When it comes to elite rugby, where margins between success and failure grow ever more slim, and the historical notion of haves and have-nots has been steadily eroded to the point of outright abolition, inclement weather conditions serve a dual purpose.
Just as the rain that pounded the turf and the gales that snarled at the poncho-clad spectators in Sydney and Pretoria can negate the perceived dominance of the favourites, so too can they emphasise the tactical nous of those best equipped to handle them.
In other words, it becomes a case of who can master the squall.
It feels odd to gaze southwards from beyond the equator through more than 160 minutesof Rugby Championship action that yields but a solitary try.
In both the opening Bledisloe Cup clash of 2014 and the Springboks’ bruising win over Argentina, blood and boot trumped flair and flamboyance. Touches of brilliance from game-breakers Israel Folau, Ben Smith, Willie le Roux and Marcelo Bosch were conspicuous by their absence.
The upshot: a pair of close, but largely forgettable games of rugby.
Having enjoyed two-thirds of possession and territory, the Wallabies ought to feel aggrieved at their failure to seize the opportunity presented by Beauden Barrett’s late yellow card. But their urge to force the play, and move the ball wide too quickly, backfired on numerous occasions, as it was always destined to with the pill slippery and the conditions underfoot treacherous.
By and large however, Ewen McKenzie’s squad show signs of progression on their steady ascent from formidable foe to dominant force. They haven’t quite nurtured the ruthless streak of champions that comes only with the experience of winning big matches. In that regard, the recent success of the Waratahs should pay dividends.
Silly penalties and mistakes at crucial times, coupled with crooked feeds, kicks that drifted out on the full and a smattering of rash decisions was their undoing.
New Zealand’s patient pragmatism, fuelled by the calmness of conviction proved more successful. They kicked more accurately from hand and conceded fewer turnovers. While they did not thrive in the downpour, the All Blacks adapted to the conditions with greater effect than was evident in the oft-frantic play of their antipodean rivals.
At the centre of the scrap, the notoriously whistle-happy Jaco Peyper lived up to his reputation, but at least appears to have surpassed whatever mental barrier prevented him from punishing the Kiwis’ breakdown transgressions when he refereed the second Bledisloe fixture a year ago.
It was a similar story on the Highveld, as the Boks and the Pumas slogged it out amid a deluge that made Sydney seem positively sun-kissed by contrast.
Errors and aquaplaning were the order of the day; aches and tenderness will surely dominate tomorrow after a brutal arm wrestle between the two teams in world rugby who sport the biggest biceps.
Naturally, handling suffered, and hanging, hopeful punts dictated proceedings. The Loftus crowd were treated to a total of 78 kicks from hand, with starting scrum-halves Ruan Pienaar and Martin Landajo responsible for 18 after the former’s well-taken try in the opening minutes.
Since their Rugby Championship inception in 2012, I have found Argentina a frustrating side to watch, lurking somewhere in the no man’s land between also-rans and nearly-men.
Their rugby is personified by rugged warriors like skipper Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, and loosehead Marcos Ayeerza, fearless souls who on their day are a match for any of their Test counterparts.
In the half-backs, Landajo and Nicolas Sanchez are two fine ball players, Marcelo Bosch adds class from midfield, while across the back-three, Manuel Montero and Joaquin Tuculet can and do hurt defences.
The pieces of the puzzle are there. Yet while the Pumas are plainly capable of hurting and beating the Southern Hemisphere’s big three, when the chips are down they fall perennially short of precision, guile and execution.
Like the Wallabies, they enjoyed the lion’s share of the ball and the field position, but squandered the chances that came their way. McKenzie’s men are on the rise; Daniel Hourcade’s need reinvigorating. While these crucial qualities elude both, so will the Bledisloe Cup, and a maiden tournament victory.
The V Man
Guest
I share your optimism. Unfortunately the players listed in point 1 will not be putting the fear of the gods into the All Blacks. I would be more worried about losing players from Saturday than depending on that lot. Hooper is getting some respect here in the west isle because his all round game is far superior to the one dimensional Pocock. Genia and Cooper are fush and chup paper now and should not be looked at all!!
PiratesRugby
Guest
Yes, it's nice to finally have a real chance.
PiratesRugby
Guest
All good points but largely wasted on the AB supporters who swarm this website. You might also add that: 1. WBs missing Moore and TPN, Pocock, Cooper, Genia, Tomane, Cummins, Sio and Weeks. 2. JOC in exile. 3. Speight yet to become available. 4. WB handling was pretty good and better than the ABs in tough conditions. 5. Strong defence. 6. Cohesion continuing to improve. 7. Fringe players like Charles and Horne had great games. 8. Established players like Slipper, Fardy, Hooper, Palu and Toomua all consolidated on gains made since Link took over. The ABs will lift for Auckland test. Their record at home is no fluke. As a WB fan I feel as though our team is ready to play. After the Deans years, that is a pleasant change.
PiratesRugby
Guest
Weeks was in the squad but injured in training.
Squirrel
Guest
Next year with a S15 under his belt. . I'd have Folau at 13 and AAC 15
Crazy Horse
Guest
Hooper failed to take the points when they were offered. He also failed to direct attack through the backs when the All Blacks had a back in the bin. is the youngest player in the team really the best choice for captain?
