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Nations Championship

Argentina player ratings vs England | Nations Championship 2026

Henry Lee

Published: 3 hours ago | 18 July 2026 14:40 PDT
Updated: 3 hours ago | 18 July 2026 14:48 PDT

SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, ARGENTINA – JULY 18: Argentina kicks the ball out of a ruck during the 2026 Nations Championship match between Argentina and England at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades on July 18, 2026 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. (Photo by Nations Championship/Getty Images)

Argentina player ratings: Felipe Contepomi’s Argentina have come up agonisingly short against England in the third round of the Nations Championship, falling to a seven0-point, 31-24 defeat at home.

It was a fascinating battle that lasted over two hours, with seven yellow cards given out by Australian referee Angus Gardner.

Their second-half performance, though, was a stark contrast to the first, as they put England under huge pressure through their bench impact.

The stop-start contest lacked flow during the second half, but England were able to close out the encounter to win their second game of the inaugural Nations Championship campaign.

Here’s how the Argentinian player rated.

Match Summary

Penalty Goals

Tries

Conversions

Drop Goals

188

Carries

Line Breaks

Turnovers Lost

Turnovers Won

1. Mayco Vivas – 4

Mixed night, and struggled to keep his side of the scrum afloat. Contributed minimally on both sides of the ball with only four carries and four tackles to his name in his 46-minute shift. Outclassed at scrum time by Joe Heyes, barring one during the first half.

2. Julian Montoya – 6.5

Argentina’s lineout was a mixed bag, and like the rest of his front row, struggled as the contest went on at scrum time. The 119-Test veteran was at his influential best around the field, though, providing Argentina with some much-needed calmness early in the second half as they wrestled themselves back into the contest.

3. Tomas Rapetti – 5

His fascinating scrum matchup with Ellis Genge was 50/50 in the opening 20 minutes, before the experienced England prop started to tactically outscrummage Rapetti. Completely overpowered for England’s final try of the first half, but continued to show heart by contributing eight tackles in the first half. Busy, but lacked quality at set piece. Off in the 46th minute with eight tackles.

4. Guido Petti – 6.5

Not pretty, but important. Pinged late on in the first half for jumping across the lineout, but it was a strong half of grunt work by the Harlequins lock. Nice lineout work in the lead up to Argentina’s first try in the second half, and continued the whole 80 minutes on both sides of the ball.

5. Matias Alemanno – 5

It was a quiet night, but he wasn’t the only one at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades. Tried his heart out in and around the ruck without much reward, and was replaced in the 46th minute with seven tackles, having missed two.

6. Santiago Grondona – 5

Not a half to remember, only making one carry and two tackles, despite being seen attacking rucks around the field. Overshadowed by Oviedo’s constant work rate.

7. Marcos Kremer – 7

Literal battering ram for the whole 80 minutes, despite a nightmare start, as the Argentinian enforcer was penalised twice during the opening five minutes, once for a no-arms tackle and then getting caught on the wrong side of the ruck. Kremer’s aggressiveness in the tackle was scary, and he looked to clear bodies from anywhere around the ruck. Off at 59 minutes with eleven tackles and seven carries.

8. Joaquin Oviedo – 7

Last week’s player of the match was an absolute menace with ball in hand and in the contact area against England, showcasing some sharp footwork to beat defenders off first phase. Oviedo battled hard, but was yellow-carded with the game in touching distance for a dangerous lower leg cleanout. Barring a poor decision that resulted in the yellow card, it was an extremely strong performance yet again, contributing a game-high 25 carries.

9. Gonzalo Garcia – 6

Threatened at times during the opening stages as Argentina had opportunity after opportunity, until the game faded away from Argentina’s grasp. Helped provide his forwards with a quick ball in their second half blitz, before being replaced in the 60th minute.

10. Tomas Albornoz – 8

Among Argentina’s best, and almost single-handedly got them back in the Nations Championship fixture. Showed soft hands in attack early as they put pressure on England, but the first-five couldn’t convert the dominance into points. Slotted a penalty while down to 14 men, and saved a certain try in the 31st minute. Started the second half with an inch-perfect kick and chase, which led to Argentina’s five-pointer to kickstart a mini-comeback.

11. Mateo Carreras – 6

Strong opening contribution to the contest with a powerful tackle in the 14th minute, before a lightning-quick break through England’s defence in the 19th minute. The Bayonne had one major breakdown, copping a yellow card for a high shot. Carreras, who was clearly motivated to make up for his mistake, powered over the line to get Argentina back in the game.

12. Justo Piccardo – 7.5

Argentina’s rock defensively didn’t get any time in open space early on, but made his tackles in midfield against some powerful English ball carriers. Headed into the sheds with ten tackles without a miss. Brilliant second half, following his first half performance, and was rewarded late on with a superb, tackle-breaking try to close the gap to seven. Also led Argentina in tackles, with eleven.

13. Matias Moroni – 6

Like his midfield teammate, Piccardo was forced to stop bulldozing English players going downhill, making nine stops in the first half. Mostly quiet with ball in hand, though. Second half was much of the same, and helped Argentina gain some momentum in the second half through some minor actions.

14. Bautista Delguy – 6.5

Strong start with ball in hand despite a resolute England defence, and looked the most likely during England’s strong first half. Delguy, one of Argentina’s most threatening players on the night, couldn’t get the breakthrough try he was searching for. Finished the night with the most turnovers lost, with three, but can keep his head held high with his attempt at salvaging something from the contest.

15. Santiago Carreras – 6

A productive first half, without opening the game up. One kickoff sailed out on the full after Ben Earl’s five-pointer, but the fullback led Argentina in carries in the first 40 minutes with nine. Although Carreras had a key part to play in Argentina’s resurgence, his 64th minute yellow card gave England the chance to extend their lead to 14, an opportunity that Immanuel Feyi-Waboso pounced upon.

Replacements

Despite the replacement front row struggling at scrum time when entering the field, all three added impact with their ball-carrying ability. Felipe Contepomi’s impact players can take huge pride in their second-half performance, where they threatened to overcome England’s fast start. Boris Wenger was exceptional, winning a turnover as they grew into the game. The prop finished with 14 carries in his short stint and was part of Argentina’s incredible turnaround, alongside the rest of Contepomi’s bench.