Argentina player ratings vs Wallabies | Flight Centre Series 2026

At the Estadio 23 de Agosto, Argentina fell short of securing a comeback against the Wallabies, conceding a 26-21 defeat in the opening game of the series. Despite a valiant performance, the home side conceded their 31^st loss against Australia.

Indiscipline and lineout problems consistently kneecapped the Pumas, with Santiago Carreras, Pablo Matera and Gerónimo Prisciantelli as their main performers of the afternoon.

1. Boris Wenger – 6
Not the best of outings for the Harlequins prop, who experienced some trouble in holding the pill, conceding three knocks in the opening 40 minutes. While Argentina’s scrum mostly dominated throughout the contest, Wenger’s indiscipline, aligned with his carrying woes, was far from ideal. Turned things around in the second half with a try of his own, but conceded an additional two scrum penalties.

2. Ignacio Ruiz – 6
Australia did good work in the lineout, intercepting a couple of Argentina’s throws, but the blame has to be shared between Ignacio Ruiz and the jumping pod. The hooker did work well as a ball supporter and carrier, winning the gain-line five out of seven times, but was involved in the visiting side’s opening try. 

3. Francisco Moreno – 6.5
Looked more at ease than his front-row partners, especially on defence, clinching ten successful tackles and a dominant tackle, injecting aggression when the Pumas seemed on the back foot.

22m Entries

Avg. Points Scored

2.1

10

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Avg. Points Scored

3

8

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4. Guido Petti – 6
Quiet game from the veteran utility forward, who, albeit snatching a turnover to deny the Wallabies from reaching the 22, was less involved than Lavanini. 

5.Tomás Lavanini – 7
As expected, Tomás Lavanini brought that staunching positive aggression to the fold, mauling more than a few Wallabies bodies with some sensational tackles and ruck cleans. Despite facing the same difficulties as his teammates in containing the Australian maul, Lavanini proved crucial on two occasions, forcing errors that gave Argentina much-needed breathing room.

6. Pablo Matera – 7.5
Although not as visible as some of his teammates, Matera delivered a superb performance in the off-the-ball work. Whether it was at a breakdown level or in the set-piece, the legendary Pumas loose-forward seemed determined to push his team over the finishing line. 

7. Benjamín Grondona – 7
While he missed more tackles than any other Argentine forward (two), he still finished as the locals’ top body snatcher, locking down 14 successful attempts in 60 minutes. His endeavours to keep Rob Valentini from finding a nudge of space from the scrum deserve praise, and he did all he could to keep Argentina in the contest. 

8. Joaquín Moro – 8.5
The 25-year-old Leicester Tigers wrecking ball was immense for the Pumas, not only because of his well-timed try but also due to the variety of attacking options he provided throughout the contest. Looked unstoppable at times, dragging tacklers with him to cross the gain-line while packing a powerful punch in every single tackle he laid on the Wallabies players. Worked tirelessly until the final whistle, making a strong case to partner Joaquin Oviedo in Argentina’s back row.

9. Simón Benítez Cruz – 6.5
A vanilla display from the scrum-half. While he was involved in most of Argentina’s best plays of the game, his decision-making at times was far from ideal, allowing the Wallabies to survive in critical moments. Even so, his quick dynamics from the ruck unlocked two of the locals’ three tries, working well with Santiago Carreras.  

10. Santiago Carreras – 8.5
Was one of the few who kept the Pumas in the game, creating several great passages of play that pushed the home side closer to the whitewash, playing a crucial role in Geronimo Prisciantelli’s try. Pulled his weight on defence, snatching a stunning turnover in the opening five minutes, putting out one of the evening’s best performances. 

11. Ignacio Mendy – 7
50 running metres and a line-break, Ignacio Mendy tried his best to find a way forward from his side of the aisle. Despite the Wallabies’ repeated efforts to target him with high kicks, Mendy was flawless under the aerial bombardment, safely gathering all five balls sent his way.

12. Faustino Sánchez Valarolo – 6
The young Dogos XV centre tried his best to match Paisami’s physicality, but in the end, he was largely absent from the match, with little involvement in either attack or defence.Argentina needed more from its midfield pairing, with neither Valarolo nor Cinti able to impose themselves or make a meaningful impact.

13. Lucio Cinti – 6
Much of what was said about Valarolo could also be applied to Cinti, as while he performed slightly better than his midfield partner, he nevertheless looked some way short of his best. Linked well with Prisciantelli in a few runs, but without much practical effect.

14. Rodrigo Isgró – 7
Precise in the few opportunities he had over the course of 80 minutes, Isgró proved to be a key figure in the Pumas’ first try and was involved in three major attacking plays for the home side. However, he struggled in the aerial contest, allowing Harry Potter and Tom Wright to get the better of him.

15. Gerónimo Prisciantelli – 8
Prisciantelli was tireless throughout, sprinkling moments of magic across the contest and routinely converting half-chances into high-danger situations. Bagged Argentina’s first five-pointer after a sensational play between Carreras and Isgró, and consistently handled the Wallabies’ kicking strategy well.

REPLACEMENTS – 5
No replacement offered the right tonic to turn things around, and the front-row trio conceded several penalties that ultimately played a role in the Wallabies’ win. However, Efraín Elías and Matías Moroni did their best to add some flair, physicality and energy, with the former making a charge down that would lead to Boris Wenger’s finish.