Will Jordan of the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
How the world reacted to the All Blacks 53-3 win over Argentina in Hamilton last night.
Simon Chapman, News.com
The All Blacks have repaid the faith of their supporters with an awe-inspiring 53-3 win over the Pumas in Hamilton.
The stats painted a grim picture for the visiting side, who conceded seven tries and never really looked like they would cross the chalk.
The All Blacks were almost flawless, only making three handling errors over the 80 minutes.
Captain Sam Cane received rapturous applause from the crowd when he wandered off in the 64th minute while his side held a commanding lead.
The Independent
Beleaguered head coach Ian Foster finally found some relief and even hope in his home town of Hamilton where the All Blacks snapped a historic losing streak by beating Argentina 53-3 in a Rugby Championship test on Saturday.
Saturday's match was a homecoming for Foster and he found safe harbor in Hamilton, calm in the storm which has engulfed New Zealand rugby as the All Blacks have stumbled through the worst losing streak in their history.
The win lifts some of the clouds hanging over Foster and captain Sam Cane as the All Blacks now face two Bledisloe Cup tests against Australia.
"Clearly it was a very different performance from last week so delighted with it," Foster said after the All Blacks win. "It was a big week for us, we had to respond. I thought we did it in a ruthless manner which I'm delighted with. There were a number of questions with putting the same group out again but we really believe in the direction we're going."
"We've worked hard to get our game to where we want it to be. It hasn't happened at the speed we'd like but we saw signs of that.
"There's no doubt the team has felt a whole lot of different pressure. I'm proud of the way the guys hung in there and [didn't get] tight under the pressure and played with ambition.
"I'm particularly proud of [Cane] for his week. He's been under the pump from various quarters but I thought he might've answered a few questions too."
Rugby Championship standings:
"We'd be quick to put our hand up and say we haven't been proud of the performances we've put out at home," Cane said. "We were pretty determined to put one on at home. We've only got one more the rest of the year so it was pleasing. It felt like a good reward internally for a team that's been working extremely hard behind the scenes."
Liam Napier, NZ Herald
One emphatic victory doesn't save a season but it sure beats another defeat.
A week on from their first home loss to the Pumas, the All Blacks delivered the demanded response in Hamilton through a significant shift in attacking mindset and the impressive platform laid by the forward pack.
This was the All Blacks we expect. Controlled, calculated, cold blooded.
The blueprint and the level of performance expected from the All Blacks is once again set. Their challenge now is to maintain it. They are clearly too good to win one week, lose the next.
Gregor Paul
World order hasn't quite been restored, but the All Blacks have at least stopped the rot, cheered everyone up and hinted there may yet be something of note flourishing within.
Given the constant rain, the niggly nature of how Argentina play and the pressure the All Blacks were under to produce a victory, their performance in Hamilton was bordering on gold star.
There was enough attacking potency and variation piled on top of yet more solid grunt work to be quietly optimistic about what we may see in two weeks.
But it's all a big maybe, because we have been here before – seen the All Blacks twice already this year notch two wins on the back of relatively slick and enterprising rugby only to follow those up with larger and more prolonged episodes of clunky, senseless football that sparked four defeats, frustration and disillusionment.
The 22-year-old's selection is about so much more than just statistics.