Coach Ian Foster says the All Blacks are hurting greatly after their shock 25-15 defeat by Argentina in Sydney on Saturday.
Argentina’s stunning 10-point upset win over New Zealand was their first-ever victory over the All Blacks in 30 Tests between the sides. More importantly for New Zealand, though, was that it was a second defeat in row and also a second loss in five games under Foster.
Overall, the result brings the All Blacks’ recent record to three wins, three defeats and a draw in their last seven Test matches.
Be that as it may, Argentina were fully deserving of their win. They dominated every facet of the game, despite not playing a Test in over 11 months and at times reduced the All Blacks to bystanders.
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‘We’re hurting greatly right now,’ Foster said. ‘The first 40 minutes they played with all the passion that we were expecting but they were also accurate. We were ill-disciplined again and that’s disappointing.’
‘For a country that hasn’t played all year, they had a big cause to play for and you could see that. They turned a perceived disadvantage into an advantage, they were rested. This is a historic day for them and as much as we’re hurting, their fans will have smiles on their faces.’
Foster lamented the All Blacks’ lack of effort, reiterating that they capitulated when they were put under pressure.
‘It’s the second week in a row that we haven’t shown good composure when things weren’t going our way. We got rattled again and that’s something we will have to work on,’ he explained.
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All Blacks captain Sam Cane added that the loss was down to ‘discipline issues’, but all gave credit to Argentina for their performance.
‘The lesson is in Test-match rugby you’ve got to turn up with the right intent, the right attitude, every single weekend or you get it handed to you,’ Cane said.
‘They were good tonight and we weren’t good enough. Their defence was outstanding.’
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Photo: Getty Images
