The All Blacks have made it 16 wins in a row with a 19-point victory over Argentina.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
All Blacks 36
Argentina 17
This Sunday morning game sees New Zealand travelling to Buenos Aires to play Argentina. Join The Roar from 9:10am (AEDT) for all the live action of this second Rugby Championship fifth round match.
Argentina will be hoping to turn their form around after a disappointing Australasian tour, losing comfortably to both New Zealand and Australia, but look to be up against it, even at home against the runaway and unbeaten Tournament leaders, New Zealand.
The Pumas coach Daniel Hourcade has made several changes to his side for today’s match, most notably reinstating star halfback Martin Landajo to the starting side with Tomas Cubelli relegated to the bench. Javier Ortega Desio starts at open side with veteran Juan Manuel Leguizamon rotates to the reserves and Ramiro Moyano replaces Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino on the left wing whom drops out of the 23 altogether.
All Black coach Steve Hansen has taken the opportunity to rotate a number of his side for this morning’s encounter, resting some of his key individuals. Most notable is TJ Perenara starting at halfback in place of Aaron Smith while Tawera Ker Barlow comes into the reserves, Malakai Fekitoa is being rested and an opportunity has been presented to the young Anton Lienart-Brown at centre, pairing up with Ryan Crotty in the centres while Liam Squire wins the vacant 5 jersey with Jerome Kaino unavailable through injury with Elliott Dixon on the bench. Patrick Tuipolotu will start at lock in place of Sam Whitelock, who will be on the bench if required.
Hourcade stated that he was looking for his side to build on the good 55 minutes his side produced in their last match against New Zealand and has picked his side accordingly while Hansen is looking at this match as an opportunity to grow his squad depth, experience while hopefully maintaining the high standard set so far this season.
Interest will lie in how the All Blacks perform without the mercurial Aaron Smith in the side. Labelled in many quarters as the best player in the world, TJ Perenara will have his work cut out for him but has shown in recent cameos from the bench his improved standard of play and with his Hurricane teammate in Beauden Barrett outside him should be able to make a reasonable fist of things this morning, though his opposite Landajo has been in fine form this season and will no doubt look to put him under immense pressure.
Tip – New Zealand by 20.
In what I expect will be a keenly contested match, once again I feel the All Blacks will have too much impact from the bench and finish with a strong last quarter.
Join The Roar from 9:10am (AEDT) for all the live action.
Roey
Guest
'Pumas Hollywood antics….we aren’t playing soccer boys' My sentiments exactly.
Kuruki
Roar Guru
Very good first half by the All Blacks game over at 40 minutes. Hansen rung the changes, the ref blew the pea out the whistle, the touchy was pedantic, 14 men for 20 minutes kept the Puma alive, a desperate effort on defence with 14 men had the All Blacks pushing the offside line at every opportunity and they got pinged accordingly. Was a second half that has given Hansen plenty of firepower for this weeks training, all in all a good day at the office.
Kuruki
Roar Guru
Had to be Isa surely.
Ruck
Guest
I agree. It became painfully obvious in the 2nd half that the ref and that touch judge had it in for the AB's. Moodys YC was nothing more than a penalty and there was nothing wrong with Tuipolotous tackle. On top of that, there were at least half a dozen infractions that were suprise, suprise, missed by that touch judge who was obviously watching only one team. If the AB's weren't half as good as they are, they would have been whistled off the park in the 2nd half.
Fernando Marzano
Guest
Carlos goes to sleep, sos el clasico chupamedias, no me extrañaria que seas porteño o Rosarino.
d0nutz
Guest
depends on the ref? i think think the wallabies will roll them easy, however if the argies are gifted penalty after penalty and yellows for nothing, it might be a little closer.
Hamish
Guest
After the last AB's try it was all about the assistant ref! He was man of the match in the second half - had a blinder! Shame about the rugby though.
