Argentina waste potential to leave Michael Cheika with questions to answer

Michael Cheika led Argentina to a World Cup semi-final but they were trounced by New Zealand

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Michael Cheika refused to assess the entirety of Argentina’s Rugby World Cup campaign or his tenure as head coach of the Pumas. Coming off a harrowing 44-6 semi-final defeat to New Zealand in which they’d been totally outclassed in every facet of the game, perhaps his reticence was understandable.

Next Friday’s third-place play-off against the loser of the second semi-final between England and South Africa merely provided a handy excuse. It’s a game that players don’t want to play, spectators don’t want to watch and media don’t want to cover but it did give Cheika a week’s buffer to collect himself before he will have to answer the tough questions.

“I can’t do that straight away,” said Cheika when asked to assess his time in charge of Argentina, which comes to an end after this World Cup. “I haven’t finished yet.

“I know we won’t win World Cup but I’m happy to be at this level and they deserve to be here. Their play, ambition, ability to raise themselves after the first game [a pool-stage loss to England]. It’s another obstacle but we can be proud of our team and our capacity to deal with obstacles. Next week we have a game to play, at the end of the World Cup we will summarise and assess it.”

The players were similarly on message with their adamance at the importance of the worst game in rugby.

“There is one more game left, one more final,” said flanker Marcos Kremer. “We want to leave this World Cup winning and we are going to do everything to make it happen.”

“We are going to prepare like a final. We are not satisfied with being here. We want a medal and we are going to fight for that,” added wing Mateo Carreras.

The value of a third-place play-off in an event defined by a trophy, rather than a medal podium, and its place in an already over-saturated playing calendar is a debate for another time but the Pumas can only keep the wolf at the door for so long. They will soon have to address exactly what happened in the second-most one-sided World Cup semi-final of all time – the eventual margin of defeat just narrower than the All Blacks’ 49-6 triumph over Wales in 1987.

The All Blacks ran riot in the Stade de France

Three times in their rugby history, Argentina have reached the semi-final stage of the World Cup, with three losses to show for it. They have scored just one try across those 240 minutes and have a combined losing margin of 76 points.

The celebrations and lap of honour after beating Wales in the quarter-finals in Marseille a week ago suggested that, deep down, the Pumas believed they had come as far as they could in this tournament. Both history, and the performance that followed against New Zealand, made it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

They hardly imposed themselves on the All Blacks at the Stade de France. Phases of attack came to a grinding halt once they reached the All Black 22, with the ball inevitably jackalled away, the defensive line was torn to shreds by their opponents’ quick hands and clever lines, the scrum was splintered by a dominant New Zealand pack and basic handling errors defined the game.

Frankly, it wasn’t a match befitting a World Cup semi-final and ensured the Pumas book-ended their tournament (barring next Friday’s bronze-medal irrelevance) with abject displays, after the lifeless opening loss to 14-man England.

It is hardly a squad bereft of talent. The experience of Julian Montoya and Agustin Creevy leading the front row is complemented by an exciting, dynamic back-row trio of Juan Martin Gonzalez, Kremer and Facundo Isa that should be able to match almost any opposition. While questions remain at nine and 10, a back three of Mateo Carreras, Emiliano Boffelli and Juan Cruz Mallia is explosive enough to give any team fits.

Argentina were dejected after slipping to a semi-final defeat

Perhaps a semi-final appearance shouldn’t be sneered at. Yes, they benefitted from being in the considerably weaker half of the draw but it equalled their best World Cup performance and you can only beat who’s in front of you.

On paper, Cheika’s tenure – since taking the reins from the sacked Mario Ledesma in early 2022 – will be viewed as a success. A first-ever win over the All Blacks in New Zealand last summer and a World Cup semi-final is not a bad return. But in terms of the ‘eye test’, the Pumas never looked like an elite side and there’s a nagging feeling that they haven’t moved forward under the Australian.

Cheika’s preferred coaching style of creating a ‘siege mentality, us against the world’ environment always seemed at odds with the largely personable Argentina squad. Media availability was limited – perhaps a poor fit for the historically open Pumas – and a bubble created around the team.

Putting your stamp on things in just an 18-month period is tough, with Felipe Contepomi always slated to become head coach after the World Cup and learning the ropes as part of Cheika’s coaching team in the interim. The legendary Pumas fly half, who is also a cult hero at Leinster following playing and coaching spells there, will likely provide a different strategy in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup and it will be fascinating to see what he’s taken from his time working under Cheika.

As for the Australian, he departs with his reputation certainly not damaged and maybe even enhanced. The 56-year-old will undoubtedly be in demand around the rugby world and should be able to have his pick from a number of exciting coaching opportunities.

“It is not a sad moment,” insisted Cheika in the aftermath of defeat in Paris. “It’s a moment I’m proud of my team. We were in the semi-final of a World Cup.”

Yes, they were. But the suspicion that there was a version of this Pumas side that still had more to give remains.

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