Pumas
Griquas will “definitely” draw on the experience of Springbok Willie le Roux for their crucial Promotion-Relegation match against the Pumas on Friday night.
The Steval Pumas hammered the Eastern Province Kings on Friday night in the Currie Cup First Division final.
The Pumas led 19-9 at halftime and looked to be in control throughout the game. The final score saw the Pumas win 53-30.
Following the Test between South Africa and New Zealand this past weekend, the New Zealand All Blacks have solidified their clasp on the IRD World Test Rankings more, stretching their lead over 2nd placed South Africa to a full 5.19 ranking points.
The Australian Wallabies have also slightly improved their position after their fine win against the Argentinian Pumas over the weekend, leaving them in 4th spot.
World Champions, New Zealand have stretched their lead further by almost a full rating point.
Pumas great Felipe Contepomi was not too dejected after the Wallabies spoiled his Test swansong with a 54-12 win in Rosario on Saturday.
The Rugby Championship clash at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito brought down the curtain on Contepomi’s illustrious international career.
The utility back, who made his Test debut for Argentina against Chile back in 1998, played in his record 87th Test and retired as the Pumas’ top points-scorer of all time having accumulated 651 Test points and broken Hugo Porta’s record of 590 points.
Following the final match of The Rugby Championship of 2013, the one between the Argentinian Pumas and Australian Wallabies, it has transpired that Argentina scrumhalf Martin Landajo has been suspended from all forms of the game for one week after stamping on some Australian players in Rosario.
Duty Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton has accepted a guilty plea from Landajo for contravening Law 10.4 (b) Stamping or trampling after he was cited.
Pumas (10) 17 / 54 (25) Wallabies (Final Score)
The Argentinian Pumas and Australian Wallabies did battle in The Rugby Championship at
Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario at 00:40 Sunday SA Time (19:40 ARG Time, 22:40 GMT, 09:40 Sunday EDT Aus Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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With the Pumas hosting the Wallabies this weekend it is still all to play for for both sides to avoid the wooden spoon in The Rugby Championship.
These two teams are facing their own demons this season as the Pumas have recorded no wins and the Wallabies only one win in this year’s competition. The Pumas will be backing themselves for a win against a struggling Wallaby team who also aeem to be full of internal politics about pay disputes.
The losing team in this clash will finish at the bottom of the Log. This clash will be an interesting one as both teams want to prove a point.
Australia scrumhalf Will Genia’s yo-yo season took an upward turn when he was recalled for Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test in Argentina.
Genia comes in for Nic White in the only change to the starting line-up from that beaten 28-8 by South Africa in Cape Town last weekend.
World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry, affectionally also known as “Ted”, could find himself in hot water once again for disparaging remarks he has made about match officials.
The former All Blacks boss who is now a technical advisor for the Pumas, had some choice words to say about the standards of refereeing in the Rugby Championship, saying that referees and the judicial panel have been “totally inconsistent” and are “a weakness in the game.”
The recall of veteran midfielder Felipe Contepomi is one of two changes to the Argentina team ahead of their final Rugby Championship match of the year.
The Pumas, still seeking their first win after two years in the competition, will face Australia at the Gigante de Arroyito, in Rosario, on Saturday.
It was the penultimate Round of rugby in The Rugby Championship of 2013, with the South African Springboks playing the Australian Wallabies at Newlands, Cape Town and the Argentinian Pumas playing the New Zealand All Blacks in Argentina.
The Springboks comfortably beat the Wallabies by 28 / 8, however a 4th bonus point try just barely eveded them, whilst the All Blacks won away from home against the Pumas by 33 / 15, barely getting their 4th try in the dying seconds of the match.
The All Blacks are now 5 points clear on the Combined Log (23 points), the Springboks 2nd (18 points), followed at quite some distance by the Wallabies (4 points) and the Pumas (2 points).
The competion is now poised for two games next weekend, where the Springboks and All Blacks will contest for the Championship title, whilst the loser between the Pumas and Wallabies will receive the wooden spoon for 2013.
