Inspired Wallabies help All Blacks reclaim world No.1 ranking as New Zealand smoke Argentina to knock Springboks off throne
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This article was originally published on Stuff and is reproduced with permission
As far as ideal starts go, the All Blacks couldn't have asked for a heck of a lot more on Sunday morning (AEST).
A Springboks stinker at Ellis Park, followed by an emphatic 41-24 victory over Argentina in Cordoba, has them sitting pretty after the opening round of the Rugby Championship.
They also unseated the world champion Springboks as the world No.1 side on the back of their bonus point win, and the South Africans' barely believable 38-22 defeat to the Wallabies.
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It was that result which presented the All Blacks with an opportunity they couldn't afford not to cash in.
Despite periods of clunky attack, and an underwhelming second half in which the Pumas staged a late rally, they didn't butcher it.
Indeed, after flirting with blowing a 21-point halftime lead, replacement hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho powered over for two tries in the space of five minutes to kill off the Pumas.
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Cortez Ratima of New Zealand celebrates with teammate Jordie Barrett after scoring. Getty
Wing Sevu Reece also scored two of the All Blacks' six tries, both before halftime as the men in black scorched to a 31-10 lead at the split.
However, what followed should be of concern for coach Scott Robertson.
Dogged by poor second halves during his first year in charge, the All Blacks fell off a cliff after taking a 21-point lead into the final 40 minutes.
Having dominated the breakdown and bossed the Pumas' scrum in the first half, things took an ugly turn after the All Blacks made a string of changes, including replacing the entire front-row.
After the Pumas were penalised nine times in the first half alone, suddenly it was the All Blacks coughing up penalties, missing tackles and resembling a shell-shocked rabble.
First, Pumas pivot Tomas Albornoz broke feeble attack attempts by Jordie Barrett and Finlay Christie to scoot over, before No.8 Joaquin Oviedo touched down to finish a brutal assault on the line.
That strike cut the deficit to 31-24, and was on the back of a scrum penalty against the feed, and a yellow card to All Blacks centre Billy Proctor, who infringed at a breakdown on his line.
Robertson could breathe easy after his team, without a host of injured players, kept their cool and rebuffed the furious rally, but his frustration was not yet over.
That was courtesy of midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown being yellow carded for a dangerous tackle at the death.
Nonetheless, the All Blacks pilfered a couple of lineout throws and ensured there was no more damage on the scoreboard.
To think the match felt as good as over when the All Blacks scored twice in the space of five minutes to conclude the first half.
That was courtesy of No.8 Ardie Savea, who powered over the line via a rolling maul, the first one the All Blacks got rumbling after the Pumas expertly shut down a couple of earlier attempts.
That was some blow for the hosts, but there was more to come in the form of the dagger Reece inflicted a couple of minutes after the halftime hooter, when he scooped up a sluggish pass and dived over out wide.
It came on the back of the All Blacks' growing scrum dominance, as they flattened the Pumas inside their half to set up one last opportunity to chalk up points.
The All Blacks had earlier bolted out of the gates, leading 10-0 in as many minutes after Will Jordan hit Reece out wide with a smooth pass.
Jordan, one of the best All Blacks on the day, also set up halfback Cortez Ratima's first half try, when he stepped inside a couple of defenders and fed his No.9.