P2R2
Roar Rookie
REALLY??? ALL TEAMS play close to the off-side, Peyper had a crap game...but those are the breaks...still won
Nobrain
Guest
I do not know about any aggressive statetments in spanish you are talking about. I just think that you come out to strong when is not necessary and I thank you that you do not comment in my notes . I have always had a good comment on yours, but I feel you are out of line sometime saying things about people that you have no evidence what so ever to put them down. That is a very cheap thing to do. Yes, I was there at the game and you were not, and in the same manner you missed what they put on about Angel Guastella I am sure you missed so many other things in the game, not because it was your fault, but because the camera angles do not let you see all the things that are going on in the field.. Finally let me remind you that your aggression towards me started when you made some comments about my wife that were totally out of place, for that reason I consider myself with the right to say anything I want to you regardless you like it or not.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
The comment about hangover or medicine is out of line. I usually do not comment on yours as I don't find them useful to me. They may be interesting to others and this is fine. This is what the Roar is about. When they are interesting to me, I may decide to comment.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
Well, well, well. Don't like my comments? Easy, don't read them. I have no idea what you are so sensitive about. I am in California? Is that your problem? I don't care that you were at the game. I have all the right in the world to disagree with you and to state my opinion. I don't write to seek compliments, I write what is in my mind. I also don't like, as I have told you before, that you write aggressive statements in Spanish and pretend to be nice here. That, I call hypocrisy.
rich
Guest
Dear me!! you cant see on telly that the ab;s were offside MOST OF THE TIME!!! shame nobrain!! shades of watching the game that Kearns only watchs!!!
Haser
Guest
If you ask me it definitely looked like the refs were keeping Argentina in the game and that is from a neutral. The assistant ref was well out of line and it looked like he only had one aim and one aim only and that was to have a New Zealand player carded, even if he had to make up what actually happened.
Nobrain
Guest
He knows I was there. My apoligies to you to. I took this issue in the wrong place. I made a mistake.
Haser
Guest
Chill out buddy, you come across as overly sensitive and your claims of being at the game and who with are on a blog site just another post without possible proof
Nobrain
Guest
Yep, this guy got to me. He has been building my steem for quite sometime and I had to put an end to it. My apoligies to you and the other roarest .
dontcallmeshirley
Guest
A bit over sensitive there buddy
Nobrain
Guest
Carlos, I could care less about your opinion since you watched the game from California and what you see from there is marginal. The only pathetic comments are yours. I was at the stadium with one Kiwi, two Aussies, and one pom, we all agreed about the backs were offside while playing defense. It seems to me that your looking for compliments from other people that make comments in this forum, but I am not. I will write what I think regard less if people like it or not, it is my opinion and I have never used terminolgy like you usually do, probably do to a bad hangover or lack of the correct medicine. There is no need for that aggresion and I got fed up with it , So if you do not agree with my opinion pls give yours without going after me or you are going to find me. I hate someone who always write about himself, who cares about you? I comment about rugby which is what this forum is about.
Carlos the Argie
Roar Guru
I hate one eye critics. Of course, it is all about the All Blacks. Not about the inability of the Pumas to mount anything else except trying to push over from the scrum or some pick and roll from rucks close to the line. Blaming the AB's being offsides is just pathetic. On the other hand, the touch judge HAS BEEN the worst referee statistically in the Super Rugby. I think it is impossible that his eagle eye could have caught Tuipolotu's apparent high tackle that wasn't. Peyper looked a bit embarrassed the he called the penalty. The explanation was from a novel not from the law book. Literature award for him. By the way, I don't think Peyper did well either yesterday.
Nobrain
Guest
I agree marginally. At the game it was clear the the defense of the ABs was offside most of the time, you may not be able to see that on tv but it was just like that. Offcourse that if the only weapon for the Pumas is the scrum we are in trouble, but to tell you the true it was the only possible way because if the ball was to be opened to the outside the backs would have lost terrain due to rush defense from the ABs. Not much to say about the ref that was a major element for a very bad second half for spectators and rugby in general. The ABs, The Pumas, and the ref, made the second half one of the worst in this edition of RCH.