Driven: Agustín Creevy
Argentina captain Agustín Creevy is targeting revenge against South Africa after his men’s narrow defeat in Pretoria.
A far cry from the 73-13 thrashing suffered by Argentina in 2013, Creevy’s team pushed the Springboks all the way in horrendous conditions at Loftus.
Enjoying the upper hand in the scrum, Creevy underlined the dissatisfaction with the result after coming so close to a first ever win over South Africa.
“We are not happy, because we couldn’t get a try [in the dying minutes] and because we lost,” said Creevy.
“We are a group that works hard and will make the sacrifices we need to the revenge in Salta.”
Rugby Planet
“We [the pack] became stronger and the backs also produced a great match, but we are still disappointed – because we wanted to win.”
Creevy revealed how his time vowed not to be beaten in the same manner as 2013 following Ruan Pienaar’s early try.
“When they scored that early try, we got together under the uprights and said to each other we will not capitulate like last year,” added Creevy.
“We managed to get up and gave them good fight.”
“We demonstrated that we are on their level and it was a nice game, but we wanted to win and we were not going to sit back now.”
“We know that they will come better prepared for the rematch in Salta, but we’ll have our people supporting us and hope to make a better contest and perhaps get the win.”
Speaking after their narrow 6-13 loss to the Springboks at a drenched Loftus Versfeld at the weekend, Pumas flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez said teams are now beginning to respect the South Americans.
Argentina are still looking for their first win, now into their third season of the Southern Hemisphere championship, but they know they squandered a chance to break that duck.
The Pumas, who were third at the World Cup in 2007, have lost 12 of their 13 Rugby Championship clashes since joining the expanded competition in 2012.
They drew at home with South Africa in Mendoza two years ago.
“We have a feeling we are gaining more and more respect with each passing game,” Sanchez told a post-match media scrum in Pretoria.
“We put South Africa under a lot of pressure and could have tied the game in the last minute,” the Pumas pivot said.
“We are really disappointed because I think we were really close to a result and let it escape,” added Sanchez after they squandered three late chances to snatch a try and possibly hold their hosts to a second draw.”
Sanchez paid tribute to his team’s forwards who largely dominated South Africa in the scrums, rucks and mauls.
“The forwards had a great game with both the line-outs and the scrums working well.”
“But we are going to have to double that effort, because we know South Africa will re-double their effort in Salta,” he added referring to next Saturday’s return game in the northern Argentine city.
Will the members of the “glass is half full club” please explain to Creevy that the only reason they “almost” won is only because of the monsoon and the bar of soap rugby ball.
They didn’t really dominate or get close, it’s an eye blind.
By not taking our penalties we allowed them to be in the game and listen how cocky they are now.
After last Saturday , we are now back to ground zero and worried.
Had we taken our shots at goal the victory would have been more comfortable, regardless of how bad we were.
@ MacroBok:
Out of a matter of interest, how many goals did we shun exactly?
Repeat penalties excluded where we kicked for the corner, then got another penalty and kicked for the corner again etc.
Once for posts and the rest of the penalties wouldn’t have been given.
If successful, we would have won by 13 or so?
@ MacroBok:
“”They are a very proud rugby nation and have improved immensely over the last number of years.”
The above is a quote from HM regarding the Argies.
I would like to question this statement, as an improving side doesn’t slide down the world rankings, or do they?
When they made the semi’s of the WC in 2007, that was improvement, when you drop below Japan and Fiji, surely that’s regressing?
Is every test playing nation not also a proud nation?
Yet, so much is made of how good they are, that’s the part that I just can’t buy into, hence my critisism of the Boks.
@ nortierd:
nortie how far would the all blacks beat japan or fiji?
if you could predict more or less
and we nearly beat arg in this test… so by your “logic” to use of rankings to back your arguement you think we should be at about 10-11 after the last test?
@ MacroBok:
Let me explain why I’m upset by these “almost” results against Wales and Argentina.
These teams are not in our class and when they walk off the field in South Africa “lamenting” how close they came or that “they let the game slip”, well, in my book it means we failed.
Simple as that.
We should never have to look for “positives” or “excuses” after these games, we should simply do the business and trample them so that they have no reason to “act like the victors”
I realize other disagree with me and reckon that “a win is a win” and they are right, I just view it differently.
Then to after the match talk up the opposition as something they are not to cover for our own failings and shortcomings pisses me off even more.
Let’s see how “improved” they are and whether we can beat them by more than 10 in Salta, or whether they will beat us, but last Saturday we were victorious on the scoreboard, but they were the real winners.
nortierd wrote:
You have all your rights to criticize the boks, but in the same way, we can remind you of all the variables, such as the weather and I think goign by this game even the Arg scrum we mauled last year, DID show improvements, just not enough…and “last number of years” could mean the last ten years, I am not going to get worked up by that when I do not know the context.
“drop below Japan”… again another variable, Japan has improved a damn lot to be honest.
Going for a goal at every opportunity would definitely given the guys more confidence, we continuously put pressure on ourselves by going for touch with the mindset “we have to score now”, then go for a number 2 ball and fail. JDv and HM deserve Criticism for that, no doubt.
@ nortierd:
Why is Wales not class? the BIL were predominantly welsh when they mauled Australia in Australia.
As a board member of the “glas is half leeg” club, you would probably still have thrown your toys out your cot if we scored three tries and beat them by 20.
No one denies that we need to improve a lot or we might lose to ARgentinia, but we can’t be dismissive of their effort. Just like the cricket rankings is a bit quizical, so the rugby, while Arg is below Fiji and Japan, you would surely back them to put up a bigger fight than those teams if they can scrum like they did on Saturday.
