Goalkeeper Andre Blake has been added to the Reggae Boyz squad selected to play Argentina on September 27.
The 31-year-old Reggae Boyz’s captain exclusion from the squad had prompted speculation that the players’ remarks on social media suggesting that the hiring of a new coach would change nothing for the current administration.
The penultimate round of Rugby Championship fixtures are upon us and it is all to play for with every side having won two and lost two of their opening four games.
An inconsistent New Zealand side are a point better off than Argentina, South Africa and next opponents Australia by virtue of picking up two bonus points.
Despite a thumping win over Argentina last time out, the pressure still remains on head coach Ian Foster heading into Thursday's contest with great rivals Australia in Melbourne.
The hosts are looking to bounce back from a 16-point loss against South Africa, who make the trip to Buenos Aires in the second of this week's fixtures on Saturday.
Here, Stats Perform previews both clashes in round five of the championship using Opta data.
AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND
FORM
New Zealand may lead the way at the top, but their form this year has been very poor by their usual high standards. The All Blacks have lost four of their seven Tests in 2022 – only in 1998 (five) and 1949 (six) have they ever lost more in a calendar year.
Back-to-back victories would provide a major confidence boost for Foster's charges, and they have a good record in this fixture. Of the past 20 Tests meetings between the sides, New Zealand have won 16 and lost only three, a run that includes three wins in a row.
Australia have not lost back-to-back Tests with New Zealand since August 2017, however, and their return of three wins from their past six matches against the All Blacks on home turf is more than they managed in the previous 13 such encounters.
The Wallabies have won the opening game of the Bledisloe Cup – which New Zealand have dominated for the past two decades – only twice in the past 13 years. However, one of those victories came when they last hosted the opening game three years ago.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Australia will have to watch their discipline in what is a highly charged fixture. Skipper James Slipper has conceded 11 penalties so far in this year's Rugby Championship, which is four more than any other player in the competition.
All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane continued his good form last time out by scoring a try and setting up another in the 50-point win against Argentina. That could spell bad news for Australia, against whom he has been directly involved in 13 tries across 12 Test appearances.
ARGENTINA V SOUTH AFRICA
FORM
Argentina fell short of registering three wins in a row in this competition for the first time ever when falling heavily to New Zealand two weeks ago.
Los Pumas will take great confidence from beating Australia last time out at home, though, and are now seeking successive wins on their own patch for the first time since 2012.
South Africa may not be in full flow, but they have won 28 of their 32 Tests against Argentina, including the past four in a row. In fact, only against Italy (93 per cent) do they have a better win percentage than they do against Los Pumas (88 per cent) among teams they have faced at least 10 times.
The Springboks did manage to build a little momentum with their win over Australia two weeks ago, yet that was one of only three victories in their past eight games in the championship after winning six of the previous eight.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Matias Moroni has put in some strong displays to keep Argentina in the hunt for the title, his five dominant tackles more than any other player in the competition. The centre has also won five turnovers, a tally only Malcolm Marx (six) – who he will face off against this weekend – can better.
South Africa are the lowest points scorers after four rounds of matches. Willie le Roux could hold the key to finding a way through Argentina this weekend as he leads the way for try assists this tournament with three, while also providing six assists in his past six meetings with Argentina.
Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey and West Ham United’s Michail Antonio headline a 23-member Reggae Boyz squad to face two-time World Cup winners Argentina in an International Friendly in the United States on September 27.
The squad, unveiled by the Jamaica Football Federation on Monday, also includes six reserves.
This will be the third meeting between the two teams.
They first met in the group Stages of the 1998 FIFA World Cup when Argentina secured a 5-0 victory while their second time opposing each other came 17 years later in the Group Stage of the 2015 Copa America with Argentina once again coming out on top 1-0.
The full squad reads as follows:
RESERVES
Lionel Messi's decision-making at Paris Saint-Germain is "not a problem" for his team-mates, says Achraf Hakimi, after the Argentine helped seal victory over Brest.
Messi was on hand to assist Neymar's finish for the lone goal of the game, as Christophe Galtier's side edged to a 1-0 win to return to the summit of Ligue 1.
