All Blacks crush Argentina in Tri Nations rugby series 38-0 and look certain to take the cup

The All Blacks have crushed Argentina 38-0 and look certain to capture the Tri Nations rugby trophy.

Will Jordan of the All Blacks makes a break to score a try during the 2020 Tri Nations match between the Argentina Pumas and New Zealand at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The All Blacks have almost certainly added the Tri Nations Cup to their win in the Bledisloe Cup rugby series and yet, ironically, this is New Zealand’s least successful season since 1998.

Stung by their first-ever loss to the Pumas, 25-15, a fortnight ago, the All Blacks were a team on a mission at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night, wearing Argentina down before eventually putting them to the sword five-tries-to-nil, winning 38-0.

Technically speaking, the Wallabies can still win the Tri Nations tournament if they beat the Pumas as Parramatta next Saturday. But not only would they need to win with a bonus point but the margin of victory would have to be 101 points to wipe out the two cricket-score wins by the All Blacks. Let’s not mention that ridiculous scenario again.

Still, any system that hands the trophy to a side that has scored two wins and two losses ahead of a side which finishes with two wins, a draw and a single loss – which is how either the Wallabies or the Pumas will end the tournament – is out of whack with reality.

What it does is reward blow-outs – with the All Blacks routing Australia by a record score of 43-5 before again winning by 38 on Saturday – while effectively punishing the gripping 15-15 all draw that Australia and Argentina played out last weekend.

Australia’s heart was always in its mouth when it saw the side the Pumas had chosen for this match, with a dozen changes made to their strongest XV. The South Americans clearly were hoping to hold the All Blacks to less than a three-try victory and then let loose their primary team against the Wallabies at Bankwest Stadium.

The plan worked for 51 minutes 33 seconds, at which point the All Blacks scored their second try when No 8 Ardie Savea powered over the two smallest players in the Argentinian side, halves Felipe Ezcurra and Nicolas Sanchez, in a rehearsed play from a lineout close to the Pumas’ line.

Suddenly the All Blacks were within one score of the bonus point they had been patiently building towards but not even they could have expected the Pumas fortress, which had stood so proudly for so long, to collapse so dramatically in front of them.

Twice in two minutes, the Pumas gave away an intercept try. On both occasions, in the 68th and 70th minutes, it was reserve centre Santiago Carreras who threw the errant pass. And on both occasions, it was All Black replacement winger Will Jordan – on the field barely five minutes – who profited, pulling in the ball and racing away to score.

Will Jordan scores. Picture: Getty Images

Then, in a Keystone Cops finish to proceedings, All Black lock Patrick Tuipulotu crossed for his side’s final try as the Pumas threw caution to the wind in a bold attempt to prevent being “nilled’’ by New Zealand for the first time in their history. All this took place in the five minutes after Tyrell Lomax was yellow-carded for attacking the head of Lucio Sordoni after the full-time siren.

In their final outing for 2020, the All Blacks exhibited far more patience than they have shown recently, squeezing the Pumas throughout and dominating possession by 71 per cent in the first half.

Codie Taylor of the All Blacks and Santiago Socino of the Pumas scuffle during the match. Picture: Getty Images

In contrast to their brainless one-off charges in their first meeting with the Pumas, the New Zealanders constantly peppered the Pumas with a disconcerting array of short grubbers over the fast-rushing defensive line. Even though the Argentinians managed to defuse most of the kicks, they found themselves being forced back time and again to their own tryline.

The Kiwis scored in only the 12th minute of play, hooker Dane Coles crossing out wide as is his wont, and the expectation was that more tries would follow, and quickly.

That they didn’t – at least not immediately – was due to Argentina’s incredible passion, topped up on Saturday night by the fact that they were playing in honour of their most illustrious Pumas supporter, Diego Maradona. But it couldn’t last.

The All Blacks led 10-0 at the break and after a couple of misfires, finally manipulated a hole in the blue wall when Savea worked a neat play off Scott Barrett’s win at the back of the lineout.

Five-eighth Richie Mo’unga, who kicked brilliantly off the tee throughout, orchestrated the All Blacks’ attack with aplomb, while Caleb Clark and the man who replaced him on the left wing, Jordan, gave the Pumas constant grief.

For the Argentinians, captain and flanker Pablo Matera tried hard, as did his fellow backrow partners Marcos Kremer and Facundo Isa, but even they ran out of aggression on a steamy night in Newcastle town.

AFP