The Breakdown: All Blacks out to protect perfect home record against Pumas
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New Zealand have won all 15 of their past home matches against Argentina on home soil, but the Pumas are on a high after beating Australia.
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.
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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).
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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).
