Player ratings: Argentina
OPINION: History in Buenos Aires as Argentina finally toppled the All Blacks on home soil, winning 29-23 in front of a raucous crowd at Estadio José Amalfitani.
Felipe Contepomi’s men weathered an early storm, leaned on super-sub Santiago Carreras’ boot, and struck at the right moments, notably through Juan Martín González and Gonzalo Garcia, to seal a famous victory.
Ian Cameron rates Los Pumas!
1. Mayco Vivas – 7
Got through plenty of grunt work in the trenches before being replaced on 46 minutes. No frills but held his end up in a brutal first-half arm wrestle.
2. Julian Montoya – 8
Another captain’s knock. Hit his line-outs well, bar one late scare, tackled himself sore and constantly communicated with the referee. Kept Argentina composed when the All Blacks tried to turn the screw.
3. Pedro Delgado – 7
Scrummed with bite against Ethan de Groot, kept things tidy in the tight, then made way before the break.
4. Franco Molina – 7
Unsung graft in the engine room, making his tackles and hammering rucks until the bench cavalry arrived.
5. Pedro Rubiolo – 8.5
A defensive colossus. Smashed All Black runners backwards and jackalled with menace. Never far from the breakdown chaos.
6. Pablo Matera – 9
Rolled back the years. Carried hard off set-piece, including the surge that set up Garcia’s try, and was a menace over the ball. His physicality rattled New Zealand throughout, one huge sit on All Blacks prop Fletcher Newell energising the stadium.
7. Juan Martin Gonzalez – 7
Powered over for Argentina’s first try after the Will Jordan yellow, but gave too much back with loose discipline. Flirted with the referee’s patience.
8. Joaquin Oviedo – 6.5
Quiet outing after his heroics last week. Trucked it up in the tight channels but didn’t stamp authority and was hooked early in the second half.
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9. Gonzalo Garcia – 8.5
Sharp around the fringes, his snipe for Argentina’s second try was straight out of the scrumhalf playbook. Dictated tempo until replaced just after the hour.
10. Tomas Albornoz – N/A
Landed an early penalty but off injured after 13 minutes.
11. Mateo Carreras – 7
Always looked like breaking free. Threatened down the edges, nearly in for a try before Beauden Barrett bundled him into touch. A constant handful.
12. Santiago Chocobares – 8
Thumped All Black carriers with relish and carried like a Ford Ranger. After passing a Head Injury Assessment, he helped Argentina pile on the pressure when NZ went down to 13.
13. Lucio Cinti – 7.5
Made smart reads in midfield and showed ambition with the ball in hand. Stood tall defensively as the All Blacks probed and scrambled when he needed to.
14. Bautista Delguy – 8
Cut New Zealand open on several occasions, breaking tackles for fun. Yes, he fell off a few himself, but his linebreaks dragged Argentina upfield when they needed release valves.
15. Juan Cruz Mallia – 8
Cool-headed throughout. Nailed an early penalty, clever game management forced Sevu Reece’s yellow card, and dealt calmly with New Zealand’s kicking game.
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Replacements:
16. Ignacio Ruiz – N/A
On too late to influence.
17. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro – 7
Brought weight to the scrum, grafted in defence.
18. Joel Sclavi – 7
Carried with venom on a couple of occasions and kept New Zealand honest in the tight.
19. Guido Petti – 7
Slotted into the line-out and worked tirelessly around the park.
20. Marcos Kremer – 8
Beasted anything in black. His hits reverberated around the stadium, lifted the intensity straight after the break.
21. Simon Benitez Cruz – 6.5
Kept the ball moving after Garcia departed.
22. Santiago Carreras – 8.5
Transformed the game after arriving on 13 minutes. His immediate linebreak shredded the All Blacks, and his unerring boot (five from five) ultimately iced the win. The calmest man in Buenos Aires.
23. Justo Piccardo – 7
A staggered, stop-start involvement, but did okay when called upon. Slotted in seamlessly during tactical switches and didn’t look out of place.
Image credit: @GettyImages
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