Having made the move from Barcelona last year, Messi frequently struggled to live up his billing during his first campaign at the Parc des Princes, but has looked back to his best this term, tallying three league goals and seven assists.
In a game decided by closer margins than anticipated, it was his vision to set up the in-form Neymar that trumped a PSG blank elsewhere, with Hakimi happy to defer to the forward's expertise.
"When I make the call and Leo does not give it, it is because he has seen that there is another player to whom he can pass," he stated.
"This is not a problem. That's how today he made the pass to Neymar and we took the three points."
Messi's rich club form will be even more of a boon to the Argentina international squad, particularly given his outstanding performances for them did not dip during his first year at PSG.
With the Qatar 2022 World Cup looming, the attacker will want to maintain his level for what is likely to be his final shot at claiming the biggest team prize available in the sport, and the glaring omission in his trophy cabinet.
Ian Foster declared New Zealand were back in contention for the Rugby Championship title after his team atoned for last week's shock defeat to Argentina by crushing the Pumas 53-3 in Hamilton.
Having lost three consecutive home Tests for the first time in their history, the All Blacks were under huge pressure to secure a second win of the campaign on Saturday, and they responded in emphatic fashion.
New Zealand restricted their opponents to no tries for the first time this year before blitzing the Pumas in the second half, with Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett going over after the break to clinch a morale-boosting win.
Foster's future has been the subject of considerable speculation recently, but the All Blacks coach is simply concerned with the result's impact on the championship standings.
Asked whether he felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Foster said: "No. It's the life of a coach.
"All we've done is put ourselves back into contention. From a championship [perspective] we've still got plenty to do, so we'll roll our sleeves up and get stuck into our work.
"It's significant in the Rugby Championship, first and foremost. This championship is important for us, and we put ourselves in a bit of a hole last week.
"We had to respond and to walk away with a bonus point and a big points differential in a tight competition at least keeps us in the race.
"I'm just proud of the way we've worked hard to get our game where we want it to be. It hasn't happened at the speed we'd like it to, but we saw signs of that tonight.
"There is no doubt the team has felt a whole lot of different pressure. I was just proud of the way the guys have hung in there and not got tight under the pressure and played with a bit of ambition."
The All Blacks' dominant success represents just their third Test win of 2022, and prevented Argentina from sealing their first back-to-back victories over their hosts.
Foster was delighted with how his team responded to the criticism coming their way, adding: "It was a big week for us. We had to respond, and I thought we did it in a really ruthless manner.
"There were a lot of questions about putting the same group out again, but I really believe in the direction we're going and am delighted with the response against a pretty enthusiastic Argentina team."
New Zealand delivered a blistering response to last week's shock reverse against Argentina as they ran rampant with a 53-3 win in the Rugby Championship.
A much-improved All Blacks side delivered an emphatic performance to keep their hopes of a competition triumph alive as they turned the screw on their rivals, easing the pressure on coach Ian Foster.
For the Pumas, who clawed their way to a maiden away victory against New Zealand last time out in Christchurch, there was no last-gasp rearguard effort to seal another victory, with a sound drubbing on the scoreboard.
But coach Michael Cheika, who will also guide Lebanon in this year's Rugby League World Cup, is still trying to establish them as a genuine threat to the sport's heavyweights ahead of France 2023.
They looked unlikely to claim successive scalps from the first whistle in Hamilton, however, after their hosts raced out to an early lead, steered by fly-half Richie Mo'unga.
An early penalty moments after Argentina knocked on the kick-off settled initial All Blacks nerves, before Ethan de Groot and Caleb Clarke muscled over for sharp tries to stretch the lead inside the first 20 minutes.
Emiliano Boffelli managed to slot over a penalty of his own with half-time approaching, but when Tomas Lavanini was sent to the sin bin on his own try-line, Rieko Ioane made them pay with another try before the break.
