All Blacks open with win over Pumas – 17-Jul

Argentina are building towards the World Cup and will play the All Blacks in their pool.

The All Blacks ramped up their World Cup preparation Friday when they made short work of Argentina with a 39-18 victory in their opening Rugby Championship Test in Christchurch on Friday.

Much of Hansen’s World Cup squad will already have been pencilled in before New Zealand bid for a fourth successive Rugby Championship title, but there are opportunities for fringe players to make the final cut on August 30.

Captain Richie McCaw, on what is set to be his last appearance on his home ground, scored the opener before Ma’a Nonu, Charles Piutau and Kieran Read went over in quick succession either side of half-time.

“I was reasonably happy”, admits Carter.

Naholo, who blossomed with the Highlanders this year, was the leading try scorer in Super Rugby, touching down 13 times.

“It’s important that we get away to a really good start in the Rugby Championship“.

“We know that we will play the All Blacks in the World Cup and we need to improve a lot to beat them in the World Cup”.

Julian Savea scored a stellar try in last year’s Test match against Argentina in Napier.

It was an nearly identical story a year ago in Napier, when Daniel Hourcade’s side looked defensively cohesive and trailed 8-6, but Messam’s score had big ramifications.

When the Pumas did get the ball, they came up against a rushing defence and also found their vaunted scrummaging placed under pressure by the All Blacks.

It’s in stark contrast to last week, when the All Blacks battled sticky, humid heat as well as a brutal Samoan pack in Apia. They have left several senior players at home to recover fully from their latest club seasons and have promoted some younger talent.

It is a shame that no more than a week after Samoa’s historic first Test match against New Zealand that the British & Irish Lions have turned down an invitation to play a warm-up fixture for their 2017 tour against Fiji.

However a Dhs19 million (€4.7m) investment from the FFR, coupled with the release of several outstanding Top 14 players including France worldwide forward Fulgence Ouedraogo, seems to have changed Les Bleus’ fortunes.

Once that’s over, the All Blacks will be untroubled to win the rest of their pool games with Namibia, Georgia and Tonga as they will receive some inspections in various parts of their game.

Woodcock, who had a quiet match against Samoa in his return from a lengthy injury layoff, is to again combine in the front row with hooker Keven Mealamu, in his 125th Test, and tighthead Owen Franks, in his 69th.

“In terms of us as a team and the challenge [of the World Cup] that is something we have talked about”, says Smith.