The Rugby Championship began with a bang on Saturday with two enthralling matches.
The Rugby Championship began with a bang on Saturday with two enthralling matches.
Australia showed that the resurgence that began against the British and Irish Lions is up and running, with a storming comeback from 22-0 down to a 38-22 victory.
When the action moved from Johannesburg to Buenos Aires, it was no less entertaining with Argentina and New Zealand both keen to move the ball.
In the end the All Blacks showed their class and ruthlessness with a 41-24 victory in Cordoba that makes it four wins from four in 2025.
Of course, there was plenty of other rugby being talked about, with the northern hemisphere club season drawing ever closer, and R360 rearing its head again.
Here are our favourite soundbites…
“That’s definitely my favourite win. It meant so much. I thought my time in the Wallabies jersey was done three years ago. I fought bloody hard to get back here and the opportunity came after some of the guys got injured, but I’m here now and I’m loving it.”
Even at 35, James O’Connor ain’t done with Australia:
“We talked mostly about the second 20 (minutes). We won the second 5-0, and we said, 'Well, if we can win the second 5-0, we can win the next 5-0 and then we're in the game and once we got into the game, I just felt that we grew in confidence.”
Aussie coach Joe Schmidt praises his side’s patience:
“We were really awful, and they were very good, but we made them better. We can find excuses but they gutsed it out and, yes, we gave them one or two soft tries with an intercept here and a loose pass there, but overall, they were just better than us on the day.
“They beat us in most departments. We didn’t scrum them, they beat us in the lineouts, and they bullied us at the breakdown after Siya Kolisi went off and Marco van Staden had to go off for an HIA.”
Rassie Erasmus doesn’t hold back in his appraisal of his side:
“We as coaches got it terribly wrong and we have to look at ourselves before we point fingers at the players. From now until next Saturday, we’re going to take a lot of flak, but we take credit when we do well, and we have to take the flak when we do badly.”
Erasmus knows he and his charges have a busy week ahead:
I can see why Joe Schmidt has never won a RWC. He has no idea about rugby. Clueless . This shows us why. Very happy for James (O’Connor) who should have been on the bench for the Lions. Ben at 10. Under (Les) Kiss it is not going to look any better.”
David Campes might want to revisit his earlier views post-match:
“Argentina is always a very special place. I played my first game here. The crowd was amazing today and I hope the follow us to Buenos Aires.”
All Blacks double try scorer Sevu Reece loves life on the pampas:
“My personal view is we need to embrace (what Erasmus brings to rugby). I’ve spent time one-on-one with Rassie. We’ve banned him, twice, in my tenure. But the guy is a brilliant innovator. What a brilliant thinker of the game he is. You want innovators, don’t you?”
World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin knows rugby would be duller without Rassie:
“I feel like I'm being renewed. In my mind, in my body. With a little hindsight, I think the knee injury did me good. Since I was 18, I've never been able to take a break. Now I've been refreshed, and I'm even hungrier.”
Quelle surprise! Zach Mercer is enjoyed the healing properties of living on the Med:
“A couple of months ago, you thought it would never get off the ground. World Rugby will be worried. The competitions will be worried. They have signed a few players.”
Mils Muliaina reckons R360 is already making folk sweat:
“They (Bath) finished bottom and then not far off the bottom three or four years ago. Then they brought in management, and they brought in behind-the-scenes infrastructure. They were well coached, and they became the bridesmaid, then they became the bride.”
Newcastle Red Bulls director of rugby, Steve Diamond, is aiming to do a Bath:
“It’s really important that we get more boots on the ground, coaching in schools, coaching in colleges, universities, the academy structure, working with the constitutional bodies. It’s going to be a huge positive.”
Diamond again, aiming to make the Falcons an intrinsic part of life in north-east England:
“I’m not naïve.”
Stade Francais head coach Paul Gustard knows his neck is on the block if they fail to improve this season: