Wallabies v Argentina: Taniela Tupou and Scott Sio get nod in new look Australia front row
Dave Rennie’s mission to string wins together starts against Argentina. And his selection choices show how he plans to match the Pumas physically. SEE THE TEAMS
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It hasn’t taken Dave Rennie long to figure out what the Wallabies’ long-suffering followers crave more than most.
He may have needed four outings to chalk up his first victory since starting his new job as head coach, but he’s been left in no doubt about what has to happen next.
All Wallabies fans want is to see the team start stringing some wins together – no matter what it takes – because they’re fed up with one-off performances that end up being nothing more than false dawns.
Australia’s win over the All Blacks two weeks ago was inspiring stuff but Rennie – who has already seen his side draw with New Zealand one week then fall in a heap and lose the next two on the trot – has been drilling into his players the need to show some consistency against the Pumas this Saturday.
“We’ve talked a lot about understanding that we’re playing something bigger than ourselves and who we represent,” he said.
“We want the Australian rugby public to believe in us and to be proud of us, and the only way you do that is through the performance.
“We put in a pretty solid 80 minutes (but) that doesn’t count for a lot unless we back it up again this week.”
If the Wallabies were ever in danger of underestimating the lowly ranked Pumas, the South Americans’ historic win over the All Blacks last weekend should have destroyed any hint of complacency.
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With former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika now in their corner, Argentina beat New Zealand far more comfortably than Australia did, using a simple game plan built on rock solid defence and astute kicking.
“What impressed me was that they just kept tackling. Even at times when they looked a bit vulnerable, guys made key tackles,” Rennie said.
“If he’s had anything to do with that, he’s done a good job. They also kicked the leather off the ball but I would assume he didn’t have a lot of influence in that.“
Rennie has rewarded Taniela Tupou for his powerful effort off the bench in the win over the All Blacks by naming him as the starting tighthead prop in a reshuffled front row. The message is simple: he wants to match the Pumas physically.
Scott Sio returns at loosehead while Ned Hanigan replaces suspended openside flanker Lachie Swinton and the backline remains unchanged, with Reece Hodge retained in the playmaking role after regular five-eighth James O’Connor was ruled out with injury.
“We expect them to kick a lot to us and then try and get a wall in front of us, so we’ve got a plan around that,” Rennie said.
“Our kicking game needs to be sharp. Our ability to generate quick ball will be really important. And then discipline’s going to be massive.
“They’re happy to go in threes, and if we make errors around discipline they can kick from a long way out or get their lineout going and their drive game which was pretty effective last week.”
As expected, the Pumas stuck with the same team that beat the Kiwis last week.
The Wallabies face Argentina at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle on Saturday 21 November, 7.45pm (EDT).
WALLABIES:
15-Tom Banks, 14-Tom Wright, 13-Jordan Petaia, 12-Hunter Paisami, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Reece Hodge, 9-Nic White, 8-Harry Wilson, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Ned Hanigan, 5-Matt Philip, 4-Rob Simmons, 3-Taniela Tupou, 2-Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1-Scott Sio
Reserves:
16-Folau Fainga’a, 17-Angus Bell, 18-Allan Alaalatoa, 19-Rob Valetini, 20-Liam Wright, 21-Jake Gordon, 22-Noah Lolesio, 23-Filipo Daugunu.
PUMAS:
15-Santiago Carreras, 14-Bautista Delguy, 13-Matias Orlando, 12-Santiago Chocobares, 11-Juan Imhoff, 10-Nicolas Sanchez, 9-Tomas Cubelli, 8-Rodrigo Bruni, 7-Marcos Kremer, 6-Pablo Matera (captain), 5-Matias Alemanno, 4-Guido Petti, 3-Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2-Julian Montoya, 1-Nahuel Tetaz Chapparo
Reserves:
16-Santiago Socino, 17-Mayco Vivas, 18-Santiago Medrano, 19-Santiago Grondona, 20-Facundo Isa, 21-Gonzalo Bertranou, 22-Emiliano Boffelli, 23-Santiago Cordero
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Scott Sio will return to the Wallabies starting side for the first time since last year’s World Cup quarter-final loss to England, with the loosehead prop to face the mighty Argentina pack after James Slipper was ruled out with an elbow injury.
In a surprise demotion under new coach Dave Rennie, Sio was put on the bench for the first three Bledisloe Cup matches this year behind Slipper – who most often comes off the bench behind Sio for the Brumbies in Super Rugby.
Then after the record 43-5 loss to the All Blacks in game three, a result that kept the Bledisloe in New Zealand for a 17th straight year, Sio was dropped from the 23-man squad altogether, in favour of rookie Angus Bell, who made his debut a fortnight ago.
Bell, winger Tom Wright and backrower Lachie Swinton made rare history by defeating the All Blacks on debut as Australia won game four 24-22.
Swinton was sent off and consequently suspended until February, however, meaning he’s likely to be replaced in the pack this week by Ned Hanigan.
