The Rugby Championship is in full swing. 2 rounds have been completed. There have been mixed performances. At the end, all four sides: South Africa; New Zealand; Australia and Argentina have all secured a victory. While everyone should be happy, there has been some backlash from New Zealand. This comes off the back of a defeat to Argentina in Buenos Aires. This was a first for the All Blacks.
All Blacks head coach, Scott Robertson, concedes the All Blacks âhave to be betterâ after their 29-23 defeat at the hands of the Pumas in Buenos Aires. At 13-all at half-time, the All Blacks did well to hold Argentina out while down two players, with Beauden Barrett producing two incredible cover tackles.
When they were back to 15 men, they couldnât stop Argentina arresting control, with an aerial meltdown the catalyst for Pumas to take the game through aerial supremacy. "Firstly, well done to them and congratulations, that hurts; itâs tough," Robertson told ESPN.
Robertson said the defeat stung on a night the All Blacks were celebrating hooker, Codie Taylorâs 100th Test match. He couldnât pinpoint the exact reasons why for the loss and said they will have to 'look deep' in their post-match review.
"We wanted to put on a show for Codie, and we didnât get what we wanted. Weâre gonna have to look deep," he said. "This competition is tough; anyone can win on the day, and you have to be at your best. We have to be better."
Captain Scott Barrett conceded that discipline handed too much to the home side, with three yellow cards 'not helping' while they conceded frequently on defence for being offside and at the breakdown.
"They [Argentina] showed more passion and intensity tonight. They got over the gainline and we gave away too many penalties to feed their game; we were outclassed tonight,@ said Barrett.
"It certainly doesnât help [losing three players] and I thought we showed a lot of urgency to hold them out just before half-time, though. Thereâll be a bit of pain within this group during the week and we need to bounce and carry this and be better. Well done to the Pumas."
Many New Zealanders won't mind if the leader of the All Blacks is the strong, silent type. As long as the team gets results, that is. When the All Blacks lose, that narrative is subject to change.
The All Blacks' historic loss to Argentina last Sunday means that captain, Scott Barrett, along with vice-captains, Ardie Savea and Jordie Barrett, have to be held to account for the flawed performance in Buenos Aires.
Will Jordan, Tupou Vaa'i and Sevu Reece put more than themselves under the microscope when they were punished with yellow cards. They also placed Scott Barrett and his deputies in the firing line. It's because they are the ones who, along with the coaches, should be demanding higher standards.
None of the three sin-binned players could be accused of being grubs. Their actions weren't malicious, spiteful or nasty. Even the great players make mistakes.
When the All Blacks lose, though, everything changes. There's no hiding. Fingers are going to be pointed.
Jordan, Vaa'i and Reece have to accept responsibility. Jordan was guilty of changing his running line to impede Mateo Carreras, Vaa'i knocked down a pass by Pablo Matera - which reduced the All Blacks to 13 players - and Reece, in perhaps the most blatant act of the lot, slapped down a transfer in the 73rd minute.
Pressure often causes pain. The All Blacks need to hold their nerve. They have been guilty of creeping offside or, in the case of the Jordan, Vaa'i and Reece, blatantly using illegal tactics. What we do know is that they are proving to be slow learners. It was painful to see the All Blacks concede a string of early penalties in Buenos Aires. It set the tone.
The yellow cards to Billy Proctor and Anton Lienert-Brown when they beat the Pumas in Cordoba a week earlier was proof the All Blacks had been pushing their luck. They were penalised 12 times. They still won.
The All Blacks conceded two fewer penalties in Buenos Aires. That meant nothing when reading the scoreboard.
Barrett, as the skipper, has to demand better standards.
Scott Robertson and his coaching staff will have more than enough time to pick apart their performance on their day long journey back to New Zealand in the coming days, after a 29-23 defeat against Argentina in Buenos Aires.
The ill-discipline is likely the biggest frustration for Robertson and co, after referee, Nic Berry, gave the All Blacks three yellow cards: two for intentional knockdowns and one for Will Jordan; who impededed and changed his line to stop an Argentinian attacker.
Four former All Blacks have discussed the loss on Sky Sport after the Test match in Buenos Aires, where they have criticised the tactics the All Blacks used on Sunday morning
81-Test former All Black, Justin Marshall, admits the All Blacks definitely had intent in Buenos Aires, but questions whether the tactics were used effectively against Argentina. "I think they certainly had intent, no doubt about it, every time we pull the All Black jersey on thereâs intent and particularly when history is on the line. I just think tactically, on the day, we just were off. We didnât have enough moments in the game where we were able to dictate, whereas Argentina did."
World Cup winning former All Black first-five, Stephen Donald, explained that the emotion in the next couple of weeks will be as big as a World Cup Final match. "When you have a loss, you never want to have a loss, but, geez, it sharpens things up and there wonât be any stone unturned in the next two weeks."
"Theyâve got 20 hours on a plane to have a look at the computers, they wonât be able to avoid it and I guess the state of this game now, I mean, you can already feel it when youâre talking about it the emotion will be as big as anything outside of a World Cup final match."
23-Test All Black, Angus Taâavao, still has full confidence in the All Blacks going forward, especially in two weeks time when the Springboks play Robertsonâs side at Eden Park. "Iâm still 100% backing that the boys can get this job done, I know weâve probably wavered a bit, shaking a little bit in our confidence and belief."