An improved Pumas performance after the interval suggested there could have been the chance of another remarkable comeback, but an inability to sustain pressure meant what resistance they had left quickly faded,
That opened the floodgates for a morale-boosting second half showcase from the hosts, with further tries for Jordie Barrett, Ardie Savea, Brodie Retallick and Beauden Barrett racking up a bonus point blitz on the visitors.
With that haul, it means that New Zealand, for all their troubles, sit top of the table, with Australia and South Africa still to play this round – and the All Blacks will fancy their prospects with this result when they make the trip to Melbourne.
Paulo Dybala's fine performances for Roma are good news for Argentina with the 2022 World Cup on the horizon, according to Jose Mourinho.
Two goals from Dybala against Monza on Tuesday – his first for Roma – fired the Giallorossi to the top of the Serie A table with a 3-0 win.
The forward, signed from Juventus in this transfer window, had not scored more than once in a Serie A match since April 2018.
But this brace took Dybala to 100 goals in the competition for his career; he is only the eighth player since 2004-05 to pass 100 goals and 50 assists.
Roma coach Mourinho is working to ensure Dybala remains in top condition, having started all four matches so far this season but been substituted in each of them.
Dybala never started 30 league games in a single season for Juve, too often beset by injury problems that also impacted his international career.
In this form, Dybala will have a key role for Argentina in Qatar in November, so Mourinho is expecting gratitude from Albiceleste coach Lionel Scaloni.
"In the other games, he couldn't quite pull off the things he wanted to at times, but he never showed the wrong attitude," Mourinho said of Dybala after the Monza game. "Great.
"For me, there can be times when a talented player helps his side but he's also a bit isolated from it.
"But with us, Paulo is a great talent who also plays for and with the team. Right now, when it comes to the defensive side of the game, he's doing a great job for us – and that's not something that he was born to do.
"When he came off today, he said to me: 'Boss, if I carried on I would have got my third.' I told him: 'Get it against Udinese instead!'
"It's important to manage him a bit, because he has had a bit of bad luck with injuries in the past and he did not play a huge amount last season. Right now, his levels are improving.
"For us, he’s great, and I can already see what is going to happen in Qatar. Maybe the Argentina coach should offer us a bottle of wine."
Dybala has scored only three goals in 34 caps for Argentina; he has started just one match at a major tournament and was restricted to 77 minutes in 2022 World Cup qualifying.
Beauden Barrett is fit to return for New Zealand when they go in search of revenge against Argentina on Saturday.
Barrett missed the Pumas' first-ever away victory over the All Blacks last weekend due to a neck injury, but he is back in contention for the Rugby Championship clash at FMG Stadium Waikato.
The two-time World Rugby Player of the Year said: "I'm feeling really good, sun's on the back, beautiful Hamilton day, and good to get a full training under my belt, too."
He quipped: "I've realised that I've got to get a neck like a front rower to be able to handle these knocks, so I've been working hard on it in the gym with Pete [All Blacks physio Pete Gallagher].
"A few more shoulder-on tackles, and I'd say I'm just about ready to go."
The All Blacks have lost four out of six Tests this year and are third in the Rugby Championship table after their historic loss to Michael Cheika's men in round three.
Barrett says the All Blacks will stick with their principles but are prepared to adapt.
"We don’t want to be like other teams," he added. "We've still got to be the expressive All Blacks that we know we can be.
"When the pressure comes on, we want to run the ball, keep it in hand, it's just what feels so natural to us.
"We've identified that in games that we’ve lost, we may need to kick the ball a little bit more, it seems unnatural, but it's just being aware of that.
"And looking to attack in different ways – everyone on our feet, chasing kicks, getting those 50-50 bounces or flooding rucks and looking for turnovers that way. We are figuring out the way that we want to play."
Ian Foster backed captain Sam Cane but knows New Zealand are "under the spotlight" after they suffered a historic Rugby Championship defeat to Argentina on Saturday.
The Pumas moved to the top of the standings with their first away victory over the All Blacks, winning 25-18 in Christchurch.
While Michael Cheika's side were on cloud nine, the All Blacks crashed back down to earth after lifting the gloom with a win over South Africa at Ellis Park.
