Month: September 2021

New Zealand turned on the style to ruthlessly dispatch Argentina 39-0 to make it three wins from three in the Rugby Championship.

Rieko Ioane, Sevu Reece and Dalton Papalii all touched down in a dominant first-half showing from the All Blacks at the CBUS Super Stadium in Queensland.

Luke Jacobson then scored twice in the second period to complete the most routine of wins for Ian Foster’s side.

Ioane went over in scrappy fashion after 10 minutes when he reacted fastest to Bautista Delguy knocking a Beauden Barrett offload to ground.

Despite dominating ball and territory it took until three minutes before half-time for Reece to crash over, with Papalii following suit with time in the red following a drive from a line-out with Pablo Matera sent to the bin for the Pumas in the build-up due to persistent team infringements.

Jacobson had his first following a stunning offload from Barrett early in the second half and, after New Zealand were denied on three occasions by the TMO, he had a second with a strong run from the back of a scrum.

A late Jordie Barrett three-pointer added further gloss for a New Zealand side that was never troubled by a limp Argentina for who Nicolas Sanchez made a record 90th appearance.

Ioane a menace

Argentina were camped in their own 22 for the majority of the first half in no short part down to the work of Ioane.

The bulldozing centre, who prior to this game was the leader for metres gained in the Championship, consistently broke the lines and it was his quick reactions that got the All Blacks rolling.

Barrett bros almost combine for stunner

Shortly after Ioane’s opener there was a moment of genius when Beauden Barrett’s high kick was caught by brother Jordie deep into the try area and dotted down.

It was a sensational catch and ground by the full-back, who had absolutely no right to make the grab, but sadly his placing of the ball appeared to be just over the line.

Aaron Smith will play no further part in the Rugby Championship as the New Zealand scrum-half awaits the birth of his second child.

Smith started both victories over Australia at Eden Park last month but did not travel to face them in Perth at the start of September and was absent for last weekend’s 39-0 win over Argentina.

The playmaker will also miss the upcoming clash with the Pumas and back-to-back showdowns with world champions South Africa, as he did not want to risk missing the arrival of his second child, which is due in November.

Smith will stay at home, with no guarantees he would secure a managed isolation space if he had to fly home earlier than expected.

The 32-year-old will instead play for Manawatu in the Bunnings Cup.

Smith could also miss the All Blacks’ tour of the United States and Europe.

He said: “The door isn’t completely closed to me joining the team for the Northern Tour if our baby comes early. 

“In this environment anything can happen, so I’ve got an open mind. At the moment though, I just want to focus on being here with my family and enjoying that time and playing for Manawatu. I can’t wait to get the boots on again.”

TJ Perenara and Brad Weber will battle it out for New Zealand’s number nine shirt in the absence of Smith.

Michael Hooper will become the Wallabies’ most-capped captain when he leads Australia out against world champions South Africa.

The Wallabies announced their side for Saturday’s clash with the Springboks as Hooper prepares to make history in the Rugby Championship showdown at Suncorp Stadium.

Hooper – who debuted in 2012 – will captain Australia for the 60th time in Brisbane, surpassing George Gregan after equalling the record in last week’s dramatic victory over South Africa.

“It’s an incredible milestone for Hoops on Saturday evening in Brisbane and it’s a testament to him as a person and a player,” Wallabies head coach Dave Rennie said on Thursday.

“I’ve been so impressed with his leadership both on and off the field and his drive to be better every day.

“We were really proud of the effort from our men last Sunday and we’re well aware of the ferocity that a wounded Springboks outfit will bring to Suncorp Stadium.”

Rennie has elevated Nic White and Taniela Tupou to the starting side for the second Test against the Springboks.

White replaces Tate McDermott and Tupou comes in for Allan Alaalatoa, while James Slipper returns to the starting line-up, though James O’Connor remains on the sidelines.

Australia will be looking to claim consecutive Test wins in men’s international rugby for the first time since October 2019 after a two-point win over South Africa – that was also the last time the Wallabies won a Test by more than three points.

The Wallabies are undefeated in their last six men’s Tests against South Africa on home soil (W5, D1); although, none of their five wins in that span have come by a margin of seven points or more on the day.

