Wins at a premium in neck-and-neck Rugby Championship

Sydney — The Rugby Championship has mostly been a New Zealand-led procession in recent years,  but this season it resembles a genuine competition going into round three with all four teams having notched a win apiece.

New Zealand and SA would appear best placed to stamp their authority on this weekend’s fixtures, but the fluctuating fortunes of the southern hemisphere powers in 2022 make predictions a little trickier than usual.

Argentina, so often the tournament whipping boys, top the standings after thrashing Australia two weeks ago but face a tough clash against the All Blacks, who revived their season with an impressive victory over SA last time out.

The world champion Springboks, meanwhile, would be strong favourites to hand the struggling Wallabies a fourth defeat of the season at Adelaide Oval on Saturday were it not for their woeful record on Australian soil.

SA have won only four of 29 away Tests against the Wallabies since the championship began as the Tri-Nations in 1996, the last coming in Brisbane in 2013.

“It’s a strange one, it’s not that we underestimate them or treat them differently to New Zealand,” lock Lood de Jager said. “Maybe it is the style of play, but we have an opportunity to not look back in history, but rather look forward and do something that not a lot of Springbok teams have managed in the past.”

Coach Jacques Nienaber has cut a member from his famous Bomb Squad bench to bring in an extra back, but with Faf de Klerk returning at scrumhalf, the Wallabies are expecting the usual bombardment of high balls mixed with stifling defence.

Reece Hodge, safe under the high ball and with a prodigious boot of his own, has been brought into the Australia team at fullback in one of six changes to the side that was embarrassed 48-17 by the Pumas.

“They’ve got a good kicking game and a good defence and we’ve got to win that aerial battle,” coach Dave Rennie said. “It’s a massive game for us … the Rugby Championship is pretty even and we need to stay in the fight.”

While the Springboks will be out to snap a nine-year losing streak in Australia, the Pumas will be looking for a first-ever away win over the 11-time southern hemisphere champion All Blacks in Christchurch on Saturday.

Coach Michael Cheika, who was a consultant with the Pumas when they secured their only win over the All Blacks in Sydney two years ago, has unsurprisingly stuck largely with the players who tore the Wallabies apart in San Juan.

“We face a situation where we need to change history,” he said. “We haven’t won here before … I want to be part of the coaching staff that beats New Zealand for the first time in New Zealand. The opportunity is there.”

All Blacks coach Ian Foster has retained the team that saved his job with the 35-23 victory in Johannesburg in the last round and he will expect them to get their season back to parity at three wins and three losses.

“The recent form of Argentina makes this a Test one that we are looking forward to,” he said. “And the fact that the Rugby Championship is incredibly even means this Test is vital to us.”

Reuters