2012 Rugby Championship Game 1 South Africa vs Argentina - 18 August

[Hugh Jarse]

2012 Rugby Championship

18 August 2012:
Australia vs New Zealand at ANZ Stadium, Sydney
South Africa vs Argentina - DHL Newlands, Cape Town
25 August 2012:
New Zealand vs Australia at Eden Park, Auckland
Argentina vs South Africa - Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza
1 September 2012: Travel Bye
8 September 2012:
Australia vs South Africa at Patersons Stadium, Perth
New Zealand vs Argentina at Westpac Stadium in Wellington
15 September 2012:
Australia vs Argentina at Skilled Park, Gold Coast
New Zealand vs South Africa at Forsyth Barr in Dunedin
22 September 2012: Travel Bye
29 September 2012:
South Africa vs Australia - Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Argentina vs New Zealand - Estadio Ciudad de La Plata, La Plata
6 October 2012:
South Africa vs New Zealand - FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Argentina vs Australia - Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario

The entrée has been consumed and the 2012 Super Rugby competition is now a distant memory. Similarly the June Tests are done and dusted.

Argentina will be cautiously venturing into the Cape Town cauldron at Newlands to take on a Saffer team with a new Coaching staff rebuilding after a disappointing 2011 RWC.

The June tests will have given Los Pumas some confidence, but the Saffers have plenty of unsettled business left over from the RWC and need to make some emphatic statements to the rest of the Rugby World.

I predict that Los Pumas will start out with a hiss and a roar, but ultimately the Saffers will absorb that pressure and then run riot to win by 25-30 points in a one sided match not unlike the display from the Chiefs on Saturday night.

 

[tigerland12]

This will be a kick-a-thon. Will come down to whoever is dominating up front.

 

[Richo]

Saffers will take it. Too big an ask for the Argies to win over there first up, much as I'd love to see it.

 

[Braveheart81]

From a selfish point of view it's annoying this game isn't at 3pm South African time so it starts at 11pm Sydney time.

It would have been great if we'd been able to watch Aus vs NZ at 8pm and only had an hour or so break until the Springboks starts.

 

[Brisbok]

This will be a kick-a-thon. Will come down to whoever is dominating up front.

Tries in June Internationals:

Wobs - 5
Boks - 7

If only we could just drop Morne though!

Ps. Don't most results come down to who is dominating up front?

 

[Manuel]

I think this game won't be even close. Creevy and Leguizamon are too relevant a loss, so SA will be the ones dominating up front.

If Meyer has seen any of the Argentina backs play, the Boks will avoid kicking too much. They should just keep it simple: a few phases with the forwards/centres, and then to the wing.

 

[en_force_er]

The question to me is will the Argies start strong and fade or build into the championship. I can't see them maintaining quality performances all tournament but I can see them rustling some feathers when playing at their best.

In a few years time when Argentina wins their first Rugby Championship (a while off but inevitable) it'll truly be an amazing moment in world rugby history,

 

[Brisbok]

In a few years time when Argentina wins their first Rugby Championship (a while off but inevitable) it'll truly be an amazing moment in world rugby history,

Argentina winning the Rugby Championship is inevitable in a few years? Do you really believe that? In what timeframe? At some point down the track you think it is inevitable that they will be able to consistently beat the current powerhouses of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia? I tend to disagree. Countries like Wales and Ireland, passionate rugby playing nations for many, many years have never tasted success in New Zealand. They also struggle to notch up wins over the All Blacks at home at the end of a long Southern Hemisphere season. I don't think it is inevitable that Argentina will better the efforts of those teams in a few years time.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Anyone have the run on squads?

I feel that the argues will give the bokke a fair going over up front, but the overall quality of the Bokke 6-8 and backs will win out in the end. Home town advantage will "give" Los Pumas 10 points but this will not be enough to win the match. Bokke by 15- 25.

