Rugby Championship halftime oranges - where the tournament stands at its midpoint

Argentina

Round one: LOST 26-41 against Australia at home

Round two: WON 48-17 against Australia at home

Round three: WON 18-25 against New Zealand away

After their encouraging home series victory over Scotland, Argentina were crushed by the Wallabies in the first round of the Championship at home. The Pumas managed to reverse their opening defeat and record their highest-ever points total and winning margin over the Wallabies in round two in what was an impressive response against an albeit slightly depleted Australian side. That was a major boost for Michael Cheika’s troops before they made the intimidating trip to the land of the long white cloud, where they had never previously won a rugby match in their history.

Ireland could have said the same about themselves earlier this year, that was before they defeated the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time… and then did it again. Argentina carved out their own slice of glorious history with a hard-fought, even heroic, win in Christchurch on Saturday. At halftime in the competition, they lead the Championship table through a superior points difference over Australia. They’ve never won the tournament before. Could this be their year? Based on the evidence of Saturday’s performance, it’s not beyond belief. The Pumas are purring.

Round four: New Zealand away, September 3rd

Round five: South Africa at home, September 17th

Round six: South Africa away, September 24th

Australia

Round one: WON 26-41 against Argentina away

Round two: LOST 48-17 against Argentina away

Round three: WON 25-17 against South Africa at home

Injuries and absences have defined the Wallabies' international season so far. After a brutal and nail-biting three-match series loss to England at home, they flew to Argentina and quickly lost talismanic captain Michael Hooper (30) to wellbeing issues. They overcame that setback with a brilliant performance in round one but lost star flyhalf Quade Cooper (34) in the process to injury. Despite some positive displays, the constant shuffling of players and the inability for a suitable pivot to emerge in Cooper’s wake meant that the Wallabies slumped to their worst-ever defeat to the Pumas in round two.

Ahead of round three, they welcomed a fearsome South African side to Australia for two consecutive tests hanging onto the fact that the Springboks hadn’t won in Australia since 2013. At Adelaide on Saturday, they kept that record intact with Hooper and Cooper’s respective understudies, Noah Lolesio (22) and Fraser McReight (23) turning out star performances and combining for a scintillating try that proved that veins of old Wallaby gold are rippling through this Australian side still. Another battle against South Africa this weekend and two against New Zealand to come will surely test their depth but Dave Rennie’s side seem to keep finding bursts of brilliance to keep them in the conversation.

Round four: South Africa at home, September 3rd

Round five: New Zealand at home, September 15th

Round six: New Zealand away, September 24th

New Zealand

Round one: LOST 26-10 against South Africa away

Round two: WON 23-35 against South Africa away

Round three: LOST 18-25 against Argentina at home

Coming into the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks were in relative crisis. They had lost four in five tests, including a series defeat at home to Ireland for the first time in their history. Knives were out for their embattled coach, Ian Foster, and they had the small order of back-to-back tests in South Africa looming. After losing the first-round match in Mbombela, they bore an unprecedented record of five losses in six and their worst-ever world ranking. This was no longer just a crisis. This was the Kiwi psyche rattled to its core, shaking like a silver fern in the breeze. How did this young All Blacks side respond to the seismic pressure that had mounted? They went to the fortress of South African rugby, Ellis Park, and they won because that’s what champion sides do.

However, all the positives of that result were washed away in Christchurch when Argentina won for the first time on New Zealand soil in round three. A sloppy second-half performance saw the All Blacks narrowly beaten by a side that looked simply more focussed and better prepared. The result means that the All Blacks have now lost three home test matches in a row for the first time in their entire history. And so it’s crisis mode again on the shaky isles, now, shakier than ever. Argentina and Australia will know better than to take them lightly in their upcoming encounters, however. The All Blacks have the quality to turn their poor form immediately around and win their remaining matches. They have but one true opponent in this world and that is themselves. Beware the bruised All Black. 

Round four: Argentina at home, September 3rd

Round five: Australia away, September 15th

Round six: Australia at home, September 24th

South Africa

Round one: WON 26-10 against New Zealand at home

Round two: LOST 23-35 against New Zealand at home

Round three: LOST 25-17 against Australia away

The World Champion Springboks entered the Rugby Championship as the highest ranked side of the four and buoyed on the back of a hard-fought home series victory over Wales. Their opening round win over New Zealand elevated the fervour around this exciting team even further. However, consecutive losses have brought them back down to earth. The Springboks have not won in Australia since 2013 and they arrived in Adelaide last week at no better time to face a thread-bare and inexperienced Australian side. They would have smelt the gold-laden blood from across the Indian Ocean but the Wallabies proved too good in round three.

They go to Sydney next, intent on breaking their lengthening losing streak in the great southern land. With two tests against Argentina to finish the competition, they’ll still be backing themselves to add to their single Rugby Championship title. With New Zealand wobbling and plunging into previously unseen panic, this Springbok side sees themselves as the champion-elect, the one to rise up amidst the shifting southern-hemispheric rugby world order. Their fixtures to come probably make them slight favourites to do so although mounting injuries have complicated their plans. One thing we’ve learnt from the first three rounds of this riveting competition so far is, however, nothing can be taken for granted in one of the most competitive Rugby Championships we’ve ever seen.

Round four: Australia away, September 3rd

Round five: Argentina away, September 17th

Round six: Argentina at home, September 24th