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Argentina player ratings vs South Africa | 2024 Rugby Championship
By Ian Cameron
Argentina player ratings: The Los Pumas didn’t show too much in their defeat to the Springboks in the Rugby Championship decider in South Africa.
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Felipe Contepomi’s side played with no little ambition and flair but ultimately struggled to cope with the sheer physical dominance of the Springboks in Nelspruit, where a disintegrating scrum, too many errors and a leaky defence let them down.
1. Thomas Gallo – 5
Gallo worked hard in the loose and carried well when given the chance but struggled against the powerful South African scrum. Held his own in open play but that means very little if you’re on roller skates at the setpiece.
2. Julian Montoya – 5
The Pumas captain was typically industrious, throwing himself into tackles and breakdowns. He battled valiantly at the set piece and if Los Pumas’ lineout creaked at times. Tackled his guts out.
3. Joel Sclavi – 4
The 139kg La Rochelle man had a tough outing in the scrums, where he found himself second-best to the uncharitable Ox Nche. Contributed little in open play and was ultimately overpowered where Los Pumas needed him most.
4. Pedro Rubiolo – 6
Rubiolo was solid in defence and played a key role in Argentina’s lineout, but he failed to make any major impact around the park. His work rate was commendable, but he couldn’t match the Springboks’ physicality.
5. Tomas Lavanini – 4
Los Pumas might well have filed a missing person’s report for the giant lock, who was more or less anonymous in the first half. The only time he featured was when he was missing tackles or doing his best to get sent off, getting away with a no-arms cleanout on Jasper Wiese.
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6. Juan Martin Gonzalez – 6.5
Gonzalez made a few dominant tackles that briefly halted South Africa’s momentum. However, he struggled to consistently impose himself and didn’t offer as much in attack as expected. A solid effort, but well short of spectacular.
7. Santiago Grondona – 8
By times very effective, particularly with ball in hand, setting up Tomas Albornoz for his first try. The Bristol Bear was the standout forward for Los Pumas.
8. Joaquin Oviedo – 7
Oviedo’s strong carrying offered brief glimpses of promise, but he couldn’t consistently worry the formidable South African defence. Tried hard to generate momentum but found himself isolated on several occasions.
9. Gonzalo Garcia – 5.5
Garcia had a lively if at times careless game, keeping the tempo up with quick passing and clever distribution. His defensive work let him down at times, with some poor tackling in key moments.
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10. Tomas Albornoz – 7
Albornoz had moments of creativity, showing flashes of his attacking potential – not least for his 19th-minute try. His tactical kicking was hit-and-miss however and he didn’t always manage to dictate play as Contepomi may have liked. Had two turnovers won to his name.
11. Mateo Carreras – 4
While Carreras showed flashes of his attacking potential, his defensive work was subpar. It felt like toilet paper defence from the wing – easily broken through with little resistance. Handed a yellow card for a reckless air collision with Aphele Fassi.
12. Santiago Chocobares – 6
Failed to contain Damien De Allende early on, struggling to stop the rampaging South African when he went route one. Was improving before being taken off injured after 25 minutes.
13. Matias Moroni – 5
Moroni had a difficult afternoon, with limited attacking opportunities and a defensive workload that wore him down. He couldn’t contain De Allende and Jesse Kriel and offered little going forward. Got away with an appallingly loose pass in the 30th minute that nearly gifted the Boks a 5-pointer.
14. Rodrigo Isgro – 5
Isgro tried to inject energy into Argentina’s attack and made a few decent runs, but like many of his teammates, he was often cut off by a well-organized Springbok defence. Nearly caught napping by Kurt-Lee Arendse in the 35th minute and got the shepherd’s crook for his efforts. It was symptomatic of what was a fairly loose Argentinian backfield effort.
15. Santiago Carreras – 6
Let his teammates down with weak defending for the Boks’ first try before making it up with some solid defensive shots. His decision-making was generally good and his kicking game was reasonably accurate.
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16. Ignacio Ruiz – 5
Struggled to provide stability at the set piece when he came on, but he couldn’t fix the mess.
17. Ignacio Calles – 7
His carrying was really impressive but there was limited improvement at scrum or lineout time.
18. Pedro Delgado – 5
Delgado came on to add fresh legs to the front row but didn’t make much of an impact and was only fractionally better than Scalvi.
19. Franco Molina – 6
Molina offered some energy off the bench, contributing in defence and adding some bulk to Argentina’s tight play, but he couldn’t shift the momentum in his team’s favour.
20. Pablo Matera – 3
Matera brought too much of his trademark physicality when he came on, picking up a bunker review and eventually a 20-minute red cardS
21. Lautaro Bazan Velez – NA
Wasn’t on long enough to rate.
22. Lucio Cinti – 5
The Sarries man looked to challenge South Africa’s defence when given the chance, but like most of Argentina’s backs, he struggled to find space and make a significant impact.
23. Juan Cruz Mallia – 6
Mallia added some spark in the closing stages, but by the time he was on, the game was already slipping away. Tried to get involved but had little room to work with.
