Rugby Championship: 1st & 2nd Round – Review

The Rugby Championship has completed its 1^st third of the competition with the Springboks leading the log and the All Blacks chasing behind. Bet Central reviews the 1^st 2 rounds.

Argentina – Inconsistencies Persist

“Different season, same Los Pumas” would be the best way to describe the Argentinean side. They are a Test side that have shown they can mix it up with the very best in seasons gone by, but they are just never consistent enough to deliver on that promise.

After a superb win against the All Blacks in the 1st round where they saw off the home team 38-30 to get a fantastic start to the Rugby Championship, they slumped to a poor 42-10 loss the following week to the same opposition.

It’s these inconsistencies that have seen this side crash out as the nearly-men in World Cup semifinals and Rugby Championships alike, perhaps new coach and Argentinean rugby icon Felipe Comtepomi will finally remedy the set-piece weaknesses that sometimes affect their game as seen in that loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park.

Most valuable player: Amongst a host of players who have performed admirably for Los Pumas during these 1st 2 rounds, no one sticks out like a sore thumb like Pablo Matera who even in the loss at Eden Park proved to be a thorn in the side of the All Blacks.

Australia – Huge Struggles

What has been abundantly clear watching the Wallabies this season is Eddie Jones undid a lot of groundwork that Dave Rennie had done for this Wallabies side. The Wallabies were starting to find a nice shape under Rennie before he was dismissed.

On the evidence of these past rounds in the Rugby Championship, the Wallabies still have a long way to go before they return to the upper echelons of Test match rugby, they lost both games to the Springboks at home shipping 30+ points on both occasions.

There were very few positives with a tight 5 that was obliterated at the scrum, a loose trio who despite showing promise have no proper base to explode from. A backline that still looks somewhat disjointed. Joe Schmidt has a massive task on his hands trying to rebuild this Wallabies side.

Most valuable player: It’s hard to pinpoint exactly who has been their most valuable player owing to how disastrous both games have been, but a look through the abyss and Harry Wilson is shining light through all of that, he was the best of a bad bunch over the past 2 weeks.

New Zealand – Eden Park Boost

The All Blacks are often a team that is held to a higher standard due to their incredible achievements in the last decade, but they are simply no longer at that level.

They remain one of the better Test sides in the world, but one loss often results in harsh criticism from the doomsayers as was the case when they lost to Argentina. But the reality is they lost the World Cup final last year by a point and they have won 4 out of 5 Tests this year – an 80%-win rate.

Scott Robertson needs to find the right combinations at centre and outside backs as the packs seem to be operating well. The upcoming tour to South Africa will give a clear sense of where the All-Blacks’ progress is.

Most Valuable Player: Ardie Savea will always be up there in terms of his contribution to the All Blacks, but in these 1st 2 rounds, Beauden Barrett has shown he is a player of high value for the All Blacks.

South Africa – Unrivalled Depth

In both games against Australia, Rassie Erasmus mixed it up in terms of his selections and won both games pretty comfortably to prove that he doesn’t just have a strong match on day 23, but a strong squad all around.

The likes of Ireland, France, and New Zealand can match the Springboks on their best day, but they can’t boast the same kind of quality in depth. That is why right now the Springboks are perhaps the envy of the rugby world.

With an aging core in the team, Erasmus afforded a lot of youngster’s exposure to high-level Test match rugby and there will be benefits to this in the future. As things stand, the Springboks are best placed to win the 2024 Rugby Championship after 2 rounds.

Most valuable player: One could be tempted to include Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu for his fiery start to his Test career, perhaps Cheslin Kolbe’s technical proficiency adds to the Boks dynamism, but surely one can’t look past Pieter-Steph du Toit’s huge performances whether in the back row or 2nd row.