New Zealand head coach Foster was informed he would keep his job through to the Rugby World Cup in France next year following the win over the Springboks, but questions are being asked about his future again.
Cane has also come under fire and Foster hauled him off after he showed indiscipline to gift Argentina a penalty by tackling Pablo Matera without the ball 14 minutes from time, with Emiliano Boffelli punishing him by extending the lead to seven points.
Foster said: "Clearly he [Cane] is under the spotlight. We are all under the spotlight when things don't go well. But behind the scenes, [Cane is] strong.
"I thought a lot of his tackle and work around the breakdown was a big shift up in the last two games, and we are pleased with that.'"
Foster said he would be speaking to Cane about his hit on Matera.
He added: "Yeah, no doubt about that. We will work through all that. It's probably reflective of a team that's trying really, really hard and is close and not quite there."
There was good news for the All Blacks on Sunday, when Brodie Retallick was cleared to join the squad in Hamilton after recovering from a broken cheekbone.
Defeat for holders New Zealand was their fourth in six Tests this year and left them third in the table behind the Pumas and Australia.
Ian Foster says New Zealand are "hurting" and on "a tough learning curve" after they were beaten at home by Argentina for the first time in Christchurch on Saturday.
The All Blacks had halted a three-match losing streak by beating South Africa at Ellis Park, but the Pumas consigned them to a historic 25-18 Rugby Championship defeat at Orangetheory Stadium.
Emiliano Boffelli booted 20 points and Juan Martin Gonzalez scored the Pumas' only try as they fought back to secure a stunning victory.
All Blacks head coach Foster was backed to keep his job through to the Rugby World Cup in France next year following the win over the world champions in Johannesburg, but this loss put him back in the spotlight.
Foster expressed his frustration over his side's inconsistency following a defeat that leaves them third in the table behind surprise leaders Argentina and Australia.
"[I am] Not losing patience, but certainly hurting." said Foster.
"It's hard work when the team is not, sort of, at 100 per cent every week. But I have been there when it is, and I know how much experience you need to get to that point and how much hard work and how settled the team needs to be.
"For us, as you can imagine, there is a shed full of people that are hurting right now. We are working hard and making some moves in our game.
"Things are hard work at the moment. I thought that at half-time, we had got some really good set-piece dominance. We kept them in the game with what I thought was some pretty average on the offside line.
"We gave them four penalties in that space in the second half."
The 57-year-old continued: "We ended up trying to over-play our hand, really, and got a little bit frustrated against them. Our set-piece didn't quite work the way we wanted in the latter part, and we probably forgot to play our kicking game.
"So, a tough learning curve for this group at the moment."
Argentina claimed their first away victory over New Zealand as an outstanding defensive performance saw them seal a 25-18 win in the Rugby Championship.
The Pumas were consistently under intense pressure in Christchurch but they overturned a 15-12 half-time deficit through the boot of Emiliano Boffelli and a superb rearguard effort saw them cling on.
It is a result that will only intensify the scrutiny on All Blacks coach Ian Foster, whose side have followed a home Test series defeat to Ireland with losses to South Africa and Argentina in their first three games of this competition.
Argentina, by contrast, are an in the unfamiliar position of sitting top of the Rugby Championship table, this famous win following a thrashing of Australia at home two weeks ago.
The prospect of Argentina pulling off such a shock looked unlikely in a first half in which New Zealand crossed for two tries.
Samisoni Taukei'aho went over after a lineout drive, a try that came either side of two penalties from Boffelli.
Richie Mo'unga then converted a three-pointer of his own before Caleb Clarke raced over after Argentina went long at a lineout and Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett combined to set up the wing down the left.
But another pair of Boffelli penalties kept Argentina within striking distance at half-time and they tightened their defence after the break.
A Mo'unga kick stretched the New Zealand lead to six but the All Blacks never added to their tally thereafter.
The restart following the Mo'unga penalty saw Argentina steal the ball, allowing Juan Martin Gonzalez to steam over for the Pumas' sole try.
