Well, it was on Saturday that we went to see Wanganui play against Poverty Bay at Cooks Gardens so we won the game but we didn't get the bonus point. And after that we went home so I took Buck for a 1 block walk before we had burgers for dinner before watching the All Blacks play against Argentina at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth on TV so I thought we were going to lose (Although the Argentinians were looking for a famous upset victory just like Ireland last year not only because Argentina is one of 3 tier 1 rugby nations along with Italy & Scotland to have never beaten the All Blacks) but we won the game instead so here is the match commentary of that clash:
After a week's break, the Rugby Championship of 2017 continutes at Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth with New Zealand playing host to Argentina.
New Zealand find themselves in an unfamiliar position sitting in second position on the standings. The All Blacks will be desperate for an improved performance this evening after they were forced to come from behind to defeat Australia a fortnight ago.
Argentina showed some glimpses of what they were capable in their opening two matches against South Africa but ultimately lost both by significant margins. The Pumas will need to be at their very best if they are to break a 22 game losing streak against New Zealand that stretches all the way back to 1985.
1ST MINUTE, 1ST HALF: The formalities are complete and it will be Nicolas Sanchez to kick off for the Pumas.
Conditions won't be easy for the players with a light rain currently falling in New Plymouth.
MISS!: Nicolas Sanchez has an ambitious drop goal attempt however the ball falls well short of the posts.
3RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The Pumas have the feed into the all important first scrum of the match.
4TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): An excellent build up from Argentina who recycle the ball through several phases to push deep inside the All Blacks' 22.
5TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): There is plenty of space out to the right for Israel Dagg however the All Blacks' winger is denied by a desperate Javier Ortega Desio who manages to scramble the ball over the touch line.
7TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Nehe Milner-Skudder) 5-0 New Zealand
8TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: Beauden Barrett has pushed the conversion attempt away to the left hand side.
9TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks draw first blood in New Plymouth! Back into the starting line up for this test match, Nehe Milner-Skudder makes an immediate impact by receiving the pass from Damian McKenzie before streaking over for the first try of the match.
11TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): The All Blacks have been penalised for hands in the ruck and so Nicolas Sanchez will line up from right in front of the posts.
12TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 5-3 New Zealand
13TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Nicolas Sanchez makes no mistake with his first kick of the match and the Pumas are on the scoreboard, trailing the All Blacks by 2.
14TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A huge attacking opportunity here for the All Blacks who have the scrum feed deep inside the Pumas' 22.
16TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Terrific defensive work from the Pumas who spoil the All Blacks' attempts to spread the ball out to the left however there has been a knock on in the process which hands the All Blacks another attacking scrum feed.
17TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Anton Lienert-Brown) 10-3 New Zealand
18TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: Beauden Barrett produces a carbon copy of his first conversion attempt - his kick has curled away to the left and the flags stay down.
19TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Try number 2 for the All Blacks! A nicely weighted kick from Beauden Barrett bounces for Anton Lienert-Brown who, with terrific control in slippery conditions, grounds the ball a millimetre inside the dead ball line.
21ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Nicolas Sanchez sends a high testing kick inside All Blacks' territory however Damian McKenzie is more than up to the task with an excellent take under immense pressure.
24TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: Argentina (Emiliano Boffelli) 10-6 New Zealand
With a penalty goal attempt from inside the Pumas' half, winger Emiliano Boffelli sends a thumping kick straight between the posts with plenty of distance to spare! Argentina remain within striking distance, trailing by 4 points.
26TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Damian McKenzie looks to go to the air but the ball skews off the side of his boot to give the Pumas a chance to secure possession inside New Zealand territory.
28TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), DROP GOAL!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 10-9 New Zealand
It's a point the difference in New Plymouth! Nicolas Sanchez drops back into the pocket and sends a sweetly struck drop goal attempt straight between the uprights.
29TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Kieran Read looks to toe the ball through however Pablo Matera reads the play superbly to smother the kick with the rebound spilling over the touch line.
31ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): We have a break in play with front-rowers Agustin Creevy and Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro both requiring treatment on the field.
33RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A victory for the All Blacks' pack with the Pumas penalised at scrum time - the home side look to go on the front foot by turning down a shot at goal instead electing to send a kick into the corner.
34TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks are so close here! They are just a metre out from the Pumas' line with a penalty advantage up their sleeve.
36TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): Yet another scrum for the All Blacks inside the Pumas' 22 - this time they are just 5m out from the try line.
37TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Israel Dagg) 15-9 New Zealand
38TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), MISS!: Beauden Barrett has had a first half to forget from the tee - he is 0 from 3 so far with this attempt swinging away to the right.
39TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks are in just short of half time! It wasn't pretty but more than effective with Israel Dagg isolated out to the right - the All Blacks' winger picks a path through the scattered Pumas' defence before finding the line.
