Classy Jordan shows the way as All Blacks get back in old routine

By ADAM HATHAWAY

New Zealand………………. 42pts

Tries: McKenzie 6, Savea 17, Clarke 24, Jordan 30, 42; B Barrett 36

Conversions: McKenzie 7, 18, 25, 31, 37, 43

Argentina …………………….. 10pts

Try: Mallia 72

Conversion: Albornoz 72

Penalty: Carreras 12

WILL Jordan continued his try a game scoring spree as the All Blacks avenged last week’s reverse to Argentina and made it 50 undefeated matches at their Garden of Eden.

Wing Jordan, who came off the bench in the 38-30 defeat at Wellington, scored twice on his first start since the World Cup final after a shoulder injury.

The 26-year-old Crusader touched down for his 32nd and 33rd international tries in his 33rd Test helping New Zealand hit the Pumas for six.

The visitors were blown away by a razor sharp first-half performance from Scott Robertson’s side that put the game to bed with a five-try blitz in the first 40 minutes.

New Zealand were back in black with a bang as they swept away memories of that reverse at the Cake Tin last Saturday to make it a half century of games unbeaten at Eden Park, in a run stretching back to 1994.

This was miles away from their shocker seven days ago and a step up from their two unconvincing wins against England last month which could have left Robertson with three defeats from three in charge with the wind in the wrong direction.

After being starved of scrums in Wellington the All Blacks got the set-piece right with loose-head Tamaiti Williams having a stormer as he made light of the absence of Ethan de Groot. On the other side Tyrel Lomax was part of a front row which decimated the Pumas and gave the Kiwis front foot ball and they did not waste it as the backs ran through their repertoire.

The All Blacks needed this big time with a very critical public jury still out on Robertson despite his unprecedented success at Super Rugby level.

On the charge: Beauden Barrett breaks through to score New Zealand’s fifth try

Great return: Will Jordan dives over to score his first-half try

PICTURES: Getty Images

The real test will come when they head to South Africa at the end of the month with the first clash on August 31 at the Springboks’ spiritual home of Ellis Park in Johannesburg. But this was good to be getting on with and gave them lift off in the Rugby Championship.

Flanker Ethan Blackadder made a mess of the Argentinian lineout and skipper Ardie Savea set the tone with his physicality having clearly been stung by last weekend’s events. Out the back the Kiwis were clinical with Damian McKenzie, who nailed all six of his kicks, running the show in the first half and Jordie Barrett pulling the Pumas this way and that.

As good as New Zealand were, Argentina were poor and could not get a foothold in the game as the Kiwis ran riot before slightly running out of steam.

After a week eating humble pie the All Blacks came straight out of the blocks in driving rain with captain Savea leading the charge. They were rampant in the first period showing an accuracy that was missing last weekend and got back into the changing rooms at half-time with a 32-point lead on the board. The Pumas were blown away by a host XV who made just one handling error in the first 40 minutes despite a greasy ball before the downpour abated briefly. “We wanted to start fast,” said Jordan, “and we did that.” You can say that again.

The No.8 and stand-in skipper Savea bounced off two challenges in his first big carry taking the hosts deep into Puma territory but a botched long lineout throw from Codie Taylor let the South Americans off the hook.

But they were not off it for long with the Kiwis taking a 7-0 lead on six minutes with Jordie Barrett’s chip beating the rush defence and Damian McKenzie touching down and adding the extras.

Savea scored the second, after a Santiago Carreras penalty for

Argentina, following a lineout drive and the visitors were rocking at 14-3 down. Centre Barrett upped the pressure with two chargedowns in the space of 15 seconds and the hosts put the ball through the hands of McKenzie and Savea with the back row putting wing Caleb Clarke over on the left and it was 21-3 after 23 minutes.

Clarke’s partner in crime Jordan was put away by TJ Perenara and the flyer needing no second invitation to sprint in. And full-back Beauden Barrett got in on the act hitting a perfect line onto McKenzie’s flat pass to split the defence and it was 35-3 with three minutes left in the first period and the second biggest half-time lead the Kiwis had ever had against Argentina.

It was more of the same in the second half with Blackadder forcing a turnover straight after half-time with Jordan coming off the flank to carry two defenders over the line after Rieko Ioane’s neat delivery.

Finally, with nearly 50 minutes on the clock, Argentina put a few phases together, after making changes in the back line, to give the New Zealanders something to think about. A penalty was kicked to the corner and the All Blacks were forced into conceding penalties to defend their line. The Pumas replacement prop Joel Sclavi was pushed over by Julian Montoya but Fletcher Newell’s challenge forced him to spill the ball before the line.

That was the first time the All Blacks had to man the barricades and with a 40-point lead it would have been easy to switch off but their attitude was spot-on.

Beauden Barrett switched to 10, with McKenzie taken off, as the rain returned and with both sides making wholesale use of the bench the All Blacks lost a bit of accuracy in attack but the game was in the bag.

Pablo Matera’s hopeful hack up field put New Zealand on the back foot and after 71 minutes Argentina got their first try with full-back Juan Cruz Mallia spinning over.

Hooker Asafo Aumua was sent to the bunker with six minutes left, for a head shot on Mateo Carreras. His card remained