Argentina vs New Zealand: 5 Key Battles That Will Shape Rugby Championship Clash

New Zealand can all but secure the Rugby Championship title with victory in La Plata on Saturday.

They travel to Argentina with a few injuries and one notable suspension per the New Zealand Herald, but face a battle-weary Pumas side, who really got the thin end of the wedge in terms of this tournament's schedule.

Daniel Hourcade’s men have racked up a punishing amount of air miles so far with trips to South Africa and back, then having to travel to New Zealand and Australia before flying home again.

It was suggested by the Herald on Sunday’s Michael Burgess that this needs to change in future, but for now the Pumas will hope there is enough left in their legs to give Steve Hansen’s men a run for their money in front of their own passionate support.

There are some fascinating sub-plots all over the park in this encounter.

Here are the five that catch the eye.

Argentina know one thing cost them more than any other against Australia: Their own mistakes.

Handling bloopers at crucial moments gifted points to the Wallabies that rendered the Pumas’ comeback academic. Chief culprit was hulking wide man Manuel Montero.

After covering himself in glory with a barnstorming try, the giant wing undid his good work by clumsily spilling the ball under duress, which was gobbled up by Michael Hooper to snaffle a criminally easy score.

The Pumas know they can ill-afford to apply the same slack-handed approach to their encounter with the World champions, who prey on turnover ball more profitably than any other side on the planet.

When the two sides met in Napier, the Pumas had the better of the exchanges in the scrum, and they will be looking to widen that advantage on home soil.

Marcos Ayerza and Ramiro Herrera have established themselves as the premier pair of props in the competition when it comes to the set-piece.

Their dismantling of the South African scrum in their last home fixture set a high standard they must reach again if they are to stay in the game with the All Blacks.

Steve Hansen’s men have had a pretty good tournament in this area themselves.

They took Australia apart in Auckland, yielding a penalty try for their efforts, and will know if they can produce a scrummage like that in La Plata, they will have the Pumas where they want them.

It would only take one more mishap to Steve Hansen’s stock of fly–halves to expose his fourth choice in the position.

Dan Carter remains on the injured list while Aaron Cruden’s recent indiscretion, per ESPNScrum.com sees him sit out a ban for the rest of the competition.

So Beauden Barrett gets another chance to show what he can do while Colin Slade moves on to the bench.

With ball in hand, the Hurricane Barrett was impressive when these two sides met in Napier, but his goal–kicking radar was on the blink, missing three out of three conversion attempts.

Nicolas Sanchez is looking more and more the part at this level, and can do damage to the All Blacks with his raking kicking game as well as his ability to feed his hard–running backs like Joaquin Tuculet and Marcelo Bosch. If he kicks his goals, he could be the key for the Pumas.

Set–piece parity and a low error count from the home side could lead to a tight scoreboard, in which case the smart money might be on the No. 10 in blue and white to be the difference.

Stats compiled by Opta and housed in the New Zealand Herald’s Stats Centre show the Pumas top of the pile when it comes to ruck success, winning 96 per cent of the breakdowns they carry into, while New Zealand are bottom of that particular table with 92 per cent.

You could argue that the All Blacks’ dominance, greater time spent in possession and on the attack makes them likelier to lose a few more breakdown contests.

But if the numbers prove anything, it is that this area will be a key one in the shaping of this fixture. On the home side, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and his back-row colleagues will need to work like hungry dogs after a solitary bone to ensure their own ball is secure and to temper the All Blacks’ preference for a break-neck pace to the game.

New Zealand, meanwhile have Richie McCaw and Kieran Read arguably running into some of the best form of their careers. Both men can do the showy stuff in the open spaces, but equally valuable is their work on the floor. The return of Jerome Kaino to the back row also bolsters their power in this area.

Their ability to turn ball over in the tackle is the foundation stone of New Zealand’s penchant for a try–scoring counter–strike. This aspect of the game will be a fascinating dual.

Two different strategies at the line–out go head to head this weekend in La Plata.

For New Zealand, Kieran Read has been the main go-to catcher in this tournament.

The Canterbury man tops the standings with 18 takes. Second row Mariano Galarza leads this area for Argentina with 12, per the New Zealand Herald's Stats Centre.

Read predominantly jumps and releases the ball to his No.9 as the All Blacks look to put width on the ball from first phase, and will surely deploy the same game plan to move the focus away from an area of strength for the home side, who would enjoy the chance to compete at the maul.

On their own ball, it’s a fair bet to expect this to be their main weapon, keeping the likes of Richie McCaw and Jerome Kaino tied to their pack rather than haring off into midfield to look for an isolated Pumas runner to clamp themselves onto.

It will be a battle to nullify the attacking team’s intentions from this area.

If the defending side is successful in its attempts at disruption, we’ll find out quickly how much thought has gone into plan B.