, the All Blacks do get into a shootout then Beauden Barrett’s occasionally wayward goal kicking could be an issue.

    He missed some crucial kicks in the Lions series – three in the second Test and two in the decider – that would have given New Zealand the series. In Super Rugby he was even replaced as goal-kicker by his kid-brother Jordie.

    But Chiefs sharp shooter Damian McKenzie will most likely be on the bench so if BB’s radar does go awry, help is close at hand.

    Beauden Barrett will be looking to rediscover his form in the Rugby Championship

    Beauden Barrett will be looking to rediscover his form in the Rugby Championship

    SOUTH AFRICA

    Have the Boks banished 2016?

    Last year was a nightmare for the Springboks, one of the worst on record for the proud rugby nation. They lost eight of their 12 Tests, including the last four on the trot.

    The horror run included first ever losses to Ireland in South Africa, Argentina in Argentina and Italy anywhere – and their biggest ever at home, 57-15 to New Zealand in Durban.

    The knives were out for Allister Coetzee in just his first season but after a protracted review and the coach’s repeated mea culpas he was given another chance, albeit with a greatly-revised management team.

    This season Coetzee, a former Stormers coach in Super Rugby, has finally got the message and his squad has adopted the up-tempo, ball in hand style that has been so successful in Super Rugby for the last two seasons. He has jettisoned many of his previously favoured Stormers players and brought in a host of Lions including full-back Andries Coetzee, hooker Malcolm Marx, lock Franco Mostert, scrum-half Ross Cronje and (injured) captain Warren Whiteley.

    The new approach worked well enough in June with three comfortable victories over France but the resolve will now be fully tested in the Rugby Championship.

    Will the Boks tackle count benefit from the Venter effect?

    Former Springbok, the ‘Mad Doctor’, Brendan Venter clearly has made a significant impact since joining the squad in May as defence coach. Organisation has improved dramatically as they were far more determined against France to play to the best of their abilities in the green and gold.

    This was seen in the manner in which they defended across the series, even in the final game where nothing was at stake. But can they do the same when the All Blacks are throwing repeated phases against them.

    South Africa's defence coach Brendan Venter

    South Africa’s defence coach Brendan Venter

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