AndyS
Guest
I wonder if there are any statistics out there for how often a drop kick at the death actually works. I can remember very few that have come off, and lots that miss. I'd guess it is a 1 in 10 proposition, and probably less on a sopping wet field torn up by 80 minutes of play. My personal opinion is that it is the last desperate roll of the dice for the clueless and hopeless, and had they taken it there would no doubt have been even more people moaning about their lack of patience and trust in their systems to yield the try or penalty.
Banana Bob
Guest
Rugby was the winner on the night...what a classic!!!
Hoy
Roar Guru
McCabe didn't bungle that try. He had nowhere to go. Charles should have tucked the ball and gone for the slide over the line... He could have almost fallen over from where he passed it...
Hoy
Roar Guru
I wouldn't think it is normal to get a drop kick straight off the scrum. Normally teams do have settlers with a few rucks getting up closer, and then the kicker can drop back a bit further to get time... But what is odd is the the Wallabies must have known the play, and still let the All Blacks steal the ball at the ruck. Poor play from Wallabies. Accuracy. That is all I can say. We have lacked Accuracy for so long, I can't remember what a red hot Wallabies team looks like. We accept mediocrity. Even people yesterday and today saying we nearly won... We were pretty ordinary I thought, should have/would have/could have aside. Poor options, poor passes, poor kicks... stupid penalties. Too many.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen NSW
Guest
Let me admit that I was caught off guard with Ewen going with KB at 10 for the Sydney test, in what was effectively a 'must win'. Having said that, I thought Kurtley wasn't too bad & don't know if Foley would have fared much better, given the conditions and the quality of the opposition. Based on what I saw & how I'm feeling, I'm now wondering if it really is all over for us for the Bled or if we may still be in it. I'm asking myself 'can we win at Eden Park & if not why not'? :)
Spanners
Guest
The Aussies miss a couple of world class wingers at the moment. Henry Speight will fix one side when he becomes available next month and Joe Tomane the other when he returns from injury. Neither can help in NZ this weekend though. Personally I think the 6'5" 105kg Kuindrani would offer plenty of punch in the midfield in partnership with Beale (Toomua goes to the bench). AAC shifts back to the wing relegating the plodding McCabe goes back to clubland, while Phipps and Foley reunite at 9/10. It is a shame Aussie rugby has to share the talent pool with Rugby League. Can you imagine a back three for the Wallabies of Israel Folau, Jarryd Hayne and Greg Inglis.
brisvegas
Guest
Rugby Rene good call but the AB's did almost score with Coles knocking on. Also the Wallabies were not smart in the weather and the AB's with less possession, more tackles made and a penalty count against them played smarter rugby in those conditions by putting the ball in behind the first line and confident enough even with 14 men for 2 10 minute spells to defend. Eden Park will hopefully provide a dry track ( given Auckland's weather, it will be interesting) and a different referee let's hope for a tight and close battle. Credit to the crowd who turned up on Saturday night and can't wait for this weekend again.
Phil
Guest
The "competent" ref is Poite.Enough said!
Canetragic
Guest
Good call. And credit to all those who turned up for the match in miserable conditions!
wazza perth nz ex pat
Guest
That's a balanced assessment and fair comment RugbyRene - the players did their best and it was nearly good enough; but for a few silly decisions by the inexperienced captain re taking penalties and not trying for a drop goal at the death (despite the conditions - there was a test win at stake) ... but he will learn from it. I expect a better contest in Auckland with a supposedly competent referee (is there such a being??) and better weather conditions.
Anthony Johnston
Guest
RugbyRene you're right - the ABs would have surged away through field position and penalties-through-pressure in years past. I think this Aussie team is building nicely to be something special, with a few tweaks...Speight would have scored that try that McCabe bungled (even Tomane). Far from perfect but when was the last time you could look forward to an AB series with genuine excitement that we have a shot? On a dry track we'll have pace and angles that will be dangerous...possibly enough to open them up but certainly enough to worry them and distract their alignment. Then it's down to the 1%ers that change games and great players like McCaw, Smith, Hooper, Falau and Beale are capable of. These don't happen off the back of a pack that can't compete and we did on saturday. The ABs will never admit this - nor should we expect them to as there's a long way to go to earn that - but it's there in potential/
RugbyRene
Roar Rookie
Ok I've had enough of this. What's with all the negative press around the game on the weekend? I was one of those who sat in the rain on Saturday night expecting the ABs to wipe the floor with us, and even though I got soaked to the bone, actually enjoyed the game and didn't mind the result. Let's put things into perspective and be a little philosophical about it. We held the current world champions, and a team who had gone 17 wins in a row to a try-less draw. Let me repeat that. The current world champions and a team who have won their past 17 games didn't score a try against us and we played them, in the wet, and played well. I'm sorry if this upsets those who have unrealistic expectations, but the ABs are the best team in the world for a reason and we held them to a draw and they didn't even look like scoring a try. Instead of being a nation of negative-Nellys let's look for the positives: 1. Our defense was pretty damn good considering the conditions. In fact both defenses were pretty awesome on the night. 2. Set piece actually did pretty well and we even mamnaged to steal a line-out 3. There was a lot of running given the conditions So can we stop being so hard on the Wallabies and actually support them?
DCNZ
Guest
The Wallabies didn't register one line break with all that ball and playing against 14 men for 20 mins.
Simon Bedard
Roar Pro
"The upshot: a pair of close, but largely forgettable games of rugby." Ditto...