Australia: Tom Banks, Andrew Kellaway, Len Ikitau, Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, Quade Cooper, Nic White; James Slipper, Folau Fainga’a, Taniela Tupou, Izack Rodda, Matt Philip, Lachlan Swinton, Michael Hooper, Rob Valetini.
Replacements: Feleti Kaitu’u, Angus Bell, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain, Pete Samu, Tate McDermott, Reece Hodge, Jordan Petaia

The 2021-22 Gallagher Premiership season gets underway on Friday and we are set for another thrilling campaign.

The returning Saracens will hope to catch up on lost ground to battle with the likes of champions Harlequins, Exeter and Bristol Bears for the top prize.

Many stars will hope to make an impact when the campaign gets going — we pick out our five to watch.

Alfie Barbeary (Wasps)

Simply put, if injury hadn’t disrupted 20-year-old hooker Alfie Barbeary’s campaign last season, then we would be talking about him as an England international.

Barbeary announced himself with an eye-catching hat-trick playing out of position as a flanker against Leicester on his debut.

He is only the second player to do that in the Premiership but repeated injury struggles stunted his progress in 2021.

After Barbeary picked up the December Player of the Month award, former England back Ugo Monye said: “We forget he’s still so young and hasn’t played a lot of rugby but every single time he plays he always catches the eye. 

“I think he’s an international in waiting. He looks like quite a special talent.”

Louis Lynagh (Harlequins)

Two stunning late tries in last season’s final saw Louis Lynagh enter the Harlequins history books as they secured their first title for nine years with a 40-38 victory over Exeter.

Son of Australia great Michael Lynagh — who retired in 1995 as the record international points scorer with 911 — the 20-year-old is not short of expectation on his shoulders going into the new campaign.

Billy Millard, the Harlequins general manager, said: “He is his own man. Michael is an amazing dad, but he is forging his own reputation. He is a special player.”

Adam Radwan (Newcastle)

Another winger who will no doubt be a man to watch for defences all season is Newcastle flyer Adam Radwan.

The 23-year-old capped off an impressive 2021-21 season in which he scored 36 tries in 46 appearances by scoring three for England against Canada at Twickenham over the summer.

After Radwan’s international bow, Red Rose head coach Eddie Jones said: “He is quick, lightning quick. Sometimes we can’t see him at training he is that quick.

“We rolled the dice, brought him into camp and every week he has grown. He is a hard worker, a hard trainer, wants to learn.”

Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester Tigers)

After captaining England to the Under-20s Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year, this could be the season Jack van Poortvliet makes his Leicester breakthrough.

The rising star is not short of competition with veteran international Ben Youngs fighting for the No9 shirt but he has been tipped by Sir Clive Woodward to make impact this campaign.

The 2003 World Cup-winning coach told the Mail: “I would look out for Leicester’s 20-year-old Jack van Poortvliet, a silky smooth nine with a great break. England really do have so much talent!”

Josh Hodge (Exeter)

Competition is high in the back line at Exeter Chiefs but 21-year-old Josh Hodge could have what it takes to earn a place in the side this season.

His first Chiefs try last season was a memorable one after a solo run against Gloucester, and he has already been compared to Exeter and England regular Jack Nowell by Exeter boss Rob Baxter.

He said last season: “I remember with Jack Nowell, you could start to see there was something special about him – there was always some way of him getting his momentum. 

“That’s an attribute that Josh looks like he’s got and will only improve as he physically matures.”

New Zealand returned to the top of the world rankings with their win over Argentina on Saturday, but coach Ian Foster is more concerned by the upcoming double-header against South Africa.

With a 36-13 defeat of the Pumas in Brisbane – their ninth consecutive Test win – New Zealand leapfrogged South Africa at the summit.

Foster’s side also moved 10 points clear at the top of the Rugby Championship table and could wrap up the title even with a defeat against the Springboks next time out – if the All Blacks secure a losing bonus or prevent their opponents earning a try bonus.

But the opportunity to test themselves against the world champions is of greater interest in what will be the 100th Test meeting between the teams.

Asked about New Zealand’s number one ranking, Foster said: “My mindset is you’ve got to beat number one to be number one.

“It’s not on our mind at all. I’m not saying that to downplay it. We’re about to play South Africa next week, we’ll get excited about that.

“We’re more interested in winning a Test match than where we sit [in the rankings].

