Argentina back to training after losing to New Zealand

Argentine Rugby Union squad Los Pumas returned to training in Buenos Aires on Tuesday after losing to New Zealand’s bonus-point 39-18 victory in their Rugby Championship opener in Christchurch last week.

Pumas captain Agustin Creevy gave his side some respectability with two tries from attacking lineouts in the second half while Nicolas Sanchez slotted a conversion and two penalties, but it was not enough.

All Blacks Captain Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu, Charles Piutau, Kieran Read and debutant Codie Taylor all scored tries for the winning team while Dan Carter slotted 14 points from the boot.

Looking to turn things around for Los Puma’s match against Australia’s Wallabies on Saturday in Mendoza, Argentine Rugby Union Coach, Daniel Hourcade, said he was upping the pressure on training.

“We know that we are going to be playing under a lot of pressure playing against these teams (in the Rugby Championships), which is why we are training in this way, under a lot of pressure so that our attack can break through their barriers,” Hourcade told journalists after training.

Australia grabbed a last-gasp victory over South Africa to open the Rugby Championship at the weekend, ending a run of poor form that had seen them win only once in their previous seven tests.

Stalwart outside back Adam Ashley-Cooper believes the Wallabies are in much better shape than they have been over the last couple of years as they head towards a tough World Cup assignment in England.

Australia coach Michael Cheika, who took over after Ewen McKenzie’s sudden resignation last year, has made wholesale changes and promised Australian rugby fans a team with a distinct identity that plays with plenty of passion.

“We know that the match against Australia is going to be one with a lot of movement, they hardly give up, they play and play and play and we cannot make any mistakes. We have to do the simple things well and try not to make any mistakes,” said Hourcade.

New Zealand, who warmed up for the championship with a hard-fought 25-16 win over Samoa last week, play South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.