All Blacks forwards Tamaiti Williams and Wallace Sititi remain on track to return to the starting line-up for the Test against Argentina in Buenos Aires, but lock Patrick Tuipulotu is unlikely to play after being taken to hospital for a check-up following their win in Cordoba yesterday.
Tuipulotu made a big impact when replacing Scott Barrett 15 minutes into the second half and was involved in a heavy collision on his try-line when making an important stop as the Pumas attempted to capitalise on their momentum.
The Blues player saw out the match after participating fully in an excellent set piece and mauling performance by the pack as the visitors pulled away for a 41-24 victory, but forwards coach Jason Ryan said this morning that Tuipulotu had suffered a head knock which required further investigation.
Ryan confirmed Tuipulotu was unlikely to be available for the next Test at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani on Sunday morning NZT. He also said skipper Barrett was being “managed” after returning from a calf injury but came through the Test well.
Anton Lienert-Brown, on for the sinbinned Billy Proctor after 70 minutes, was yellow carded himself with three minutes remaining for clashing heads with an opponent when attempting a tackle and may also be in doubt due to the head knock.
Ryan cut a relatively satisfied figure almost 24 hours after a bonus point victory that helped the All Blacks to the world No.1 ranking – the latter thanks to some assistance from the Wallabies in Johannesburg.
As Ryan said, the All Blacks had to dig in when the Pumas enjoyed most of the momentum in the third quarter and then pulled away via an impressive effort from the pack, who helped provide two lineout maul tries for replacement hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho.
Ryan referenced “momentum shifts” in the Test, which also very much applied to Australia’s comeback in scoring 38 unanswered points against the Springboks at Ellis Park for a remarkable 38-22 victory earlier in the day.
“They’re always there, you’re always going to have momentum at some stage and then you’re going to lose it,” Ryan said.
“We saw that just after halftime when we lost momentum through [a lack of] accuracy and probably a few decision-making moments where we could have been a lot better and that put us under pressure.
“But overall, we made some good shifts in a few areas. We finished the game extremely well [by] doing the basics.
“We stacked a few moments against us but what we saw when we did have the ball we were really powerful and in the end we were probably imposing ourselves on the opposition.”
As ever, there are improvements to be made. Missed tackles from Jordie Barrett and replacement halfback Finlay Christie helped Tomas Albornoz to the tryline in a converted score which kick-started the Pumas’ momentum shift after halftime, and some of the handling in the backline was not up to standard.
“Some of our skill execution at times was a little bit off,” Ryan said. “We were a little bit lumpy. Our timing wasn’t quite there. We weren’t as smooth as we could have been and there are no excuses for that.”
Rieko Ioane’s quiet game on the left wing, and Proctor’s struggles to impose himself in the No.13 jersey could lead to a selection reshuffle for the second Test and it would be no surprise to see Ioane move back to the midfield.
Prop Williams, back from a knee injury, and loose forward Sititi, ankle, will likely come into the starting line-up. The latter would probably start at No.8 which would allow Ardie Savea to move back to openside flanker.
Lock Josh Lord, on tour as injury cover, is a possibility for a bench role in place of Tuipulotu, or the selectors may decide to name Samipeni Finau there instead alongside fellow loose forward Du’Plessis Kirifi.
Simon Parker is also a possibility to play a bench role for a potential Test debut.
“We have some tough decisions to make coming up because the people in those positions are playing pretty well and that’s healthy,” Ryan said.
Asked about his team’s improved performance in the final quarter, Ryan said: “We have shown in the French series and in this game last night is that our bench is coming on and they’re a bit more experienced than they were last year. We’re finishing games with a little bit more power and a bit more quality. We have made some shifts but by no means are we patting ourselves on the back yet.”
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