For 29-year-old Sio, the return to the starting side is a high in his rollercoaster season, having played a crucial role in guiding the Brumbies to the Super Rugby AU premiership.
Sio was the regular No.1 for Australia under previous coach Michael Cheika, who is now an assistant to Pumas head coach Mario Ledesma.
He started in the major World Cup games last year, including the fateful quarter-final showdown won 40-16 by England.
After dropping Sio for the final Bledisloe match a fortnight ago, Rennie credited the prop’s fortitude, saying he’d had his best training week since camp started.
Sio’s 66 Tests of experience will be vital against the well-drilled Pumas pack who shocked the All Blacks last weekend, winning 25-15.
The Pumas recalled 35-year-old tighthead Francisco Gomez-Kodela to their starting side for the game – he hadn’t played a Test since 2013 but didn’t miss a beat by playing 72 minutes.
Rennie has opted against starting 20-year-old Bell in just his second Test against the grizzled Argentinians.
The coach will also keep the same backline that produced the stunning turnaround against the All Blacks in Brisbane, which means Wright holds onto his wing spot, while Hunter Paisami and Jordan Petaia will form the midfield combination and Reece Hodge remains five-eighth as James O’Connor continues to battle a knee injury.
The Wallabies must defeat Argentina if they hope to win the Tri Nations tournament, however Newcastle has not been kind to Australian rugby.
No professional Australian team has won a game at McDonald Jones Stadium, with the Waratahs losing two matches to overseas rivals, while the Wallabies lost their only Test match there in 2012, when Scotland prevailed 9-6 in cyclonic conditions.
In order to notch their maiden win at the venue, the Wallabies must break apart Argentina’s brickwall defence and force them into errors – which the All Blacks could not do last week.
In their first Test win over New Zealand, Argentina made just one handling error and conceded two turnovers at Bankwest Stadium – both were the lowest recorded by any team playing the All Blacks since 2007.
Pumas playmaker Nicolas Sanchez will punish any Wallaby infringement with his radar boot, having scored all 25 points for his team last week while attempting seven penalty shots, a clear statement of their intention to get points at every opportunity.
Argentina will attack Australia’s scrum and their breakdown – the Wallabies conceded 20 ruck turnovers to the All Blacks over their four games.
WALLABIES MUST NEUTRALISE PUMA PASSION
Tim Horan
It was great to see the passion that Argentina brought in their win over New Zealand last weekend but the Wallabies need to make sure they find a way to negate that and not fall into the same trap as the All Blacks.
Passion can be a very powerful tool for teams but it only gets you so far, because as Bob Dwyer used to say when he was coach of the Wallabies, everyone who represents their country is passionate, but different teams have different ways of showing it.
Just because the Wallabies don’t cry doesn’t mean they’re not as passionate as sides like Argentina.
I remember the first time I played against the Pumas – in our opening game of the 1991 World Cup at Llanelli – and being struck by how passionate the Pumas were while I was watching them on the big screen during the anthems.
Nearly every single one of their players was crying so I was thinking to myself this could go one of two ways: either they’re going to be emotionally exhausted or they’re going to come out like a dog outside a butcher’s window.
We ended up winning that game and the Wallabies can also win this Saturday as long as they play smart rugby.
I’ve always been a big believer in ball-in-hand rugby and creating width in your attack to create one-on-one opportunities but if I was Dave Rennie, I’d be encouraging the Wallabies to kick a lot more in the first 30 minutes.
It’s never been one of my favourite tactics but there’s certain teams – and Argentina’s one of them – where in the first 30 minutes you’ve got to put the ball in behind their defence and turn them around and take all the emotion and passion away from them.
Players like Pablo Matera will want to get involved in the game early by trying to belt blokes but if the ball’s going over their heads and they can’t make any tackles or be involved in the match, it will frustrate them because this is a team that will want to get in your face.
Tactically, the Wallabies need to be very smart because you saw the way Argentina rattled the All Blacks last weekend so you can’t just run out and play the way you normally do.
Teams like Argentina and also Fiji and Italy have different defensive patterns so you have to adapt the way you play with the ball and be very disciplined.
That means trusting the players around you.
People talk a lot about discipline but it’s also about trusting the other 14 players on the field because whenever you’re tempted to put your hand on the ball or do something rash you have to remind yourself to trust your teammates will make the tackles or turn the ball over a couple of phases later.
That’s what passion is to the Wallabies, believing in your teammates and the game plan.
In 1999 when we won the World Cup final we faced another team that relies on passion and precision.
France beat the All Blacks in an unbelievable semi-final so when we played them, we made sure we took all their emotion and passion away by kicking a lot in the first half and wearing them down.
There’s a handful of teams in the world, and Argentina’s among them, that if you can get on top early and open up a 10 or 12 point lead then their passion drops off and that’s one of the keys for the Wallabies this weekend.
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