Much to his regret, Argentina is the chronicler of the All Blacks’ rebuilding. They set their house on fire last August with their victory in Christchurch, their first on New Zealand soil, a 19:25 with make-up that gave coach Ian Foster an expiry date – he will not continue after the World Cup – and forced the rugby tyrant to move away from first place in the rankings. The defeated giant, without yesterday’s leaders, has grown from vulnerability: versatility in attack and discipline in defense. This Friday, 14 months later, he restored order with a resounding victory in Paris with 6:44, reaching the World Cup final where he will face the winner of England-South Africa (this Saturday, 9 p.m ). .
Argentina had beaten the All Blacks just twice in 36 games, but saw the glass half full: those victories had come in the last three years. Of the 23 semi-finalists, 15 played this game in Christchurch. That experience served as fuel for a group that was in doubt at a World Cup, with low points such as the resounding defeat to England and high points such as the response in the quarter-finals when they beat Wales. But the mission required, as Emiliano Boffelli, the key kicker that day, recognized, “the perfect game.”
The first page was. His team were on the New Zealand pitch after the kick-off and took the lead until the penalty fell to Boffelli himself, who opened the game with a simple kick between the posts. The Pumas had already improved on their disastrous performance in the 2015 semi-final against Australia. Three points that didn’t point the way because Argentina equalized their rivals’ top spot with fouls. So they stood on the sidelines of the rehearsal as the referee reminded the Americans that the maul – the striking platform created after the ball is put into play from the wing – cannot be stopped from the side. So the defense stepped up and the All Blacks took advantage of the openness on the right for Will Jordan to score a routine try.
Other generations of All Blacks were based on Herculean, hulking forwards like Richie McCaw or game-changing three-quarter players like Jonah Lomu. The current group is the legacy of total rugby, the forwards who don’t just attack – now run and even kick – and the three-quarter players with the physique of a freight train. With third lines like Ardie Savea – with a foot worthy of a fly-half – or Sam Cane, the connection between front and back is purely fluid. A harmony that finds its maximum expression in defense. Those fallible All Blacks who lost to Argentina committed fouls everywhere; A year and a half later they showed in the quarter-final against Ireland that they can be dominated without collapsing. His patience without the ball annoys rivals.
Defense was the fundamental element of Argentina’s two victories, duels in which the All Blacks scored no more than 20 points. In the other five games they have played since 2020, at least five tries have been added, and the part of the two immediate predecessors was bloody: 94-15. “The way you tackle determines how you defend,” defended Argentine coach Michael Cheika a few minutes before the game. When Boffelli saw Jordie Barret, one of the three brothers in the starting line-up, arrive after one of those harmonious sequences of the entire black team, he managed to knock him down, but that did not prevent his attempt. Another flaw that costs points.
The Argentine hope was the possession and attacks of Kremer or Isa, the meters they added to break the defenders. That’s how they approached the test, but the line held and they settled for three points from Boffelli. A consolation that their rivals immediately neutralized with a kick from Mo’unga. And there was one bite left before the break. Mark Tele’a made a couple of friendly tackles against the Argentinians and advanced like a mass, giving the Pumas an impossible retreat. There was Shannon Frizell, another fat man, willing to pose.
It’s one thing to beat the All Blacks and another to beat them. And if the score of 20-5 at halftime required aggressive treatment, the diagnosis worsened in the first set, a scrum dominated by the players in black until its director, Aaron Smith, caught the ball and slipped between the Argentina jerseys. Without a pause, Frizell added another sign and now pulled with force. The end was written when Jordan scored his eighth try, making him the tournament’s top scorer. Argentina pitched in, but it wasn’t enough. Their third World Cup semi-final had the same result as the others: an unanswered defeat. In front was an ogre with wounds that needed to be healed. “We can have two types of Mondays and one of them is terrible,” insisted Cane, the captain in black, one of those who bit the dust against England in Yokohama four years ago. The country, which does not forget defeats, is aiming for its fourth World Cup.
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