Argentina player ratings vs Australia - Tri Nations
A week after their famous victory against the All Blacks in Sydney, Argentina put in a remarkably energetic and dogged performance against Australia in Newcastle, though it ended in a 15-15 draw for the visiting side.
Argentina came under plenty of pressure early in the game and weathered the storm with some excellent defence, before slowly but surely kicking their way back into the game and nearly pulling off what would have been an outstanding win.
We have compiled our player ratings for the Pumas below.
Santiago Carreras – 7
In a first half dominated by Australia offensively, Carreras saved two tries with a good one-on-one tackle in space, as well as the right read and defensive pressure which forced Australia into a forward pass. His accuracy and speed on the kick chase was also noteworthy.
Bautista Delguy – 7
The wing was Argentina’s most consistent source of attacking incision, as he had two or three effective runs from deep back at the Australian defence. He also put some key defensive pressure on with good reads and line-speed.
Matías Orlando – 5
Orlando had a good game defensively, though his ability to impact the game offensively was limited and unfortunately resulted in him coughing up a turnover on one of Argentina’s few ventures into the Australian 22.
Santiago Chocobares – 7
The work rate and decision-making of Chocobares in defence belied his young age on Saturday, as he repeatedly made key, dominant tackles on an Australia side enjoying the lion’s share of possession.
Juan Imhoff – 6
Some solid defence from Imhoff early in the game, as well as one jinking run, though he was off the pitch after 14 minutes with a hamstring injury.
Nicolás Sánchez – 7
Not necessarily the playmaking masterclass we often see from Sánchez, though that was dictated by the scenarios he found himself in during the game. His tactical kicking was consistently good and his goal-kicking, where he made five of his six kicks, was crucial to keep the Pumas in the game.
Gonzalo Bertranou – 6
The scrum-half relieved pressure well for Argentina in the first half, with his exit kicks usually finding touch at around the halfway line. His passing was crisp and accurate, giving Argentina tempo when they needed it.
Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro – 4
It was a tough outing for Tetaz Charparro who spent much of his time at the scrum bent in half by the powerhouse Taniela Tupou. With the Argentine scrum on the back foot, it was a reliable foundation for Australia’s attacks.
Julián Montoya – 5
Not the best outing Montoya has had for Argentina, as the hooker was unable to connect on two of his seven lineouts and infringed multiple times at the breakdown, one of which saw him spend 10 minutes in the sin bin.
Francisco Gómez Kodela – 5
The tighthead fared slightly better than his propping colleague, but he was still on the receiving end of some dominant Australian scrummaging. He provided a little more impact in the loose, too.
Guido Petti – 8
Effective on the both sides of the ball, Petti impressed with his work rate, his set-piece play, which included two lineout steals, and the physicality he was able to exert on the Wallabies. His outing was only marred by a lost ball in the carry.
Matías Alemanno – 6
The lock complemented Petti with his ability to disrupt the Australian lineout and deny them any sort of consistent ball. He was the most reliable target at the attacking lineout, too.
Pablo Matera – 7
A typically committed performance from the Pumas captain who was efficient in the tackle, hard-working at the breakdown and constantly popping up at crucial times for his side. He was able to make valuable ground when he got his hands on the ball, too.
Marcos Kremer – 5
The powerful blindside was a little passive in the tackle and not as sharp as he usually is on the role of the guard at the ruck, as well as being penalised multiple times. He grew into the game and had a stronger second half, though, and began to make a bigger impact before being called off for a HIA.
Rodrigo Bruni – 6
Bruni’s control of the ball at the base of a rapidly retreating scrum was a major help to his side, whilst his defensive energy also stood out. He wasn’t quite able to give Argentina the front-foot ball they would have liked but it was a solid showing overall.
Replacements
Santiago Socino – 5
Socino’s indiscipline cost Argentina three points during Montoya’s period in the sin bin.
Mayco Vivas – 7
The loosehead helped give Argentina parity at the scrum, although in fairness to Tetaz Chaparro, Vivas did not have to go up against Tupou following his arrival on the pitch.
Santiago Medrano – 7
Medrano’s arrival brought Argentina’s first won scrum penalty of the game and like Vivas, ensured Argentina went from leaking scrum penalties to ensuring that they had at least parity for the remainder of the game.
Santiago Grondona – 6
Kremer moved into lock after Grondona replaced Alemanno and it coincided with an uptick in Argentina’s ability to get over the gain-line.
Facundo Isa – 7
The back rower won Argentina a key penalty late in the game which brought his side to within three points of the Wallabies. Isa also brought some physicality in the carry that Argentina’s pack had been lacking earlier in the game.
Felipe Ezcurra – n/a
Unused replacement.
Emiliano Boffelli – 5
Boffelli’s involvement in the game was relatively limited despite his early arrival, and though he had a couple of good attacking moments, he was also caught out defensively on a couple of occasions, as well as spilling a key aerial ball in the contact late in the game.
Santiago Cordero – n/a
Opportunities too few to make an impact on the game.
Comments on RugbyPass
Hard to disagree with the 5 points - with the exception that Wilson should be a squad member but, depending on the other loose forward selections, is not yet a shoo-in. McReight is. Aussie is looking a lot better this year and JS has some selection options. Also, Havili’s tendency to get caught, charged down is also a liability at times but he seemed focused (mostly) and is definitely a consideration for utility back-up. Still feel Reihana is a better prospect at 1st five for Saders.
3 Go to commentsYeah nah, still not sure on Havili tbh. Even though I’m a Crusaders fan through and through I’d be stunned if Razor considers him after seeing some of the stunning talent coming through up North.
3 Go to commentsThink it was a great defensive performance by Northampton. They didn't have stage fright in the first half, the Nienaber defense smothered them. They limited Leinster to 15-3 in the first half. It could have been over by then. A great try from Leinster in the start of the second half looked to have sealed it. But Byrne missed another conversion. Northampton started trying little kicks behind the Leinster wingers. Leinster messed one and Smith brilliantly made the conversion. Leinster decided to tighten the game after Byrne missed a straight forward penalty. A few errors got NH into the 22 and they scored and converted with a few minutes left. Another brilliant steal from Lawes saw NH have a final attack which was turned over by Conan. A classic semi final. World record attendance of 82,300. Leinsters 3 week preparation warranted for this one.
1 Go to commentsJust came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
5 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
5 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
5 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
5 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
5 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
5 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
238 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
90 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
20 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to comments