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<\/p>\nThe Pumas were thrashed in Paris <\/p>\n
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Rugby beauty comes in many forms \u2013 as New Zealand showed against Argentina. Perhaps it is Will Jordan that takes your fancy, his 31 tries in 30 Tests rugby\u2019s equivalent of the golden ratio. Perhaps you are entranced by Mark Tele\u2019a, sinewy and sinuous, gliding in and out of contact like an electric eel. Or could it be Richie Mo\u2019unga and his teasing grin, most often flashed at a grasping Argentine after a coquettish click of the heels on a night where the fly half seemed to step into space at will.<\/p>\n
But it was the All Blacks\u2019 muscle-men and their rugged charm that laid the foundations for the decorative touches elsewhere. And to think New Zealand had entered this tournament with questions about their ability to assert themselves up front; this was a frightening display of forward strength, leaving Argentina\u2019s Rugby World Cup dreams buried beneath the black mass.<\/p>\n
The Pumas had arrived in Paris with the most lineout drive metres per match of any team at the tournament \u2013 the tight tussles are meant to be their strength. In Marcos Kremer and Juan Martin Gonzalez, they had two long-limbed flankers, ready to aid their second rowers in getting up in the air.<\/p>\n
The good news is that Argentina fared better than New Zealand\u2019s other opponents at this World Cup. Before tonight, New Zealand\u2019s hookers had missed just a single lineout throw all tournament; they twice failed to find their intended recipient in the semi-final.<\/p>\n
The intention was to pull the platform from beneath the All Blacks, a conscious decision made to avoid giving New Zealand lineout ball with which to work: just one of Argentina\u2019s ten first-half kicks was directed for touch.<\/p>\n
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Veteran lock Sam Whitelock helped lay the foundations for New Zealand\u2019s win <\/p>\n
It mattered not. With the Pumas struggling for discipline and the whistle of referee Angus Gardner providing much of the soundtrack amidst an absence of atmosphere in a one-sided contest, New Zealand could punt for the sidelines at their leisure.<\/p>\n
The intent was set from the All Blacks\u2019 first mauling opportunity, a locomotive that chugged out of the station despite Argentina\u2019s desperate attempts to halt it. Gardner whistled, and New Zealand marched on, their forwards next punching their tickets down in Argentina\u2019s 22.<\/p>\n
Same plan, same result, the Pumas infringing as New Zealand drove again. Gardner called Montoya over for a dressing down, pointing out five penalisable offences in two maul movements. Already Argentina had been warned.<\/p>\n
In piled Puma paws, swiping at the buried ball and managing to halt the drive. But that only left space elsewhere, Jordan all alone in open pasture for the gentlest of trots to the line. The wing would add two more tries, drawing him level with Bryan Habana, Julian Savea and Jonah Lomu on a record eight scores at a single men\u2019s World Cup \u2013 illustrious company.<\/p>\n
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Will Jordan scored a hat-trick at the Stade de France <\/p>\n
Credit must go to Jason Ryan, the All Blacks\u2019 unheralded assistant coach, plucked from the Crusaders a year and a half ago. The arrival of former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt last summer was much trumpeted, the attacking schemer oft mentioned as a reason behind New Zealand\u2019s resurgence, but Ryan, who arrived at the same time, has been just as crucial. Their heavy metal mauling with the ball is matched by defensive set-piece steel without it.<\/p>\n
It must also be said that Ryan is working with the right raw materials. Brodie Retallick watched much of this game perched on the pine, happy to let old chum Sam Whitelock stoke the engine room coals alongside Scott Barrett. As a locking triumvirate, there have surely been none better; this was a parade of puissance, with the scrum also in outstanding working order.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of credit must go to the forward pack,\u201d said captain Sam Cane. \u201cWe wanted to scrummage well, we wanted to drive well. We made the most of the opportunities we had. I\u2019m really pleased with the work we put in to get that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four years ago at this stage, Steve Hansen, Ian Foster\u2019s predecessor as head coach, made an error. Fearing England\u2019s lineout threat, he installed Barrett on the blindside ahead of the semi-final, reshaping the back row. The many moving pieces jarred against one another, the lock-slash-six an early sacrifice on a night where England brought the All Blacks crashing down.<\/p>\n
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New Zealand\u2019s scrum also proved effective <\/p>\n
Barrett has since kicked on, now top dog in a second-row room that contains two all-time greats. The trio are tireless draft horses but have a few dressage flicks and tricks, too. Whitelock\u2019s deft pull-back pass at the line was a vital component in New Zealand\u2019s first two ornately-constructed scores; the bulkiest Barrett brother joined his siblings in a couple of open-field gallops.<\/p>\n
Retallick arrived on the hour, one centurion replacing another as Whitelock took leave. Barrett departed five minutes after, unable to resist a dip in the cookie jar from a supine position, a cynical intervention rightly drawing a card. It was about the only blot on a night of All Black might, with New Zealand even opting to leave Barrett off and play the final five minutes with 14 men in another show of superiority. A tilt at a record fourth men\u2019s World Cup crown awaits.<\/p>\n