Rugby championship. South Africa crushes Australia and New Zealand fails to impress Argentina

This weekend was the first day of the Rugby Championship, the international tournament for the Southern Hemisphere that is contested each year by South Africa, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand. Two months before the World Cup, this competition is much more interesting to follow because it offers lessons on the state of form of the teams that have won it systematically since the creation of the World Cup. (except once in England in 2003).

This year, there are no return matches, but a competition in three dry matches per team / the first took place on Saturday, and we saw South Africa deprived of many executives thrashing Australia (43-12), without forcing, with part of their tires in rest. So it’s very impressive for the reigning world champions who will be in a group with Scotland and Ireland in particular. For its part, Australia is reminiscent of Wales for Europe: a nation on the decline and a new generation struggling to make it.

In the second match, New Zealand moved without a mark in Argentina. The first half was one-sided for the Blacks, with no opposition from Argentina (0-31). But without the blacks it is not impressive either in terms of level. The second score would be more interesting on the Pumas side, as they held out the Blacks for 40 minutes (10-10-. The final score, 10-41, and the feeling that these Blacks are not, at the moment, on the level of France, Ireland or South Africa. The Boks will meet next Saturday, in the morning (French time) for the second day of the tournament, and we’ll get to work quickly.

Two months before the World Cup, it appears that the main favorites are all in the same part of the table (France, Blacks up to a tone below, South Africa, Ireland). The real final could be the semi, as the current level difference seems to be high with the other nations competing on the other side (England, Australia, Wales, etc.)

Illustrations: Dr
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