Rugby beauty comes in many forms – as New Zealand showed against Argentina. Perhaps it is Will Jordan that takes your fancy, his 31 tries in 30 Tests rugby’s equivalent of the golden ratio. Perhaps you are entranced by Mark Tele’a, sinewy and sinuous, gliding in and out of contact like an electric eel. Or could it be Richie Mo’unga and his teasing grin, most often flashed at a grasping Argentine after a coquettish click of the heels on a night where the fly half seemed to step into space at will.
But it was the All Blacks’ muscle-men and their rugged charm that laid the foundations for the decorative touches elsewhere. And to think New Zealand had entered this tournament with questions about their ability to assert themselves up front; this was a frightening display of forward strength, leaving Argentina’s Rugby World Cup dreams buried beneath the black mass.
