Cheika covets All Blacks double

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A delighted Michael Cheika says Argentina must be ready to go again when they face the All Blacks next week after Los Pumas’ first win in New Zealand on Saturday.

The Argentina coach was unapologetic about his enthusiastic celebrations of the 25-18 victory in Christchurch, which put the South Americans top of the Rugby Championship after three rounds.

“For those Argentina boys, that’s historic for them and I want them to enjoy it,” the former Wallabies boss said. “It’s a first for me, too, I’ve never won a Test match in New Zealand.

“I’m looking to grow the team, particularly towards the World Cup, and what’s important for us now is getting ready for next week [in Hamilton], because they’re going to come back with every piece of artillery they’ve got, and we’ve got to find a way to handle that and give something back.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Argentina stun All Blacks in Christchurch

Cheika, who has now overseen four wins from six matches in his first season in charge of the Pumas, said he had not held back in his pre-match and half-time team talks.

“They are guys who haven’t won a lot of Rugby Championship games, and maybe do not have a lot of self-belief,” he said. “So, you’ve got to bring [emotion] as well as the technical to make them believe in themselves.

“We knew we had to bring intensity, we knew they had a bit of pressure on them, so we had to try and build on that, and then just take it from there and see where the game lands.”

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Like in Argentina’s first win over the All Blacks in Sydney in 2020, when Cheika was a consultant with the team, the victory on Saturday was built on an incredible defensive effort.

Cheika paid credit to his new defensive coach, New Zealand-born Dave Kidwell, who added: “It was awesome, the guys have been building week by week, and this is just the result of the hard work they’ve been doing.

“It’s all about the connection in the line and moving as one, making sure we’re tackling well. It’s pretty simple.”

While Kidwell confessed to having some mixed feelings as a “Maori boy at heart”, there were no such conflicts for Los Pumas No 8 Pablo Matera, who played the last Super Rugby season for the Crusaders.

“It’s like a dream come true,” he said. “Being able to beat the All Blacks for the first time in our history on New Zealand ground is very special, and to do it in Christchurch, a place that I love, a place that I feel like is home, is even more special.”

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Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

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Devin Hermanus