Pumas v All Blacks player ratings: Who shone and who flopped in tight New Zealand win?
Argentina have come within four points of securing a famous maiden win over New Zealand in their opening Rugby Championship clash of the year in Buenos Aires.
It was the first match of the year for both sides as their World Cup preparations kick into gear, so we see how each player faired in this tightly-contested affair.
Pumas
1. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro – 5
Got slightly more involved in the second stanza after a quiet first half, but a handling error inside the 55th minute cost the Pumas a good try-scoring chance. Missed the most tackles of any player in the match.
2. Augustin Creevy – 7
Veteran showed plenty of passion, intent and leadership, as we’ve come to expect from him in recent years. Accurate at the lineout more often than not.
3. Juan Figallo – 6.5
Powerful scrummaging had Tu’ungafasi back-peddling at scrum time. Wasn’t as effective in most other facets of the game.
4. Guido Petti – 8.5
Always a safe option at the lineout, looked to make a menace of himself in the tight stuff. Didn’t miss a tackle, claimed two turnovers, won eight lineouts, and stole another two. One of the key cogs that often goes unheralded for both the Jaguares and Pumas.
5. Tomas Lavanini – 6
Not as effective as his locking partner, but continually shifted his big frame around the park with the sort of aggression we’ve become accustomed to from him nonetheless. Perhaps a bit too one-dimensional on attack.
6. Pablo Matera – 7
Ran hard and tackled solidly. Big work rate, and was one of the brightest sparks in a tough Pumas forward pack. Lucky to escape a yellow card for a deliberate knock down late in the piece.
7. Marcos Kremer – 5
Missed a great chance to open the try-scoring from close range, and next notable actions were to concede two penalties inside his own half, both of which were punished by Beauden Barrett’s boot.
8. Javier Ortega Desio – 6
Was severely outplayed by his opposite Savea, although three turnovers won is a good return in a quiet display from the No 8.
9. Tomas Cubelli – 8
Didn’t get the sort of service he would have liked from his forward pack in the first quarter of the match, but that and his box kicking improved as the game grew older. Good, flat passing put teammates through some defensive holes on occasion. Great intensity throughout the contest, and finished the match as one of Argentina’s best.
10. Nicolas Sanchez – 7
Accurate boot from the kicking tee. Kicking game was just as lethal in-game, forcing the likes of Ben Smith to produce uncharacteristic errors under the high ball. Assisted Brodie Retallick’s try by throwing the intercept, but rebounded strongly with some quick thinking to assist Boffelli’s try.
11. Ramiro Moyano – 6
Was relatively quiet until he was forced to make an unlikely try-saving on Ben Smith after being beaten by the pass of Beauden Barrett. Clinical on defence.
12. Jeronimo de la Fuente – 7.5
Super dependable on defence. Finished second in the tackle count after registering 16 tackles, which is a truckload of work for a back. Was unlucky not to have scored in the 68th minute after doing plenty of hard work to set Moyano away for a disallowed try.
13. Matias Orlando – 7
Not quite as good as de la Fuente, but still did his best to keep the All Blacks at bay. Completed all of his tackles, but a couple of handling errors at key times cost his team.
14. Matias Moroni – 6.5
Was regularly put under pressure by the All Blacks’ kicking game and dealt with the threat well. Would have liked to get his hands on the ball more in better attacking positions.
15. Emiliano Boffelli – 7
Thunderous boot from the tee helped Argentina’s cause early on. Continued to hack away at the All Blacks’ defence when given the chance, and used his height and aerial ability to full advantage to score Argentina’ only try.
Reserves:
16. Julian Montoya – 6.5
Had big boots to fill after coming on in place of Creevy, but did so adequately enough without causing too much of a threat to the All Blacks.
17. Mayco Vivas – 6
Was in the thick of the action on attack after being thrusted into the contest with nine minutes remaining.
18. Santiago Medrano – 5
Lost the ball in contact with first touch. Was barely seen beyond that point.
19. Matias Alemanno – 6.5
Saved a potential try with a clutch tackle on Ennor in the closing stages of the contest to keep his side in with a shout.
20. Tomas Lezana – 6
Nothing to rave about after coming on in place of Kremer, although he caused a stir on the All Blacks bench when he was Argentina’s 16th man on the field while Lavanini was having an injury niggle taken care of.
21. Felipe Ezcurra – N/A
Had a big task on his hands to emulate the performance of Cubelli from the bench, but didn’t have enough time to do so.
22. Joaquin Diaz Bonilla – N/A
Didn’t get much of an opportunity to make much of a difference after subbing in late in the clash.
