Contepomi shouldn’t have changed his winning pack

ARGENTINA are full of surprises when it comes to the Test arena, and nothing changed in the week between their epic 38-30 first Test Rugby Championship victory over New Zealand in Wellington, and their no-show 42-10 flop in the second at Eden Park.

Their new coach, Felipe Contepomi, was an inspirational Pumas fly-half, and he seemed to have tapped into the same seam in his selection for the first Test. There was a coherence, as well as a ferocity, about Argentina’s pack. With Pablo Matera at his pugnacious best in a well rounded back row featuring the bruising Marcos Kremer and gifted Juan Martin Gonzalez, as well as new blood in hooker Ignacio Ruiz, and locks Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiola, and U20 rising star Ephraim Elias, the Pumas rattled the All Blacks forwards.

By the time gnarled veteran Agustin Creevy barrelled over for a late try, the Pumas had established a clear psychological edge to take to Auckland – with a potentially historic double of winning the series at NZ’s Eden Park fortress at stake.

However, Contepomi lost his selection compass by changing half of his winning pack. The disruption started with the recall of out-ofform Julian Montoya as captain and hooker, and continued with the selection of inexperienced tight-head Lucio Sordoni, instead of starting with Joel Sclavi, his best scrummager.

Add to that Kremer switching from blind-side to lock for the promising Molina, Elias pushed off the bench, Matera playing as if he had a hangover, plus a changed back row dynamic with Joaquin Oviedo at No.8, and the firstTest pack magic was gone.

It was the sharpest of reminders to Contepomi of the old coaching mantra not to change a winning pack.