SANZAAR’s best side will be tough as they face the prospect of playing

For the first time since 2019, all four SANZAAR nations will come together and compete for the Rugby Championship, which kicks-off in full this weekend. The advent of Covid-19 has overshadowed the lead-up to the tournament, which was initially supposed to be co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia – with the exception of the two tests between the Springboks and Los Pumas – but now looks set to be staged entirely in Australia. All Blacks Pumas live stream

Nevertheless, plenty of intrigue surrounds the competition as it returns to its full complement of teams following South Africa’s withdrawal from last year’s event.

The Springboks return to the competition as a battle-hardened outfit after they dispatched the British and Irish Lions in a 2-1 series victory last weekend following a two-year absence from international rugby.

Elsewhere, the All Blacks and Wallabies are already one test deep into their Bledisloe Cup series, with the Kiwis holding a one-match advantage heading into this weekend’s second clash, while Los Pumas remain serious contenders after losing just once during last year’s edition of the competition.

With all that in mind, what are the differences that make some teams serious title contenders and others tournament pretenders? New Zealand vs Argentina Rugby 2021

Draw: Wallabies (Auckland), Wallabies (Perth), Los Pumas (TBA, Australia), Los Pumas (TBA, Australia), Springboks (TBA), Springboks (TBA)

Squad: Asafo Aumua, Dane Coles, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Codie Taylor, George Bower, Nepo Laulala, Tyrel Lomax, Joe Moody, Angus Ta’avao, Karl Tu’inukuafe, Ofa Tuungafasi, Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Patrick Tuipulotu, Tupou Vaa’i, Sam Whitelock, Ethan Blackadder, Shannon Frizell, Akira Ioane, Luke Jacobson, Dalton Papalii, Ardie Savea, Hoskins Sotutu, TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith, Brad Weber, Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo’unga, Braydon Ennor, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Anton Lienert-Brown, Quinn Tupaea, George Bridge, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, Jordie Barrett, Damian McKenzie.

 

Fresh off tests against Tonga, Fiji and Australia, the All Blacks head into the Rugby Championship as title favourites, as is normally the case.

However, there remain doubts over New Zealand’s ability after the Flying Fijians and Wallabies exposed frailties in the Kiwis’ game at various stages over the past month.

In Dunedin, Fiji’s physicality and tenacity at the breakdown and on defence halted Ian Foster’s side in its tracks as it took a quartet of tries off the bench from Dane Coles to secure a 57-23 victory at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

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Then, just last weekend, ill-discipline forced a clunky start and sloppy ending to their Bledisloe Cup-opening win over the Wallabies at Eden Park.

After trailing 33-8 with 11 minutes to play, the Wallabies ran in three tries in the final 11 minutes, and that lack of ruthlessness has been a focal point of media attention of the course of the past week.

But, while that shows the All Blacks are far from the polished product they want to be, their performances between those tests can’t be overlooked.

A 102-0 thrashing of Tonga at the beginning of July was coupled with a vastly improved 60-13 victory over Fiji in their re-match in Hamilton a week after their encounter in Dunedin.

In those matches, the All Blacks showed how capable they are on attack when firing on all cylinders, and much of the same will be expected of them in their follow-up clash with the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday.

Win that clash, and they will lock the Bledisloe Cup away for a 19th straight year and force the Wallabies to wait at least another year to break their 35-year losing streak against the New Zealanders at Eden Park.

That should provide the All Blacks with a solid platform to challenge for yet another Rugby Championship title, but the real test will come against the Springboks, whose forward pack and breakdown dominance remains the best in the world.

Last year’s first-ever defeat to Los Pumas won’t have been forgotten either, so there remains plenty of work for the All Blacks to do if they are to come away as champions by the beginning of October. ARG NZ Rugby game

In saying that, the quality of their squad is evident and it is difficult to go past them as title favourites, although the task of becoming SANZAAR’s best side will be tough as they face the prospect of playing their last home test of the year this weekend.