 

[Manuel]

Just announced:

XV PUMA: 1- Rodrigo Roncero, 2- Eusebio Guiñazú, 3- Juan Figallo, 4- Manuel Carizza, 5- Patricio Albacete, 6- Julio Farías, 7- Álvaro Galindo, 8- Juan Fernández Lobbe (c), 9- Nicolás Vergallo, 10- Juan Martín Hernández, 11- Gonzalo Camacho, 12- Santiago Fernández, 13- Marcelo Bosch, 14- Horacio Agulla, 15- Lucas González Amorosino.


Suplentes: 16- Bruno Postiglioni, 17- Marcos Ayerza, 18- Juan Pablo Orlandi, 19- Tomás Leonardi, 20- Leonardo Senatore, 21- Martín Landajo, 22- Martín Rodríguez Gurruchaga.


Entrenador: Santiago Phelan

 

[Brisbok]

Anyone have the run on squads?

I feel that the argues will give the bokke a fair going over up front, but the overall quality of the Bokke 6-8 and backs will win out in the end. Home town advantage will "give" Los Pumas 10 points but this will not be enough to win the match. Bokke by 15- 25.

Game is being played at Newlands mate. Last time I checked that was still a Springbok home game.

 

[Brisbok]

Pierre Spies ruled out of the Rugby Championship through injury. Depending on who the replacement is, this could be good news for the Boks!

 

[en_force_er]

Argentina winning the Rugby Championship is inevitable in a few years? Do you really believe that? In what timeframe? At some point down the track you think it is inevitable that they will be able to consistently beat the current powerhouses of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia? I tend to disagree. Countries like Wales and Ireland, passionate rugby playing nations for many, many years have never tasted success in New Zealand. They also struggle to notch up wins over the All Blacks at home at the end of a long Southern Hemisphere season. I don't think it is inevitable that Argentina will better the efforts of those teams in a few years time.

"A few years" is a pretty undefined time frame.

To win the rugby championship you need to win your home games plus be competitive and perhaps win one or two away, you don't have to win every game. In 2011, 09, and 04 NZ did not lose at home to the team that won the tournament.

 

[Brisbok]

"A few years" is a pretty undefined time frame.

To win the rugby championship you need to win your home games plus be competitive and perhaps win one or two away, you don't have to win every game. In 2011, 09, and 04 NZ did not lose at home to the team that won the tournament.

Yeah I understand that very well. The Boks won the Tri-Nations in 2004 after only winning their home games and picking up a couple of losing bonus points away. However I can't see Argentina, in say the next 5 - 10 years, improving enough to beat all three teams at home and then also beat one or two of the three away in the same year.

 

[en_force_er]

Yeah I understand that very well. The Boks won the Tri-Nations in 2004 after only winning their home games and picking up a couple of losing bonus points away. However I can't see Argentina, in say the next 5 - 10 years, improving enough to beat all three teams at home and then also beat one or two of the three away in the same year.

All it takes is consistently winning your home games, which I think eventually they will. Then from there it takes squad rotation/a key injury/bad day at the office from their opposition and they have an away win.

Australia was probably the worst team in the 3 nations last year (though not by much) but they won it because of a number of factors, couldn't the same happen for the Argies in the next one or two WC cycles?

 

[Brisbok]

All it takes is consistently winning your home games, which I think eventually they will. Then from there it takes squad rotation/a key injury/bad day at the office from their opposition and they have an away win.

Australia was probably the worst team in the 3 nations last year (though not by much) but they won it because of a number of factors, couldn't the same happen for the Argies in the next one or two WC cycles?

We will have to agree to disagree there, as I cannot see them consistently winning their home games in the near future. One possible thing that might help their depth and cohesion as a team is if they get a team or two in Super Rugby when the new agreement is drawn up at the end of 2014. Without this I can't see their key players playing together enough and forming the combinations to consistently challenge the other three teams.

In short, my thoughts of them winning TRC in the next 10 years (if it lasts that long) are; Possible - hmm maybe, Inevitable - no.

 

[en_force_er]

We will have to agree to disagree there, as I cannot see them consistently winning their home games in the near future. One possible thing that might help their depth and cohesion as a team is if they get a team or two in Super Rugby when the new agreement is drawn up at the end of 2014. Without this I can't see their key players playing together enough and forming the combinations to consistently challenge the other three teams.

In short, my thoughts of them winning TRC in the next 10 years (if it lasts that long) are; Possible - hmm maybe, Inevitable - no.

I agree Super Rugby is ideal but I think it'd also be achievable if they just have an inbound tour (as they did this year), the Rugby Championship, and a Spring Tour every year. That's plenty of time to build cohesion that they often haven't had.

 

[Braveheart81]

Argentina are the 8th ranked side in the world. The other three competitors are 1, 2, and 3. There is a fair gap between them.

Even at home, Argentina need to pull off an upset in order to win. Away, they will be at pretty long odds.

 

[Braveheart81]

Pierre Spies ruled out of the Rugby Championship through injury. Depending on who the replacement is, this could be good news for the Boks!

Surely they have to pick Kankowski. He should have been in the initial squad.

His form in the latter part of Super Rugby was irresistable.

 

[Brisbok]

Surely they have to pick Kankowski. He should have been in the initial squad.

His form in the latter part of Super Rugby was irresistable.

Agreed, it seems to be a no-brainer! But there appears to be contract issues with his Japanese club that have not yet been resolved:

Kankowski: Meyer's hands tied

Article By: Michael de Vries
Thu, 09 Aug 2012 6:07 PM
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Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer did "everything possible" to keep Ryan Kankowski in South Africa, but the No.8 will only be available to the Boks again next year.

There was a huge outcry when the Sharks loose forward did not make the Bok cut for the opening round of the inaugural Rugby Championship.

The Bok mentor this week revealed that his hands were tied in the whole Kankowski saga.

Ironically one of the major surprises in Meyer's squad for the series against England in June was the selection of Kankowski, who at the time had just returned from injury and was playing off the bench for the Sharks. However, according to the Bok coach, the Sharks No.8 had actually been close to edging Pierre Spies out of the starting line-up.

Meyer explained: "When I picked Ryan in the beginning there was a lot of criticism in the media because he wasn't even playing for the Sharks, but I have been very impressed with what I have seen in training so I thought he was awesome, and he was very close to the starting line-up."

That experience seemed to give Kankowski a vital boost of confidence and he hit some supreme form for the Sharks in their charge to the Super Rugby Final.

He took charge of their line-out and added some vital physicality to his free-running game which had many excited about the prospect of him taking the Bok jersey from Spies in the Rugby Championship.

However, a decision made at the beginning of the year has come back to haunt Kankowski at exactly the wrong time as his contract with his Japanese club means that he will not be available to play for the national team for the next six months.

Meyer said that although he had been desperate to have Kankowski in his squad his hands were tied as the Sharks had agreed to let him go before he could have a say in the matter.

"I always like to pick a classical No.8 and I thought that he was awesome in the last Test match against England so I did everything possible to try and get him involved but unfortunately that decision was taken earlier in the year when the Boks hadn't started.

"The Sharks released him from his contract to go and play in Japan, so suddenly Ryan was in a catch-22 situation where if he plays here he is under pressure to lose his contract in Japan and he doesn't have a contract currently," said Meyer.

The Bok coach explained that he had waited until the last possible moment before leaving Kankowski out of the squad, adding that although the situation is frustrating he takes solace in the fact that the loose forward will be available for the Boks in six months time.

"Even right before announcing the team I spoke to Ryan and it was a difficult decision for him but he will definitely be available going forward ... it is just for six months and I know where I stand. However, it was frustrating because I rate him highly and I think that he is a quality player.

"I really want to give a lot of credit to Ryan because the club invested in him and he is a man of his word and doesn't want to break his contract there so it was a very difficult situation but the other guys must use the opportunity," said Meyer.

http://sport.iafrica.com/news/810223.html

Edit - this was written before Spies was ruled out, so perhaps there may be some more urgency to come to a solution with his Japanese club now.