40TH MINUTE + 1ST MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 15-14 New Zealand
40TH MINUTE + 2ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 16-15 Argentina
The Pumas take the lead in New Plymouth after the half time siren! Nicolas Sanchez makes amends for a defensive error in the lead up to Israel Dagg's try at the other end of the field by stepping inside the would-be tackler and diving over to score - he follows up by converting the try to give Argentina a one-point advantage at the break.
HALF TIME: The scene is set for a thrilling second half in New Plymouth! The All Blacks looked to be in control for most of the first half however a late strike from Argentina has the visitors leading by 16-15 at half time.
40TH MINUTE, 2ND HALF: Beauden Barrett puts boot to ball to get the second half underway.
41ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The conditions have worsened during the break with very steady rain now falling in New Plymouth.
42ND MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): An early penalty for the Pumas! It is a long way out from goal but within the kicking range of Emiliano Boffelli who will take the kick from around 50m out.
43RD MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: Argentina (Emiliano Boffelli) 19-15 Argentina
Another thumping kick from Emiliano Boffelli clears the crossbar and the flags are up! The Pumas extend their lead to 4 points - is there a massive upset brewing?!?!
45TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A well executed exit strategy from the All Blacks with the kick from Beauden Barrett finding touch on New Zealand's 10m line.
46TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Another penalty to the Pumas! An All Blacks' infringement in the scrum will result in Nicolas Sanchez lining up from as good as right in front of the posts.
49TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), MISS!: Nicolas Sanchez has pushed his penalty goal attempt away to the left hand side - a massive let off for the All Blacks on that occasion!
50TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), YELLOW CARD!: Under immense defensive pressure, the All Blacks concede multiple penalties on their own line and the ref has little option but to send Beauden Barrett to the bin for 10 minutes.
PENALTY GOAL!: Argentina (Nicolas Sanchez) 22-15 Argentina
51ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Nicolas Sanchez makes amends for his previous miss by slotting the penalty goal - the Pumas lead by a converted try with the All Blacks down a man.
TRY!: New Zealand (Vaea Fifita) 22-20 Argentina
53RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 22-22
54TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Individual brilliance from Vaea Fifita! He receives the pass with plenty of work to do but the flanker superbly rounds the last defender before putting on the after-burners to steam away and over the line in the corner.
55TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): You can never write off the All Blacks! The home side looked to be in all sorts of trouble just a few minutes ago however they have found another gear and, despite still having a man off the field, they are now piling the pressure on the Pumas' defence.
58TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), MISS!: A chance for Lima Sopoaga to put the All Blacks into the lead however his kick has veered away to the right hand side - scores are still level in New Plymouth!
59TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Some news from the New Zealand bench is that Israel Dagg, currently off the field for a HIA, is unlikely to see any more action this evening.
60TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): A massive roar from the home crowd as Beauden Barrett returns to the field after 10 minutes in the sin bin - no damage done to the All Blacks whilst he was sitting in the bin.
61ST MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): Penalty to the All Blacks! A hands in the ruck infringement from Argentina hands the home side a chance to set up a scrum just 5m out from the Pumas' line.
63RD MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER): A second consecutive penalty to the All Blacks following a Pumas' scrum infringement - the home side are piling huge pressure on the Argentinian defence at the moment!
64TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Damian McKenzie) 27-22 New Zealand
65TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 29-22 New Zealand
66TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): The All Blacks are back in the lead! Normal transmission resumes in New Plymouth with TJ Perenara sending a well directed pass out to Damian McKenzie who touches down right in the corner.
68TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), NO TRY!: Damian McKenzie explodes away to score what appears to be an exhilirating try however a review by the TMO confirms that the pass from Vaea Fifita in the lead up was forward.
Bad news on the injury front for the All Blacks with Joe Moody leaving the field cradling his arm and looking to be in plenty of pain.
70TH MINUTE (2 MINUTES LATER), PENALTY GOAL!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 32-22 New Zealand
Lima Sopoaga has been striking them superbly since taking over the kicking duties following Beauden Barrett's yellow card - he swings his penalty goal attempt beautifully from left to right to give the All Blacks a 10 point buffer.
73RD MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): We are inside the final ten minutes of the match - the Pumas need to score and score soon if they are to have any chance of pulling this one from the fire.
The All Blacks are showing plenty of patience at the moment inside Pumas' territory, content to hang onto the pill and look for a chance to land the knock out blow.
76TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER): Nicolas Sanchez receives the ball inside the Pumas' in-goal area before being quickly besieged by black jerseys - he is unable to scramble back into the field of play and the All Blacks have a 5m scrum!
78TH MINUTE (3 MINUTES LATER), TRY!: New Zealand (Beauden Barrett) 37-22 New Zealand
79TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER), CONVERSION!: New Zealand (Lima Sopoaga) 39-22 New Zealand
80TH MINUTE (1 MINUTE LATER): It is game over in New Plymouth! Beauden Barrett slips through a gap in the defensive line to cap off a terrific fight back from the All Blacks who looked to be in some serious trouble at the beginning of this second half.
