Five lessons from a tense Round 3 of the Rugby Championship

Here, we look at four takeaways from the weekend's action, which featured two close matches.

Work to do for the World Champions

The Boks' place at the pinnacle of the sport seems to be slipping. A shock loss to the Wallabies at home and a frustrating performance at Eden Park have highlighted areas of concern.

One such weakness is defence. The Boks are perhaps feeling the absence of Jacques Nienaber in this regard as they have conceded 16 tries in their six matches so far this season. In 2024, the Boks leaked just 23 tries across their 13 matches. Their tackle completion rate is the lowest in the Rugby Championship at 80%. 

Another continuing issue is their inconsistency at lineouts, which is also at a tournament low of 79%. They are not catastrophic numbers, but far from the standards the Boks have set for themselves.

The Eden Park factor

There's arguably no home ground like Auckland's Eden Park. The mighty All Blacks increased their incredible record to 51 unbeaten Tests in a row at their favourite fortress with the win over the Boks on Saturday.

Visiting teams have to contend with not just a fired-up All Blacks outfit, but also trying conditions and home-ground decisions. It was fascinating to watch the hoodoo play out, as the loose often ball bounced the way of the All Blacks, they held their feet in the wet while the Boks slipped and tripped, their passes stuck while the Boks played with soap and 50/50 decisions went their way. What sorcery is this?

The Wallabies have the unenviable task of an Eden Park fixture in Round 5 of the Rugby Championship and it will take something very, very special for any visitor to break the record.

Form is temporary, class is permanent

Let's give Ardie Savea his flowers. The All Black veteran, who was once told that he was too small to play rugby, has become one of the greatest servants of the game. There was a period where his discipline was an issue, but the tenacious carrier stamped them out to become an All Black captain and win the coveted World Rugby Player of the Year accolade in 2023.

Savea returned to the scene of his international debut at Eden Park for his 100th Test on Saturday. Starting on the flank, he put in a vintage all-around performance, making 12 tackles, 12 carries and beating three defenders. But perhaps his most crucial act was his turnover just 5m out from his own line in the dying embers of the match. "This is our house!" he could be seen saying as his teammates slapped his back.

The humble Savea is a player for the big occasion and he rose to it on a special day, then gave credit to everyone else. What a gent.

The Los Pumas attack keeps on keeping on

Argentina have been playing wonderfully attractive rugby. In contrast to the brutality of their carriers such as Pablo Matera and the criminally underrated Marcos Kremer, their backline has been silky smooth to watch.

With front-foot ball often provided by the man with the best name in World Rugby - Santiago Chocobares - the Los Pumas backline have combined to score some spectacular tries from deep. 

It's no surprise that the stats back this up. Argentina lead the Rugby Championship in metres made and defenders beaten, with outside centre Lucio Cinti topping the pops for defenders beaten and pocket rocket Mateo Carreras having made the most metres with ball in hand.

Good ol' fashioned Aussie grit

While the South Americans are here to entertain, the men from Down Under are here to grind. Down 22-0 against the Boks at Ellis Park in Round 1, they rallied against history and the world champions to win. 

Similarly, on Saturday, the Wallabies were 14 points down at the halfway mark, then three behind with just 60 seconds left on the clock. Given the chance to kick a penalty for a draw not once or twice, but three times, brave captain Harry Wilson ​kept the ball in hand and they would go on to score an 85th-minute try to claim a memorable 28-24 victory.

A rejuvenated Wallabies outfit continues to show great mental toughness in adversity, a hallmark of any great rugby side. Watch this space.