Shaun Goosen takes a look back at a memorable weekend of rugby that saw convincing wins for the All Blacks and Springboks while there were tries aplenty in the Currie Cup.
Boks too strong for Los Pumas
The Springboks claimed a comprehensive 32-12 victory over Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Saturday in the first round of the Rugby Championship. Despite starting just five players that featured in the third Test against the British & Irish Lions series, Jacques Nienaber’s men proved far too powerful for their South American counterparts and scored tries through Cobus Reinach, Aphelele Fassi and debutant Jaden Hendrikse.
They tackle Los Pumas again this week but face a mounting injury list in the loose forwards, with Marco van Staden the latest to be ruled out of action. The Leicester-bound opensider, who shone off the bench on Saturday, joins Duane Vermeulen, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Rynhardt Elstadt on the sidelines. Jean-Luc du Preez has joined up with the squad but will be unavailable this weekend as he too looks to recover from a knee injury.
All Blacks beat Wallabies in record Bledisloe win
New Zealand wrapped up the Bledisloe Cup for a 19th-straight season by emphatically beating Australia 57-22 at Eden Park in the second Test. The match saw the All Blacks post their highest ever score over the Wallabies, eight tries in total, coming a week after winning 33-25 at the same venue in Bledisloe 1. The two trans-Tasman teams clash again in round two of the Rugby Championship in Perth this weekend, and Oz coach Dave Rennie has now got plenty to do (to put it mildly).
It ain’t all rosy for the Kiwis at the moment though. New Zealand’s Covid-19 travel restrictions have thrown the format of this year’s championship into chaos, with the islanders still unsure where their final two matches will be played. Their two Tests against Argentina have been moved to Australia, and their games against South Africa are likely to be moved as well. Question marks surrounding Ian Foster and his coaching staff, who are all out of contract at the end of the year, will only add to the tension in the camp.
Currie Cup wins for Bulls and Sharks, Pumas draw in the Cape
The defending champion Bulls bagged a 21-48 win over the Lions at Emirates Airlines Park on Saturday to consolidate their standing at the top of the table. Meanwhile, the second-placed Sharks held on to beat a 14-man Cheetahs outfit 38-31 at Kings Park on Sunday and the Pumas scored late on to salvage a 40-all draw with Western Province at the Cape Town Stadium on the same day.