"But I know that come two weeks time when South Africa walks into town at Eden Park, 1937 thatâs a hell of a record and itâs not just about that, but the boys know what theyâre coming up against. They know how theyâre going to prepare, theyâre going to look at this that, Jason Ryan, all those guys are going to break down on how they can be better, and they will be," Taâavao said.
The All Blacks have received a damning review from veteran rugby commentator, Grant Nisbett, in the wake of their latest Rugby Championship defeat to Los Pumas, with coaches and the class of players being called into question.
Speaking on Sport Nation radio on Monday, Nisbett reacted to a defeat that has Kiwi pundits searching for answers after the All Blacks surrendered their unbeaten record in Argentina. It was the Kiwisâ first loss of 2025 in their fifth outing but that record meant little to the commentator, who saw no signs of meaningful progress from the team throughout that stretch.
"It was really disappointing, wasnât it? I find myself asking the question: have we made any progress at all in the five Test matches that weâve played this year, and Iâve come to the conclusion that, no, we havenât. In fact, weâre almost going backwards,â Nisbett said.
"Itâs a real concern, isnât it? Solutions? I donât know. I really donât know, and I donât think the coaching staff know, either."
"We hear that theyâre trying to play the game at pace, and yet we pick our biggest ever forward pack, which is a real contradiction. I donât know what the game plan is, and if there is one, then itâs well hidden. I just donât know what it is."
"We know that our next game is against South Africa, we know what their game plan will be, and thatâs about it, really. Itâll be physical, itâll be high kicks and all the rest of it. Weâve got to find a way, somehow, to counter that, but Iâm not sure weâre capable right now."
The last issue Nisbett brought to attention was the way the All Blacks are finishing games, with an ugly habit from 2024 again rearing its head.
"It was a real issue last year. It was identified, and there were stats around to say we were terrible in the last 20 minutes in most of the Test matches we played last year, even the ones we won handsomely. And it doesnât seem to improve."
"Then you have to say, 'What kind of impact are we getting off the bench?' Because that is the time when the bench really has to come into its own, thatâs when the tired players that have had an hour, theyâre gone, you bring the fresh legs on, and you hope for an impact, and we simply arenât getting it."
"I think the biggest concern for me, is that when our world-class players, and to be honest, we havenât got that many in the All Blacks at the moment, Iâm thinking of the guys like Will Jordan, Beauden Barrett, Ardie Savea, one or two others, if they have an off day, the All Blacks are going to lose. Thereâs no doubt about that."
"We donât seem to have blokes who can step up when the very best players are not having one of their better days. We talk about the depth in New Zealand rugby, but at the very highest level, Iâm not sure thereâs a hell of a lot of depth there at the moment."
The All Blacks performance in Buenos Aires was like watching a thriller movie that ended on a lame note. Having sat on the edge of their seats as the All Blacks kept running down blind alleys, the team's supporters anxiously looked at the clock and told themselves their team would eventually find an escape route before the final curtain dropped.
The Pumas, it turned out, were following another script.
Instead of lifting their standards from the previous weekend, when they produced a scratchy win in Cordoba, the All Blacks hit the button with the downward arrow and landed in the basement.
The All Blacks lacked agility, discipline, cohesion and passion. There could be no complaints. Not when they had Will Jordan, Tupou Vaa'i and Sevu Reece yellow carded and were starved of possession for such long periods.
Now for the really bad news. The Springboks, having reversed their fortunes against the Wallabies in Cape Town after the defeat in Johannesburg a week earlier, are beating their collective chests as they search for a fresh skeleton to throw on the bonfire.
It's no secret Rassie Erasmus has been waiting a long time to give the All Blacks a taste of green and gold medicine at a sold-out Eden Park.
It would've been one of the first things Erasmus wrote on his list of KPIs (Key Performance Indicator) for 2025. The Springboks haven't won at Eden Park since 1937.
The All Blacks' most recent defeat at the venue was against France in 1994 and they have been unbeaten in their last 50 tests at Eden Park.
The remarkable record will be under serious threat on 6 September.
The Springboks, not having played at Eden Park since 2013, have won their last four tests against the All Blacks in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Paris and London. The All Blacks' most recent win against them was at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland in July 2023.
The All Blacks have two weeks to assemble a strategy that will knock the Springboks off their tracks at Eden Park. Robertson, like Erasmus, would have targeted this fixture at the start of the year.
The All Blacks' underperforming backline is cause for major concern. So, too, is the inability to get parity when contesting high balls.
If Erasmus was to take a full page advert to promote his game plans in New Zealand, it may not cause many eyeballs to leap out on springs. The Springboks, especially if it rains, will rely on heavy machinery up front, accurate high balls and a taste for territory to become the first team in 31 years to beat the All Blacks at Eden Park.
As for the All Blacks, it's difficult to know what's coming. They have a fortnight to figure that out.
I was quite surprised by the maltitude of news stories that came out as a result of a historic loss. I might be a little naive. I'm sure New Zealand will be just fine. They've usually proven that they're definitely powerhouses in the game of rugby.
I'm obviously being biased but I hope they find their feet after 13 September, after they've faced the Springboks. If things don't improve, the All Blacks will be losing ground of the rest of the competition and themselves. Every opposition might believe that they're ripe for the picking.