Richie McCaw leaves the field during the All Blacks win over Argentina.
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There were 6000 more spectators than the previous most at a World Cup game, the 2003 final between champions England and Australia at Sydney. They thundered back at the All Blacks using their forwards to punch holes close to the break down and this is exactly how they exposed the All Blacks in the 21st minute with lock Guido Petti crashing over but he was injured in the process.
It will be only the third Test for Milner-Skudder, a player with exceptional footwork who scored two tries on debut against Australia and is reminiscent of former All Blacks great Christian Cullen. We’ll have to make a few improvements but that’s the nature of rugby…
“It was dumb”, McCaw said of the incident. It will be fantastic.
It’s been a while since our last game and we’ve been over here for 10 days or so, so we were itching to get out there and get started.
The notion of a forward-obsessed side is out, he said, just as much as the idea that everyone in Argentina is obsessed with football.
However, what will have world rugby and tournament organisers pleased about the outcomes from the first weekend of matches is the overall spirit in which they were played, underlining the often promoted tenets of the sport – integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect.
Minnows Namibia are next up for the All Blacks at the Olympic Stadium on Thursday, while Georgia play Argentina in Gloucester on Friday. “That’s what comes with the World Cup and the first match, everyone is desperate to get started, get points on the board”.
Having looked comfortable early on, the champions fell to pieces as the half wore on, picking up two yellow cards in the final ten minutes.
The Pumas tried to claw their way back late on but it wasn’t enough as New Zealand held on to secure their first win of the tournament.
The Pumas have a young and exciting side that overturned South Africa 37-25 in their closing Rugby Championship clash in Durban.
Hansen hailed his bench for injecting energy and urgency in the second half as the All Blacks wore down their combative opponents after trailing for 56 minutes at Wembley Stadium.
Referee Wayne Barnes had little option but to send McCaw to the bin – to the delight of the large contingent of Argentina supporters among the record crowd of almost 90,000. “We’ve selected what we believe is a very strong team”.
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The Pumas scored two tries in quick succession from line-out drives during their 39-18 defeat in Christchurch, after which Hansen called for a law change so the maul could be legally collapsed.