“If we focus too much on the other thing, we’ll get tripped up and won’t be there for very long, and that doesn’t interest us either.”

Of the South Africa matches, he added: “We love playing Test matches, but we really love playing South Africa, probably because of the amount of respect we’ve got for them.

“Over history, it’s been an outstanding rivalry.

“We’re not so much talking about number ones and number twos, we’ve got a chance to go to Townsville to play a foe we’ve got a lot of respect for and put ourselves in a pretty nice position in this championship.”

Quade Cooper made a sensational match-winning return as Australia got up and running in the Rugby Championship with a last-gasp 28-26 victory over South Africa on Sunday. 

Following back-to-back defeats to New Zealand to start the competition, veteran fly-half Cooper was named in the starting line-up for the visit of the world champions – his first international appearance since June 2017. 

The 33-year-old’s kicking was exemplary, slotting through a seventh penalty and eighth successful kick of the game from 40 metres with the clock in the red to snatch the win at the death. 

Handre Pollard and Cooper scored two penalties apiece before Siya Kolisi’s yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Tom Banks was pounced upon by Australia.

Samu Kerevi’s excellent pass released Andrew Kellaway, who cut in off the right wing and dived in behind the posts. 

The Springboks responded well and Bongi Mbonambi powered over from the back of a driving maul after Matt Philip was sent to the sin bin for repeated ruck infringements, but the Wallabies still took an eight-point lead into the break. 

Willie Le Roux was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on in the 52nd minute and he was joined in the bin by Folau Fainga’a before replacement hooker Malcolm Marx touched down in the middle of another driving maul. 

Marx did likewise in the 72nd minute for his second try to put the Springboks in front, but Damian Willemse made a costly miss when attempting to convert from the tee. 

And after South Africa conceded a penalty at the death for not releasing on the ground, Cooper made them pay with a winning kick. 

Quade a display

He may have made 70 previous appearances for the Wallabies, but Cooper only scored 10 points or more in six of those matches. His 23 points against South Africa was consequently his best display for his country.

Hooper at the heart

Cooper may have taken the headlines, but Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper was formidable in the pack. He made two of his team’s three clean breaks and did not miss any of his eight tackles.

Damian McKenzie will start at fly-half in a Test for the first time in three years as New Zealand overhauled their XV for the Rugby Championship clash against Argentina.

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster has made wholesale changes after last week’s 39-0 rout of the Pumas on the Gold Coast, with McKenzie to start at number 10 in Brisbane on Saturday having been introduced off the bench.

New Zealand’s backline at Suncorp Stadium will feature only four players who started against Argentina last time out as the All Blacks look to maintain their 100 per cent record in the competition – Ardie Savea returning to captain the side.

“With five Tests in a row and a six-day turnaround between these two Argentinian Tests, we were always going to make some selection changes,” Foster said. “Five Tests in a row demanded that. 

“But the good thing is that we have a group that has been focussing on the same opposition for the last two weeks, so our preparation time hasn’t been compromised.

“We are expecting a huge response from Argentina and we have to make sure we are prepared for that because we know what a wounded beast is like. The key is not so much how they respond, but how we respond. If we go into this Test match thinking it’s just going to happen for us like last week without earning the right to have the scoreboard in our favour, then we are in trouble.”

New Zealand have won 30 of their 32 previous men’s Tests against Argentina (D1, L1), including their last two in succession. They have also won three of their four meetings on neutral territory in that time (L1).

The All Blacks have kept Argentina scoreless in each of their last two meetings – only twice since 1900 has any Tier 1 nation kept another Tier 1 nation scoreless for more consecutive games (England – four games against Ireland from 1956 to 1959; France – three games against Italy from 1959 to 1961).

New Zealand have won their last eight consecutive Tests by an average margin of 40 points. A ninth straight victory would equal their longest winning streak since a run of 18 victories from August 2015 to October 2016.

New Zealand: Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Quinn Tupaea, George Bridge, Damian McKenzie, TJ Perenara; Joe Moody, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tyrel Lomax, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa’I, Ethan Blackadder, Ardie Savea, Hoskins Sotutu.
Replacements: Codie Taylor, George Bower, Ofa Tuungafasi, Scott Barrett, Luke Jacobson, Finlay Christie, Beauden Barrett, Braydon Ennor.