While we should beat Arg on your average day, quite comfortably… Saturday was not your average day,
@ MacroBok:
Wales is not in our class, never was and should never be, it’s always been like that.
When we played them in the second test, it was perfect weather, no monsoon and hail, yet we came within 1 point of losing.
Why can they “lift” themselves, but we can’t do the same and match their intensity and just do the job properly?
We are talking about the best in SA who are massively high paid to do the job.
I don’t see the romance associated with Argentina.
They poxed a quarter final spot in a WC 7 years ago because they beat France (who hasn’t?) and then duly got carrots in the quarter.
Tonga also beat France in the next WC, no one is clamoring for them to get a spot in the RC.
MacroBok wrote:
It wasn’t a good weather game, but we should also not have struggled so much against them either.
They should never walk off the field in SA thinking they had the better than us, whether in sunshine or rain
MacroBok wrote:
Except for the Blue Bulls Currie Cup side?
13 @ nortierd:
Tonga have a better chance of winning a medal at the Olympics Rugby 7’s than Wales do!
@ nortierd:
very few players in our country could display try scoring skills in perfect conditions in Super Rugby this year, Now they are supposed to have an easy game in a highveld storm?
This is such a tiresome argument, okay Nortie, we are kak, we are going to lose every game this year and cry about it.
@ Scrumdown:
Yep, I have never thought of rugby in the same way as soccer, there a team rated 10 places below you can actually stand a chance of an upset, in rugby it should never happen.
They can talk the Argies up all they want, when we were at our shittest under Strauli, we were still ranked 6th or thereabouts, so how poor must you be to be rated 12?
Scrumdown wrote:
That is an entirely different story 😉
Same old same old.
Yawn.
nortierd wrote:
Yes, but what about the weather?
MacroBok wrote:
Ok, it was the weather. Argentina didn’t beat us in the scrums and line outs, it was the weather.
Against Wales the sun was too bright.
Nothing to worry about when 2 of our last 3 games came down to the wire against teams that I don’t think should be a challenge in SA, but let’s leave it at that.
Kom ons praat maar CC, hoe ver gaan julle wen teen die Kings?
A once half decent NZ / Aus band wrote a song about the weather. I think their house was more crowded than the pavilion was at Loftus on Sat’.
@ nortierd:
Wat gaan jou superbru score wees? Arg met 20?
Scrumdown wrote:
haha luister hier, julle kom nou eers terug van relegasie, moenie te windgat raak nie 😉
@ MacroBok:
Dink Bokke met so tussen 5-10
Glo steeds nie ons moet verloor teen palookas nie, al speel ons ook soos palookas op tye
MacroBok wrote:
The same half decent NZ band that Scrumdown referred too also wrote a song called ” Don’t dream, its over” .
Very applicable on the Bulls and their fans as far as the CC is concerned 🙂
24 @ MacroBok:
Well, I think that if you were around here on RT at the time of the infamous SARU “vote” that got the Kings into, and the Lions out of SR, you will understand why I don’t give a rat’s ass about SARU and the bunch of lilly livered lying prats that run the “organisation”.
It’s also why I feel less than F-All for the Unions that had pledged support (in writing) fore the Lions then voted against them when i mattered.
Whilst Kevin de Klerk may have accepted the Olive branch ffered by those of the flat top mountain city, and the cityy witha Naval Hill but F-All sea, I certainly woudn’t have.
Did the Lions desreve “relegation”? Absolutley.
Were they actually relegated or stabbed in the back like Julius Ceasar was on the ides of March?
I know where my opinion lies.
At least it had the effect of causing the GLRU / Lions to have a VERY critical look internally and make a genuine attempt to right a ship that had been listing for a decade.
Some of the other provincial Unions in this country would do well to do likewise and make an attempt to fix their bleeding arteries with something more than an elastoplast.
By the way, my jibe was just a light hearted comment about the weather and the somewhat empty pavillions at the test, and nothing to do with a provincial team from the city of Tshwane.
The band was Crowded House, and the song was “Weather With You”. Crowded House had both Aus’ and Kiwi members if I recall correctly.
But thanks for reminding me why I loathe SARU and some of the provinces so much.
hey norts…
12th… 6th… 2nd… 1st… are just rankings… not mathematical truths…
you’re a wiser man than this bud… and you know nothing in life is so simple… so cut and dried… so predictable…
seems to me you’re missing the beauty and joy of rugby and sport, bud…
we watch because we like to see our teams win, sure… but it would become very dull and boring to win all the time… and the result was pre-ordained…
so we also watch because anything can happen on any given day… and it’s that unpredictability… the high of expectations and success… contrasted to the lows of disappointment and defeat… that keeps us coming back for more…
we can leave the stadium… or switch off the TV… on a high and the world seems a little better place… and have a few drinks… with rugby loving friends who understand…
or we can leave the stadium… or switch off the TV… feeling really gutted and blue… and we replay and re-say the shoulda, woulda, couldas… and how easily we would solve the problems of the clueless coaches and useless players…
and have a few drinks… with rugby loving friends who understand…
my advice to you my friend… if I may… is…
go and find some rugby loving friends… and have a few drinks…
@ Scrumdown:
I know where you are coming from and my jibe was also a lighthearted attempt. Truth is the relagation ended up doing more good than harm even if the way it was done leaves a lot to he desired.
Not much offense to be taken about the current state of affairs at loftus, Ludeke has completely lost the plot and Bulls rugby as we know has fallen under a dictatorship… I cant support that, I can only laugh with you guys 😀
I still maintain Rasta is a shitty home town ref on par with the likes of Bryce Lawrence.
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