Here are 2 highlites videos of the matches played:
Pumas (9) 15 / 33 (11) All Blacks (Final Score)
The Argentinian Pumas and New Zealand All Blacks did battle in The Rugby Championship at Estadio Ciuda
de la Plata, La Plata, Argentina at 00:40 Sunday SA Time (19:40 ARG Time, 22:40 GMT, 11:40 Sunday NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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This weekend will see the Pumas taking on the All Blacks in Argentina. Argentina are still looking for their first win over New Zealand and their first win in The Rugby Championship and the All Blacks will want to take a win here with a bonus point if they can, as they will be facing the Springboks next week in South Africa in a match building up to be The Rugby Championship decider.
Argentina put up a brave fight in New Zealand in their last outing, however beating the All Blacks is not an easy task and it seems quite far-fetched for the Pumas at this stage. A Puma win however will favour the Springboks, if they manage to beat the Wallabies.
The record remains unchanged with these team having met 17 times and the All Blacks winning 16 of these encounters.
It does seem likely that the safest bet is to go for the All Blacks for a win, however looking at the last home game for the Pumas, they pushed the Springboks for 80 minutes and only lost by 5 points and prevented the Springboks from getting a 4-try bonus point. All in all a good win for the All Blacks seems likely, but there is doubt that they will crush the Pumas and we could see a similar result as against the Springboks.
All Black coach Steve Hansen has made 2 changes to the New Zealand team to play the Pumas from Argentina at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, Argentina, in the Rugby Championship Test this Saturday (Sunday morning very early SA Time).
A fit again Aaron Cruden comes in at flyhalf as an injury enforced change, replacing the injured Dan Carter.
At hooker Andrew Hore replaces Dan Coles (who falls out of the match 23), for his 80th Test.
The Pumas have made six changes for their clash against the All Blacks this weekend.
One of the six changes will see veteran Patricio Albacete slotting in at lock.
The EP Kings, SWD Eagles and Leopards this weekend all booked their semifinal berths in the Absa Currie Cup First Division alongside log-leaders, the Steval Pumas, with one pool round remaining.
The recall of Waratahs prop Benn Robinson is one of the main features of a 28-man Wallaby squad for their two-match tour to South Africa and Argentina.
Australia tackle the Springboks in Cape Town on Septemver 28 and the Pumas in Rossario a week later.
The Springboks, who lost over the weekend to the All Blacks, will feel a little undone by the result, but not all hope is lost.
It will take a big push to ensure they still win The Rugby Championship.
The Rugby Chamionship match between the Australian Wallabies and Argentinian Pumas is was a strange old battle to basically decide who was not going to receive the wooden spoon in the competition, a clash with it’s own merits and demerits. Neither team had won in the competition for the year and were desperate to pick up the first win and the game went right down to the wire.
Wallabies (14) 14 / 13 (3) Pumas (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and Argentinian Pumas did battle in The Rugby Championship at
Patersons Stadium, Perth, Australia at 12:05 SA Time (18:00 Perth Time, 07:05 Arg Time, 10:05 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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In 6 games played this year in The Rugby Championship these teams have combined only managed to get 1 Log point. Here is a head to head breakdown of how the two teams compare.
These teams have met each other 19 times in the past, with the Wallabies winning 14 and the Puma’s winning 4 and only 1 draw. With the current form of these sides, a draw could not be a far fetched result in this case.
The Wallabies have scored a total of 493 against the Pumas compared to the Puma’s 287. This leaves a average score line of 26-15 in favour of the Wallabies.
Neither team has manged any wins this year, but the Pumas did manage a to get a bonus point against the Springboks in Mendoza.
The Pumas will be backing themselves for a win in Australia, coming off 2 good performances against the Springboks and All Blacks respectively.
Australia is playing their final home game in this year’s Rugby Championship before touring to South Africa and Argentina and at this stage a win is non negotiable for the Wallabies. They will attempt to trash the Pumas to earn back some respect from the Australian rugby public, as this is one their worst years in rugby history.
Wallabies scrumhalf Will Genia has been dropped for Australia’s crucial Rugby Championship clash against Argentina here on Saturday with Ben Mowen taking over the captaincy.
Genia is considered to be one of the best No 9s in world rugby but has struggled for consistency and paid the price for last weekend’s 38-12 drubbing at the hands of South Africa in Brisbane.
He drops to the bench for the must-win match against the Pumas in Perth, with Nic White replacing him in the starting line-up.