FULL TIME: The final whistle sounds and the All Blacks have made it three from three in the 2017 Rugby Championship with a hard fought 39-22 victory over Argentina. The scoreboard doesn't truly reflect the closeness of the contest which was right into the balance until New Zealand found another gear in the final half hour.
And what do I think of the game? It was tight but intense showing from Argentina but the All Blacks had a better game especially the lock turned blindside flanker Vaea Fifita because he made a solid impact & even picked up a fabulous 40 or 50 metre solo try where he out ran a winger & the fullback & he ran a game high 113 metres (He's the metre eater of course because my Dad even liked that comment about the try during the match that we watched on TV). And what about the return of Nehe Milner-Skudder? Because he had his 1st game back since the 2015 Rugby World Cup final by scoring a try after sitting on the sidelines last year due to a serious shoulder injury because he had even played on the left wing in that game with Rieko Ioane being rested.
And the match between the Wallabies & Springboks at nib Stadium in Perth ended in a draw because the Wallabies thought that they gonna win but they blew their lead so here's the news report about the match:
Australia and South Africa played out a 23-23 draw in their Rugby Championship round three clash at nib Stadium in Perth after Wallabies led by 10 points.
Nothing could separate the two teams at the final whistle in Perth in a physical and very tight tussle. Both sides scored their points in identical fashion: two tries, two conversions and three penalties each.
The away side opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a penalty from first five-eighth Elton Jantjies after the Wallabies were penalised once again for an early drive. Four minutes later, the Wallabies fired back with a penalty of their own courtesy of first five-eighth Bernard Foley.
South Africa scored the game's first try. Half-back Ross Cronje offloaded to outside centre Jesse Kriel, who hoofed the ball downfield for the galloping Raymond Rhule to chase. He shouldered off Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper, giving Kriel space to collect his own kick and score unopposed in the right hand corner.
Moment later the Wallabies scored their reply try. Full-back Israel Folau jumped and tapped back a kick-off to Adam Coleman. The ball found inside centre Kurtley Beale, who utilised his vision and footwork to run around the Bok defenders to score. Foley landed another penalty just before the half-time hooter to give the home side a three point advantage at the break.
A fantastic driving maul saw Australia hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau score a converted try early in the second half. South Africa reduced the home side's lead to seven points after Jantjies slotted another penalty kick which was awarded after a Wallaby was caught offside.
The Springboks then scored a levelling converted try after a 20 metre maurauding maul resulted in a try for Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx. After 67 minutes, a monsterous Bok scrum from five metres out resulted in a penalty awarded which Jantjies duely converted.
Foley responded with his third penalty conversion after South Africa illegally cleared out the half-back. Possession was exchanged numerous times in the last five minutes but the drama ended with a 23-23 draw.
And finally here is the review of round 4 in the 2017 Mitre 10 Cup season:
Two teams who two seasons back were lingering at the bottom of the Mitre 10 Cup Championship ranks, North Harbour and Northland, have been setting the competition alight this year.
North Harbour, promoted to the Premiership after their play-offs victories over Wellington and Otago last year, added another scalp to their already impressive list when beating Counties Manukau 27-18 in the latest round and are in second place behind Canterbury, two bonus points adrift.
Northland sit in second place in the Championship, one game in arrears and six points behind leaders Wellington, but knowing they have the ability to take it to the best sides after dishing out a 37-7 thrashing for Premiership side Waikato in Whangarei on Saturday.
However, it is Canterbury who continue to set the pace by demonstrating the marked division in standards in the competition by taking a 78-20 win over a Southland side still without a point of any kind after four games.
Canterbury's dominance in the competition continues as it contributes more young players to the game with their latest, New Zealand Under-20 back Braydon Ennor scoring four tries in Friday's win.
Taranaki are still there and abouts and were too good for an Auckland team which came undone at a vital stage of their Saturday game on Eden Park. Taranaki won 49-38 and are in third place in the Premiership.
Tasman recovered some ground in the Premiership when beating Wellington 37-35 in a thriller in Blenheim on Sunday afternoon.
Bay of Plenty seized the initiative in the middle ranks of the Championship by beating Manawatu 20-17 in Palmerstone North to claim fourth place.
Fletcher Smith's 34-point haul is the best individual haul in a game this season and lifted him to a share of highest points scorer on 56 points with Wellington's Jackson Garden-Bachop.
Others on the list are: Bryn Gatland (North Harbour) 51, Richie Mo'unga (Canterbury) 43, Otere Black (Manawatu) 43, Brent Cameron (Canterbury) 33 and Mike Delany (Bay of Plenty) 32.
Ennor's bag lifted him to a share of most tries for the season with six, where he joined Waikato's Jordan Manihera. Sitting on four tries each are Jona Nareke (Otago), George Bridge (Canterbury), Shaun Stevenson (North Harbour) and Jone Macilai (Northland).
So that is my 142nd blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 62nd this year.
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