23. Joaquin Tuculet – 6
Had limited chances to try and spark something on attack in the dying stages, and tried his best to do exactly that, but he just couldn’t get things going.
Continue reading below…
All Blacks
1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi – 5
Struggled to deal with the experience of Figallo at the scrum. Not overly effective with ball in hand and penalised for collapsing a scrum midway through the first half. Signs of frustration began to show shortly before being taken off.
2. Dane Coles – 6.5
Plenty of grit as he tried to make a claim to retain the No 2 jersey over Codie Taylor. Gave away a silly penalty for a shoulder charge which handed Argentina good field position, but showed a ton of energy before being subbed.
3. Angus Ta’avao – 6
Got into his work and blended into the match without making much of a statement before being replaced by Laulala.
4. Brodie Retallick – 7
Industrious as ever. Difficult to pick out any faults in his game, and his 50 metre intercept try was a joy to watch. Still the world’s best lock, even if he was outshone in this match by Petti.
5. Patrick Tuipulotu – 6
Like Ta’avao, Tuipulotu toiled away all game but didn’t bring an awful lot to the table. Might be a missed opportunity to impress as World Cup spots look tight in the locking department.
6. Vaea Fifita – 5
Breakdown penalty inside the first 10 minutes allowed Boffelli to unleash his booming boot from the tee. A high tackle on Cubelli shortly afterwards showed a lack of discipline. Was handy at the lineout.
7. Sam Cane – 6
An error-laden outing on both sides of the ball in just his second-ever test as All Blacks captain. Far too many spillages for his liking. However, 17 tackles was a match-high and integral to his side’s victory.
8. Ardie Savea – 7.5
A typically energetic and robust performance. Bounced out of tackles at will and caused plenty a headache for the opposition defence.
9. Aaron Smith – 7
Nippy as always. Decision to tap and go in the 18th minute from 5 metres out paid dividends as Laumape crashed over for a try.
10. Beauden Barrett – 8
Mixed things up as the game wore on. Started the contest with a number of attacking kicks in behind the Argentines, but began to open things up with his strong running game, which splintered the opposition defence. Trustworthy from the tee.
11. Jordie Barrett – 5.5
Unspectacular. Way too many errors and not enough of a spark on attack to accompany his defence and massive punt, which could be a valuable asset later this year.
12. Ngani Laumape – 7.5
Sloppy hands early on. Redeemed himself with a line break and some good kick chase game, and was rewarded with a try through his strong running. Remained a constant threat with ball in hand, and staked a big claim in the midfield battle for World Cup spots.
13. Anton Lienert-Brown – 6.5
Fantastic defensive work. Worked well in tandem with Laumape, both making 13 tackles. Showed glimpses of some neat footwork.
14. Sevu Reece – 7
Lively and looked to get involved from the get-go, but faded in the second half. Saved a try on his own tryline in the first quarter of an hour with a vital tackle on Kremer. Great line break in the 29th minute to split the Argentine defence. Very solid test debut.
15. Ben Smith – 6.5
Got more involved as the game wore on. Was evasive with ball in hand, despite not causing a huge amount of problems defensively for the Pumas. Always committed to the cause.
Reserves:
16. Liam Coltman – 6
A misthrow at the lineout late in the game had the potential to be costly for the All Blacks as they defended deep inside their own 22, but they emerged unscathed after he won the ball back at the breakdown. Needs to show more in next match to solidify his spot in Japan.
17. Atu Moli – 6
Anchored the scrum well on test debut, but didn’t see much action elsewhere despite being on the park for about a quarter of the match.
18. Nepo Laulala – 6
Made all six of his tackles and helped Moli out at scrum time, but not much else to add to that.
19. Jackson Hemopo – 6.5
Was impactful after coming on for Tuipulotu, which should propel him up the national pecking order. Efficient on defence.
20. Luke Jacobson – 6.5
Did what he does best for the Chiefs in Super Rugby, and that was smashing opponents with some thumping tackles. Coped well on test debut.
21. Brad Weber – N/A
First match for the All Blacks in four years, but wasn’t given much of a chance to stand out with less than 10 minutes to play. Did well given the circumstances.
22. Josh Ioane – N/A
Didn’t make it onto the park, which is disappointing for the uncapped 23-year-old, but understandable given the tightness of this clash.
23. Braydon Ennor – 6.5
Proved to be threatening in his first touch of the ball in test rugby as he swung out and took advantage of a defensive mismatch on the left-hand edge. A sign of things to come.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Hold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
40 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
1 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
5 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
40 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
40 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
4 Go to commentsBut here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.
40 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
40 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to commentsThanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
40 Go to comments