The desperation in Australia to turn around a four-match losing streak has reached such a dire stage even their best players are now in the firing line.
The Wallabies have failed to fire in three losses since Ewen McKenzie took over as coach, with the team copping plenty of heat following last week’s record 12-38 belting by South Africa in Brisbane.
Scrumhalf Will Genia, who aside from South Africa’s Fourie du Preez is regarded as the game’s foremost No.9, is in the cross hairs of critics looking to find a scapegoat for the team’s dismal run.
On a bright Monday morning, I look back on a weekend where the rugby gods smiled on me and the teams I support.
On Saturday morning at 09:35 SA Time, the New Zealand All Blacks and Argentinian Pumas met at the Waikato Stadium, Hamilton in wether which was never going to suit high-scoring running rugby, with wind and rain pelting down. The All Blacks won a tough encounter against a spirited Pumas side by 28 / 13.
A bit later, at 12:05 SA Time the Australian Wallabies and South African Springboks met in Brisbane, in perfect weather for rugby. By the end of this game the Wallabies would have given anything to rather have played in attrocious weather conditions, because the Springboks hammered, destroyed… and educated the Wallabies, setting up the biggest win against the Wallabies by a Springbok team in Australia of all time, the final score Springboks 38 / 12, a margin of 26 points!
The All Blacks managed a win as expected over the Pumas, but it was far from convincing. The weather played a big part here as it rained for about 70% of the match. This contributed to the large amount of handling errors and lack of running.
The end result of 28 – 13 for the All Blacks and no bonus points, favoured the Springboks more over this past weekend, as they now top the Log with 1 point more than the All Blacks. Argentina still find themselves in third place ahead of struggling Australia and with their next match in Australia will most probably back themselves for a win.
All Blacks (15) 28 / 13 (10) Pumas (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and Argentinian Pumas did battle in The Rugby Championship at
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 04:35 Arg Time, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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In anticipation for this weekend’s clash between the All Blacks and the Pumas, here is a head to head breakdown of how the two teams compare.
These teams have met each other 16 times in the past, with the All Blacks not having lost once against the Pumas, there is however 1 draw between these teams but this was way back in 1985 with a final score of 21-21, which ironically is also the highest ever score posted by a Puma side against the All Blacks.
The All Blacks score a average of 43 points per match vs the 13 of the Pumas. So an average result of 43-13 in favour of the All Blacks sounds like a very accurate prediction. The All Blacks will be firm favourites to take this one and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.
New Zealand rejected suggestions that Argentina will resort to foul play in Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test in Hamilton as they brace for a physical challenge from the South Americans.
Argentina came under the microscope after their recent defeat to South Africa, with Leonardo Senatore receiving a nine-week suspension for biting while Pablo Matera was accused of eye-gouging, though he was found not guilty.
Flyhalf Daniel Carter will return to the New Zealand side for Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against Argentina after recovering from a calf strain, while centre Francis Saili will make his test debut.
The 31-year-old Carter had been expected to play the first Rugby Championship match against Australia in Sydney last month but pulled up with the injury at training and missed the return fixture in Wellington.
Argentina will welcome back a key figure, in one of four changes to the starting fifteen to take on New Zealand in a Rugby Championship Round Three match in Hamilton on Saturday.
Having missed the opening games of the competition captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe returns at blindside flank, with Pablo Matera shifting to openside and Juan Manual Leguizamon moving to No.8.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen believes New Zealand’s former head coach, Graham Henry, is having an even greater impact over Argentina this year.
Argentina will be without the injured Patricio Albacete and suspended Leonardo Senatore for Rugby Championship matches in New Zealand and Australia.
A SANZAR judicial officer has found Pumas No 8 Leonardo Senatore guilty of biting Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth and suspended him for nine weeks.
The incident occurred in the 61st minute of the match between Argentina and South Africa at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.
Argentina loose forwards Leonardo Senatore and Pablo Matera have been cited for alleged foul play against South Africa.
Pumas (17) 17 / 22 (13) Springboks (Final Score)
The Argentinian Pumas and South African Springboks did battle in The Rugby Championship at
Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza at 21:10 SA Time (16:10 Arg Time, 19:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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