It is a sold out venue as the All Blacks take this game to one of the country's smaller grounds, with 21,480 fans in attendance. This will be the first time New Zealand has played a Test match in Nelson and this weekend promises to be a special few days for the city.
They face a side buoyed by their most recent outing as Argentina ended an 11-game losing streak by defeating South Africa in Round Two, a result that has handed the All Blacks further breathing space at the summit as they attempt to retain a trophy they have held since 2016.
Currently on 10 points with nearest challengers South Africa on five, New Zealand are sitting pretty once again and that in part has led head coach Steve Hansen to make wholesale changes to his line-up this weekend. We say in part because it’s likely these were pre-planned.
In comes Scott Barrett, Shannon Frizell, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara, Richie Mo’unga and Nehe Milner-Skudder, with Karl Tu’inukuafe possibly the only injury-enforced change due to Joe Moody’s injury. Still though this is an impressive line-up with all eyes on a certain fly-half.
Mo’unga’s start is unquestionably the biggest story following his excellent form for the Crusaders and with Beauden Barrett outstanding in the opening two games, New Zealand’s stock is healthy. One feels this Saturday is the first step in a fine Test career for the former, who has the qualities to push Barrett – wrestling that 10 off the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year’s back however will be some job.
After defeating Australia in Auckland, the All Blacks were quick to avoid treating this Pumas game with a lack of respect. Hours later any feeling of overconfidence would have been extinguished after Argentina’s heroics over the Boks. It was a win the Pumas desperately needed.
How Mario Ledesma’s side back up that victory will be an interesting watch but they come into this match without Pablo Matera and Gonzalo Bertranou at blindside flanker and scrum-half respectively. Both are big misses and one feels it could be a long night for those in blue.
Players to Watch:
For New Zealand: The camera will be focused on Richie Mo’unga as he emerges from the dressing room before kick-off and expect his every decision to be examined this Saturday. There’s no doubting his ability with ball in hand while his speed makes him such a threat so with front foot ball he should flourish in Nelson. Focus will also be on Nehe Milner-Skudder, who has struggled to recapture the form that made him such a box office talent in 2015. A below-par performance could open the 2019 Rugby World Cup door to one of the fringe wingers.
For Argentina: Wearing nine for the Pumas this weekend is the experienced Martin Landajo, who must be measured in everything he does at Trafalgar Park. Known for sometimes not taking a breath when calmness is required, if the Pumas are in a promising position he must take a second to assess his team’s options or risk throwing out points scoring opportunities. While he is an exciting and whole-hearted player, Argentina will need to be game smart especially early on if they’re to stay in touch with their opponents before the inevitable second-half onslaught.
Head-to-Head:
The lock battle should be an interesting watch as Brodie Retallick and Scott Barrett face off against Guido Petti and Tomas Lavanini. Retallick has been outstanding so far in the Rugby Championship while Barrett would walk into many top international XVs. Petti and Lavanini are quality second-rows too who combine nicely in the engine room. One feels though the All Black duo possess much more around the field and that should be a huge swing of the scales as the game wears on. If they get on top then the Pumas are in real trouble.
Previous Results:
2017: New Zealand won 36-10 in Buenos Aires
2017: New Zealand won 39-22 in New Plymouth
2016: New Zealand won 36-17 in Buenos Aires
2016: New Zealand won 57-22 in Hamilton
2015: New Zealand won 26-16 in London
2015: New Zealand won 39-18 in Christchurch
2014: New Zealand won 34-13 in La Plata
2014: New Zealand won 28-9 in Napier
Prediction:
Home victory here as the All Blacks put one hand on the Rugby Championship silverware. New Zealand to win by 20 points.
Teams:
New Zealand:
15 Ben Smith, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Waisake Naholo, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Ardie Savea, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Samuel Whitelock, 20 Luke Whitelock, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown
Argentina:
15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Tomas Lezana, 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Chaparro Tetaz, 2 Agustin Creevy (c), 1 Santiago Garcia Botta
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 18 Gaston Cortez, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Pablo Matera, 21 Tomas Cubelli, 22 Bautista Ezcurra, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia
Match Details:
Date: Saturday, September 8
Venue: Trafalgar Park, Nelson
Kick-off: 19:35 local (08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT)
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Nic Berry (Australia)
Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England)
by PlanetRugby
I think Los Pumas are a very capable side, but New Zealand just pile on the points regardless of how well their opponents play. I predict a comfortable win 37 to 17. If Argentina can get some quality ball their backs can definitely pester the All Blacks. As we saw in the first Bok test, however, if you do the hard yards first, you can lock up their game. Can New Zealand emulate that level of physicality? They won't need to.
