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Sat 18 Jul 2015 | 01:58
All Blacks start Rugby Championship strong with Argentina win

12
Comments

The All Blacks touring squad to face South Africa next weekend has been selected following their convincing 39-18 victory over Argentina in the opening Rugby Championship 2015 match. It was New Zealand's 37th straight victory on home soil.

Argentina didn't let the game get away from them entirely after the home side looked control in the second half. Hooker, and skipper, Agustin Creevy scored two tries from lineout drives, but it wasn't enough to stop the composed organisation of the All Blacks.

On the occasion of the last ever home match for Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, the world champs scored five tries, with captain fantastic himself scoring the first.

There were positive signs as debutant Waisake Naholo had a strong showing, but then limped off injured. It's since been confirmed that he will be out contention for the World Cup.

"We are all a bit shocked about it because he was weight-bearing on it and pretty good," coach Steve Hansen said of the Highlanders flyer. "But he got back here last night and got really sore, so the doctor thought he better have it scanned. And in the scan there is a very fine crack in it [the bone].

"It just means three months out. There is no displacement which is good. If we get him right and we do need an outside back replacement, he will be fit and ready to go in the middle of October."

As a result, he was not chosen in the travelling squad heading to South Africa. 

The travelling squad is as follows:
Hookers: Dane Coles, Keven Mealamu and Codie Taylor
Props: Wyatt Crockett, Ben Franks, Owen Franks, Nepo Laulala and Tony Woodcock
Locks: James Broadhurst, Brodie Retallick, Luke Romano and Samuel Whitelock
Loose forwards: Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw, Liam Messam, Kieran Read and Victor Vito
Halfbacks: Andy Ellis, TJ Perenara and Aaron Smith
First five–eighths: Beauden Barrett, Colin Slade and Lima Sopoaga         
Midfielders: Ryan Crotty, Malakai Fekitoa, Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith
Outside backs: Israel Dagg, Charles Piutau, Julian Savea and Ben Smith

Posted By: Grant Constable

12 Comments

  • jeri
    1:55 PM 22/07/2015

    I think that's one of the reason he's still the incumbent ABs flanker and captain. His presence also keeps other more impulsive players (like Nonu) in line.

    In fact I don't think Nonu ever got a yellow card as an All Black

  • whiteafrican
    11:53 AM 21/07/2015

    To be fair, it's pretty clear from the replays of the 2011 final that: (1) McCaw was looking at Dusautoir (who was standing over the ball) not Parra (who was lying on the ground), and (2) Parra started to sit up and raised his head into the path of the oncoming McCaw, so I'd put that one under "bad luck" rather than "act of violence". van Zyl, on the other hand, deserved everything he got.

    As you say, impressive restraint.

  • stroudos
    10:38 AM 21/07/2015

    You've got me thinking...

    That wonderful moment (sorting out that dickhead Van Zyl) and the knee to Morgan Parra's noggin in the last world cup are the only McCaw acts of violence I can think of. Are there any others?

    If that's it, he's shown impressive restraint over such a long career with plenty of people targeting him and trying in vain to wind him up.

  • breakaway
    3:44 AM 21/07/2015

    Well that's strange. RD have changed the video since I posted and the new one doesn't even show the second Pumas try. So my time reference means nothing. But whiteafrican's YouTube link tells the story.

  • vladimir
    10:37 PM 20/07/2015

    I thought so. Thanks.

  • whiteafrican
    8:46 PM 20/07/2015

    Don't think so - looks more like he's trying to knock the ball out of the hands of Creevy as Creevy goes for the line, and having to reach over the shoulder of the obstructing player to do it... In any case: (a) if it had been a punch it seems unlikely that nobody (whether Argentine players or Citing Commissioner) would have noticed; and (b) AFAIK McCaw's only ever thrown one punch on a field (at Piet van Zyl - the Bok fan who ran onto the pitch and attacked the ref) so it seems unlikely that he would suddenly snap at this stage of his career and throw a punch at another player in a relatively low pressure scenario with the game already won.

  • vladimir
    8:08 PM 20/07/2015

    Is McCaw throwing a punch at the maul in the second try (the moment they get to the line)?

  • bloblabli
    4:33 PM 20/07/2015

    i'm not sure but there isn't a laws stating that you can't bind to the ball carrier before the contact with the tackler?

  • breakaway
    7:30 AM 20/07/2015

    I have no problem with the first Pumas' try or McCaw's try, they were assisted by players bound at the side or behind them; but the second Pumas' try is a different matter. At 12:19 a Puma forward is running in front of the ball carrier without being bound, and continues to do so until the player behind him grounds the ball over the line. Even if accidental it amounts running interference and I've seen this penalised plenty of times in the past.

  • drg
    7:55 PM 19/07/2015

    The Argentinian in the picture (running towards AB 6), is that his normal hairstyle? Or was it some sort of homage to the late Jerry Collins?

  • drg
    7:53 PM 19/07/2015

    As Kadova said, there is no laws against being assisted in going over...

    So as the Argentinians are actually still theoretically able to access McCaw (the ball carrier) and bring him down, there is no sort of obstruction... obviously if Reid had been in front of McCaw at the maul and they'd both broken off with Reid leading the way, then there would be call for obstruction, however the technique carried out by McCaw and Reid is quite common on the pitch, normally used when gaining inches at the opposition tryline...

  • kadova
    4:41 PM 19/07/2015

    Both tries look fine to me, coming from mauls. The first AB try, there is nothing that say you cannot be pushed over by your teammate. And for the second Argentinian try, Creevy leaves the maul to score at the exact moment there's no Argentinian player in front of him. You can see this at the slow-mo.

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