Boffelli converted and maintained his accuracy from the tee to convert another two penalties, leaving New Zealand - who saw Shannon Frizell sin-binned nine minutes from time - needing a converted try just to snatch a draw.
They were not up to the task despite dominating possession and territory, their last opportunity coming and going as they failed to keep a lineout straight deep into Argentina territory, giving the visitors the chance to boot the ball into touch after the subsequent scrum and spark jubilant celebrations.
Ian Foster was declared safe in his job as New Zealand head coach following the win over South Africa at Ellis Park, and now Argentina await the All Blacks.
Foster had overseen five defeats in six Tests before his team gritted out a 35-23 Rugby Championship win over South Africa two weeks ago.
Uncertainty had swirled over his future, and that will be held at bay providing New Zealand do not slip up on Saturday in Christchurch and next week in Hamilton.
Argentina, who drubbed Australia last time out in San Juan, will have just a second win in 34 meetings with New Zealand as their objective.
The first game of the weekend comes at the Adelaide Oval as Australia take on South Africa.
After two rounds of games, all four teams have won once and lost once. Here, Stats Perform previews the weekend clashes using Opta data.
AUSTRALIA v SOUTH AFRICA
FORM
Australia have won their last two Tests against South Africa, both in the 2021 Rugby Championship, and have not won more than two successive games against the Springboks since a five-game stretch from September 2010 to September 2012.
The omens are not great for South Africa, who are winless in their last seven Tests against the Wallabies in Australia (D1 L6). The games have typically been tight, though, with all but one decided by a margin of six points or fewer on the day. The Boks last beat the Wallabies in Australia in September 2013, when they enjoyed a 38-12 success in Brisbane.
Adelaide is rarely on the Wallabies' schedule, with this just the third men's Test to be played in the city and likely to be the toughest test they have faced there. Australia's previous Tests in Adelaide saw them beat the Pacific Islanders 29-14 in 2004 and Namibia 142-0 at the Rugby World Cup.
ONES TO WATCH
South Africa have shuffled their team but Lukhanyo Am keeps his place at centre. He has made six line breaks in this year's Rugby Championship, which is twice as many as any other player in the competition.
Australia wing Marika Koroibete pranked Jake Gordon in the opening match of this year's competition, claiming he and not Gordon would be captaining the Wallabies in the closing stages against Argentina after Nic White and James Slipper came off. Away from the playfulness, he is a serious player and has made four offloads so far in this Rugby Championship, second only to New Zealand's Rieko Ioane.
NEW ZEALAND v ARGENTINA
FORM
Over the long term, this has been a wholly one-sided rivalry, with New Zealand winning 31 of their 33 past meetings (D1 L1). The draw came in 1985, but Argentina's victory came only two years ago in Sydney. Since then, New Zealand have beaten the Pumas 38-0, 39-0 and 36-13, reasserting their supremacy in the rivalry. They have won all 15 of their previous matches on home soil against Argentina.
New Zealand have plenty to prove to their public as they arrive in Christchurch, having lost their last two Tests on home turf, each by 10 points or more at the hands of Ireland. They have never lost three consecutive games in New Zealand.
Argentina have won four of their last seven Tests after losing seven in a row beforehand.
New Zealand (3.7) and Argentina (3.3) have scored the most and second most points per attacking 22m entry in the 2022 Rugby Championship, more than one point per entry more than either Australia (2.1) or South Africa (1.9).
ONES TO WATCH
Argentina coach Michael Cheika will be hoping goal-kicking wing Emiliano Boffelli continues to pile on the points, having scored 53 across his last three Tests. In that time he has managed two tries, 11 conversions, and seven penalties, and he knows the way to the try line against the All Blacks too. Boffelli has crossed for a try in four of his last six Tests against New Zealand.
Wing Will Jordan has scored 10 tries in six Tests on home soil for New Zealand, crossing for at least one try in every one of those six Tests. Expect Jordan to again be a threat for an All Blacks team who have carried for 12.1 metres per possession on average in this year's Rugby Championship, the most of any team and more than three metres per possession more than last-ranked Argentina (8.9m).
