1
'It doesn’t look good' - Cheika delivers grim Pablo Matera news
By PA
Argentina look set to be without influential back-row forward Pablo Matera for their Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash against Wales.
Matera went off midway through the first-half of Argentina’s 39-27 Pool D victory over Japan that secured a last-eight tie in Marseille next Saturday.
“It doesn’t look good,” Pumas head coach Michael Cheika said.
“It is a hamstring injury definitely and by the look of him now, I would say definitely it (the tournament) would be over.
“But you know, it’s never over until it is, so we will see what happens.”
Argentina and Wales will meet for the first time in World Cup action since the 1999 tournament.
And Wales, through to a fourth successive quarter-final, will start as favourites after topping their group with 19 points out of a possible 20.
Cheika added: “As you go along you’ve got to get better. One thing we did do today is we scored some tries – we got a few more under our belt.
“But our defence wasn’t as good as it has been – we sort of traded one for another.
“I think what changes now is the mentality. I feel like some of our boys, if you look at the crowd here today, so many Argentineans who have put their savings together and come for this week, next week. I think they’ve felt a bit of that pressure.
“Now everyone is happy, the crowd is happy, they are into it, they are ripe for the next stage.
“Maybe we can just chill out and go for it, play some good footy and we will see where the cards fall, see how we go.”
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Northampton sign legend's son to add a 'massive physical presence'
3
Harlequins confirm the 11 players leaving at the end of the season
4
Connacht confirm 11 end-of-season leavers, name nine new arrivals
5
Latest Comments
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
Go to comments