It was a bitter pill to swallow for Scott Robertson, head coach of the All Blacks, as he watched his team falter against Argentina in a Rugby Championship clash that has now blown the competition wide open. After initially overpowering Los Pumas with a 41-24 victory in Cordoba, New Zealand stumbled in Buenos Aires, succumbing 29-23 in a match that left every team in the tournament with an even record of one win and one defeat.
Robertson didn't mince words about the setback, commending Argentina first before reflecting on the painful loss.
"Well done to them, and congratulations, that’s the first thing. Yeah, that hurts. Tough."
The All Blacks' performance was riddled with errors, a significant drop from their usual standards, particularly in the aerial game and discipline—areas where they were heavily penalized and outplayed.
"We practiced all week, we knew it was coming, aerially. That’s a good question [about execution], I am not sure I can answer it right now, why," Robertson admitted in his post-match analysis on Sky Sport. The team's intention was to deliver a better performance, especially in honor of Codie Taylor, but their execution was lacking. "We wanted to play with a lot more care than that for Codie, and put a show on to finish this tour. And we didn’t get that. It wasn’t what we wanted, we are going to have to look deep."
The discipline issues were highlighted by three yellow cards for cynical play, with Will Jordan, Tupou Vaa’i, and Sevu Reece each spending time on the sidelines for infractions including impeding and deliberate knock-ons. This lack of discipline has been a recurring theme that Robertson and his squad will need to address.
The All Blacks have not been at their convincing best this year, evidenced by a close scrape with a depleted French team in July and now this latest underperformance. "Just hands out. Three yellow cards. They kicked all their penalties. We fought our way back into the game, but we weren’t holding the ball for long periods of time," Robertson elaborated.
"It’s just tough. This competition is tough. I think you can realize with all the results to date so far that anyone can win on the day. You’ve got to be at your best. We’ve got to be better."
This defeat sets up a tantalizing encounter at Eden Park on September 6, where New Zealand has not lost since 1994. The upcoming clash against South Africa, who are fresh off a victory over Australia, will be a critical test for Robertson’s men as they seek redemption and a return to form.
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It was a bitter pill to swallow for Scott Robertson, head coach of the All Blacks, as he watched his team falter against Argentina in a Rugby Championship clash that has now blown the competition wide open. After initially overpowering Los Pumas with a 41-24 victory in Cordoba, New Zealand stumbled in Buenos Aires, succumbing 29-23 in a match that left every team in the tournament with an even record of one win and one defeat.
Robertson didn't mince words about the setback, commending Argentina first before reflecting on the painful loss.
"Well done to them, and congratulations, that’s the first thing. Yeah, that hurts. Tough."
The All Blacks' performance was riddled with errors, a significant drop from their usual standards, particularly in the aerial game and discipline—areas where they were heavily penalized and outplayed."We practiced all week, we knew it was coming, aerially. That’s a good question [about execution], I am not sure I can answer it right now, why," Robertson admitted in his post-match analysis on Sky Sport. The team's intention was to deliver a better performance, especially in honor of Codie Taylor, but their execution was lacking. "We wanted to play with a lot more care than that for Codie, and put a show on to finish this tour. And we didn’t get that. It wasn’t what we wanted, we are going to have to look deep."
The discipline issues were highlighted by three yellow cards for cynical play, with Will Jordan, Tupou Vaa’i, and Sevu Reece each spending time on the sidelines for infractions including impeding and deliberate knock-ons. This lack of discipline has been a recurring theme that Robertson and his squad will need to address.
The All Blacks have not been at their convincing best this year, evidenced by a close scrape with a depleted French team in July and now this latest underperformance. "Just hands out. Three yellow cards. They kicked all their penalties. We fought our way back into the game, but we weren’t holding the ball for long periods of time," Robertson elaborated.
"It’s just tough. This competition is tough. I think you can realize with all the results to date so far that anyone can win on the day. You’ve got to be at your best. We’ve got to be better."
This defeat sets up a tantalizing encounter at Eden Park on September 6, where New Zealand has not lost since 1994. The upcoming clash against South Africa, who are fresh off a victory over Australia, will be a critical test for Robertson’s men as they seek redemption and a return to form.