Stephen Perofeta has convinced Ian Foster he is ready for international rugby after earning a spot in New Zealand's match squad for Saturday's clash with Argentina.
The 25-year-old, a polished performer at fly-half and full-back, comes into a group lifted by victory over South Africa at Ellis Park last time out.
All Black head coach Foster named Perofeta as the only new face for this weekend's clash in Christchurch, as the third round of the Rugby Championship rolls around.
The Blues and Taranaki star said he felt "extremely grateful and blessed to be in this position", adding: "The opportunity has presented itself for a potential debut. I can't explain the feeling. I'm excited to say the least."
With Beauden Barrett unavailable because of a neck problem, Foster had no hesitation in selecting the uncapped Perofeta among the replacements, saying he had been "quite impressive" in camp.
"He's confident, he's happy to talk in front of the group, but the main thing is he is leading by learning on the park," Foster said, quoted on the All Blacks website. "He's got a double role to learn [at first five-eighths and fullback] but he's done that particularly well."
Argentina crushed Australia 48-17 in the second round of the championship, after losing to the Wallabies in their opener.
Foster has been impressed by the Pumas and said: "Clearly, for those who watched their last two games, they're playing a fast, expansive game, and with that typical Argentinian combativeness at the breakdown.
"Those things I don't think will change. But, I think they're playing with a bit more ambition. I'm pretty impressed with what they delivered in their last Test, and I'm sure they're going to be coming here having a no-fear approach for this game, and to give it everything they've got."
New Zealand team: Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, David Havili, Caleb Clarke, Richie Mo'unga, Aaron Smith; Ethan de Groot, Samisoni Taukei'aho, Tyrel Lomax, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Shannon Frizell, Sam Cane (captain), Ardie Savea.
Replacements: Codie Taylor, George Bower, Fletcher Newell, Tupou Vaa'i, Akira Ioane, Finlay Christie, Stephen Perofeta, Quinn Tupaea.
FIFA has agreed to cancel the World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina.
The fixture in September was stopped shortly after kick-off when Brazilian health officials entered the field claiming four Argentina players had broken COVID-19 protocols.
FIFA was pushing for the clash to be rescheduled for next month, despite the fact the game was essentially meaningless with both teams having already qualified for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
The confederations of Brazil and Argentina both opposed FIFA's demand, with the case taken to the Court for Arbitration of Sport (CAS) where all three parties agreed to the deal.
Brazil's Tite and Argentina's Lionel Scaloni argued the risk of injuries and suspensions were too high for the game to be played, which would have occurred just two months before the World Cup is scheduled to begin.
With the agreement, both South American teams are free to schedule friendlies against opponents of their choosing for their World Cup preparations – where they will be looking to end Europe's dominance on the world stage.
Brazil have not won the tournament since 2002 and were humiliated by Germany in the semi-finals when hosting the tournament in 2014, where Argentina were subsequently beaten in the final.
Argentina are alongside Mexico, Poland and Saudi Arabia in Group C, while Brazil are in Group G with Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon.
Michael Cheika revealed he was in tears as his Argentina side put Australia to the sword in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The Pumas secured their biggest win over the Wallabies and their most emphatic in the Rugby Championship, winning 48-17 at Estadio Bicentenario.
Australian Cheika coached his country for five years before his reign came to an end in 2019 and the 55-year-old had mixed emotions during a record victory for Argentina in San Juan.
The Argentina head coach told reporters: "I love these guys, they're my crew now. I was up on the last try, cheering. But then I started crying because I know I probably shouldn't be doing this. It was a bit confusing for me, personally.
"But they're my boys now. That's my team. I will do everything I can to help them get success and enjoy rugby.
"They are paying me a lot of respect here and people are believing in the things that we are doing. I have to do everything I can to help them."
Cheika is relishing a short break in his homeland before Argentina take on New Zealand.
"It's good to be going to Australia and have a few days off, seeing my mum and my brothers and sisters and take the boys for a Leb (Lebanese) feed at my mum's place," Cheika said.
"But I am looking forward to going to New Zealand because it is a great place to go and play rugby."
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