Key playmaker in line for Tri-Nations finale return as Wallabies reveal where they went wrong against Pumas

The crestfallen Wallabies have undertaken a new intensive match review process, seeking “nuggets of gold” as they look to rebound from their disappointing 15-15 Tri-Nations draw with Argentina.

Wallabies assistant coach Scott Wisemantel said the side were as “flat” as he’d seen them after they let a 15-6 lead slip against the Pumas in their clash in Newcastle on Saturday.

A win would have put them within 80 minutes of lifting the tournament silverware, and the Wallabies knew they’d blown a golden chance.

How the All Blacks beat the Pumas | Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 21

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How the All Blacks beat the Pumas | Aotearoa Rugby Pod | Episode 21

“They (Argentina) were dead, with 20 minutes to go, they were gone, but we opened the door up,” Wisemantel said on Tuesday.

“We were tactically a little naive, lacked discipline – so it’s the one that got away.”

Ahead of their final match against Argentina on December 5 at Bankwest Stadium Wisemantel said head coach Dave Rennie wanted to try something new.

“We broke the game down into four 20-minute quarters and throughout the whole sq uad, they were divided into four groups and each were given a portion,” he explained.

“They then had to review what was good and what was poor and how we can manage it – it was a long process but at the end of it I think we ended up with tactical growth which is what we want.

“In those smaller groups everyone gets a voice and from that you get little nuggets of gold.”

While the final 20 minutes were obviously the most disappointing, the main areas identified were decision-making, discipline and inability to convert opportunities.

John Plumtree has dropped a hint at how he and his co-selectors plan to pick this week's team to face Los Pumas on Saturday. #AllBlacks #ARGvNZL #TriNations https://t.co/Bezm79HoXV

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 24, 2020

“We’ve created lots of opportunities but we’ve got to be better at finishing so that’s around our skill level, and we’ve got to get better at decision-making,” he said.

“Discipline is definitely an area we need to tighten up on, reacting to niggle; we’ve got to be calm, collected, composed and tactically smart.”

Meanwhile, Wisemantel said they were hopeful injured playmaker James O’Connor, who has missed the past three games, could be available for the final match.

He said O’Connor was doing some rehab running on his injured foot which came after a knee issue.