In case it was unclear from their performance last weekend, Argentina have well and truly overcome any semblance of intimidation factor related to playing against the All Blacks.
At Christchurch, the Pumas proved their win at Sydney in 2020 was no fluke, outmuscling and outpassioning the men in black to earn their first win on NZ soil.
"We always think they're one of the best teams in the world, so every time we face them it's a really nice battle," said flanker Guido Petti.
"But now maybe we have trust in ourselves and the team has been through a lot of experiences, so maybe now we are feeling more comfortable with ourselves and we know we can do it."
"There's no intimidation, but there's respect for the history of the jersey and the team," added prop Santiago Medrano.
The challenge for the Pumas is now backing that up with another formidable performance against a wounded and under-pressure All Blacks side at Hamilton.
Given the fashion of their 25-18 triumph at OrangeTheory Stadium, they're heading into Saturday's rematch riding a wave of momentum and self belief - and deservedly so.
"If we do all the work we need to, if we put our gameplan in place on the field and we have a tough defence… it's 80 minutes on the field and it's up for grabs for anyone," said Medrano.
Their current situation starkly contrasts their predecessors, who first joined the Rugby Championship in 2012.
Those years of consistent losing are now firmly in the rearviewmirror and a decade of hard work is bearing fruit. Now atop the standings, they have their sights set on a maiden tournament title.
"It was part of a big process of a lot of years of work from a lot of players who came before us," noted Petti. "But it's that process we use every week and every weekend to improve as individuals and as a team.
"Everyone is behind our objective and we are doing good, so we'll continue on that path."
Join us at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the All Blacks v Argentina Rugby Championship clash
