Rugby Championship: What we have learned so far

Given that the Rugby Championship (RC) is on hiatus for the next fortnight I thought it was an opportune time to step back and reflect on the action of the first two rounds. What have we learned so far – besides the fact that it can rain heavily in Pretoria and Sydney on the same day and ‘coincidentally’ during both matches – and who is in it to win it and who is just pretending.

South Africa vs Argentina

While most of the hype had been centred around the blockbuster Bledisloe showdown between the Wallabies and All Blacks, the Boks and Pumas came into this year’s RC with a lot of promise and even more to prove. I was fortunate enough to see some of the Pretoria match live – only some because the heavens opened dramatically causing us to scuttle to shelter and seek out a ridiculously priced plastic poncho to help us see something!

Even though I missed virtually most of the first half and had to contend with driving rain for the entire second half, what I didn’t miss was that the Pumas had turned up with a different game plan. They were still playing to their strengths – using their imposing forwards to dominate their opponents into submission – but they were also intent on keeping ball in hand and putting phases together. Safe to say their new coach Daniel Hourcade’s disciplined coaching style and approach is evident in their play, but does Argentina have what it takes to record their first win in the competition? The reverse fixture in Salta just a week after their gutsy effort in Pretoria provided them with their best opportunity to date. Sadly for ‘Los Pumas’, the Boks managed to use all their experience and sneak past their hosts in the last 5 minutes of the match. If Argentina is to break their duck in this year’s RC they will need to hold their nerve at critical periods and not let their emotions force them into unnecessary errors.

And the Boks? Yes, they were lucky both in Pretoria and Salta; in Salta, they really should have lost. But they didn’t. Despite their best efforts to lose both matches they managed to come out on the right side of the scoreboard – a testament to their cool heads under pressure and leadership skills of captain Jean de Villiers. The Boks are getting better at winning those matches they have no right to win – it’s the mark of a very good team. What will be interesting, now, is to see how they travel to Australia and New Zealand. This scribe wouldn’t be surprised if they picked up at least one win on their tour; a valuable 4 or 5 points considering they are the only unbeaten team at this stage of the competition.

New Zealand vs Australia

After the Waratahs big win over the Crusaders in the super rugby final the stage was set in Sydney for an epic showdown between the world champion All Blacks and the genuine contenders to the Bledisloe, the Wallabies. And there was a world record on the line, too.

But then the rain came. As did the Aussies’ offensive effort. The All Blacks’ discipline in Bledisloe 1 was woeful, but their defense was heroic and that was probably the only reason that they stopped the Wallabies from drawing first blood in their Bledisloe battle. And while many journos and fans alike were predicting a victory for Aussie at Eden Park in the reverse fixture what we had all seemed to forgotten was that New Zealand were not going to put on that display again two weeks in a row. The best time to catch the All Blacks is always in their first match of any campaign; they are usually trying to sort their combinations out and get the calls for their moves correct. Once they get going, however, it is almost a shock to watch how fluidly and clinically they dispatch their opponents.

Which is exactly what happened at Eden Park. They were no doubt irritated about losing their record for the most consecutive test wins – which they now share with Nick Mallet’s 1998 Springboks – and even more irked that all the chatter was focused squarely on them being a spent force. They responded in kind and left the Aussie dreams of winning their first Bledisloe in 11 years in tatters.

So where to for Aussie? Are they the real deal or do they have more questions than answers at this stage? Their next matches against South Africa and Argentina should show us exactly how far they have progressed or regressed.

As for New Zealand, their form the entire international season has been up and down. No doubt they will be out to remedy this inconsistency and focus on fixing their discipline.

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