Argentina coach Michael Sheikah said he and his players were “sore” after their 44-6 Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand but insisted they would be “ready” for next week’s third-place play-off.
The Pumas received a rugby lesson from the All Blacks at the Stade de France on Friday, with Sheikha complaining about the refereeing of fellow Australian Angus Gardner, but the latter was not the deciding factor.
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Sheikha will have to rouse his defeated side from the semi-final defeats of England and South Africa on Saturday to secure a consolation prize of third place in Friday’s game.
If they win, they will equal their best ever performance at the World Cup in France in 2007.
“It’s tough now, but I’ll be ready on Friday,” the 56-year-old said at his post-match press conference.
Sheika, who spoke in Spanish, said she did not cry at the end of the game, but was saddened to see children crying on the pitch.
“Emotions are important, but I don’t cry because my work isn’t over yet,” he said.
“On Friday we played seven games in the World Cup. There are only four teams that have played seven games.”
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But even though the former No. 8 player didn’t shed any tears, he didn’t take the defeat in stride.
“I used to play rugby. I don’t like losing. Never. But it’s not a sad moment, it’s actually a moment when I feel proud of my team,” he said.
“We made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup.
“It hasn’t been easy for us. We’ve invested a lot in this,” he said. “But we’ve missed the details.” Cheika, who won the World Coach of the Year award after leading Australia to the 2015 World Cup final defeat by the All Blacks, said his players had done the country proud.
“Of course, I feel sorry for them. They put in a huge effort, they wanted to win so badly for their country and their fans, they gave it their all,” Cheika said.
“But we will be there on Friday. Don’t doubt it. We can’t leave like this. We will come back and we will be stronger.”
Argentina had a fair amount of possession in the first half, but every time they put pressure on the All Blacks they were fouled by Gardner.
“I didn’t like the referee’s handling of the first half, especially the ruck,” Cheika said.
“I think that’s just the way he works.
“We ran into the same problem every time we were at 22m.
“For over 20 years I’ve realized that it makes no difference whether you’re happy or unhappy.”
But Cheika admitted their mistakes had cost them dearly and the All Blacks had always won points.
“That’s the game, bro.”
