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All Blacks player ratings vs Pumas | Rugby Championship

Rieko Ioane. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

After struggling to put away the Pumas last week – and ultimately succumbing 25-18 in Christchurch, the All Blacks were a different beast in Hamilton this week.

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A dropped ball from Argentina saw the home team capitalise in the opening minutes with an easy three-pointer, and the scoreline blew out from there with the All Blacks racking up a 23-3 lead going into halftime.

The end result saw New Zealand prevail 53-3 – but how did the individuals rate in what was an impressive team effort?

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1. Ethan de Groot – 7.5/10
Made a great charge off quick ball from Aaron Smith to slide over for his first try in the black jersey. That proved to be his one and only carry of the match. Fronted up on defence and more than held his own at the set-piece. Also looked to cause some havoc at the breakdown. Off in 52nd minute.

2. Samisoni Taukei’aho – 8
Made a couple of big carries in the first set of phases to kick off the game. Almost grabbed his second try in as many weeks with a strong finish off the back of some NZ pick-and-drives but it was scrubbed for a knock-on earlier in the piece. Tracked at 100 per cent in the lineout and was the All Blacks’ most prolific carrier in his time on the field, racking up metres with every effort. You can’t ask for much more. Off in 63rd minute.

3. Tyrel Lomax – 7
Had ascendency at scrum time but wasn’t quite able to convert that advantage into penalties like last week. Was a very willing carrier of the ball. Was at fault alongside his propping teammate for not securing some breakdown ball. Off in 52nd minute.

4. Sam Whitelock – 7
Made all the right calls at lineout time but took a back seat when it came to physicality. Stripped Argentina in the tackle when they were building phases inside the NZ 22 and contributed 10 hits on defence. Put his hand up as a ball carrier.

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5. Scott Barrett – 6
Combined with Sam Cane to earn a penalty off a second-quarter kick-off, with the All Blacks scoring moments later. Dropped off a key tackle as the Pumas strung together some dangerous phases inside All Blacks territory in the second half.

6. Shannon Frizell – 6
Didn’t shine as he has in previous weeks but threw his shoulder into many a breakdown. Was a key target at lineout time. Fell off a tackle in the second half which handed Argentina some important field position. Off in 59th minute.

7. Sam Cane – 7.5
A nice no-look pass from the captain sent Rieko Ioane away on the run that resulted in Caleb Clarke’s try. At one stage shortly after the 30-minute mark made three tackles over three phases, including a massive one on Marcos Kremer, and unsurprisingly finished as the All Blacks’ most industrious defender. Pinged twice in quick succession midway through the second half for not rolling away at the tackle and then for slipping offside on defence. Threw the final pass for Jordie Barrett’s try after previously featuring as a ball carrier in the movement. Off in 64th minute.

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8. Ardie Savea – 8
Was a man possessed in the opening quarter – perhaps in response to some questions this week regarding the All Blacks loosies’ physical dominance. Disruptive at the breakdown throughout and employed his running game to great effect. Grabbed a well-deserved try in the third quarter.

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9. Aaron Smith – 7
Added more zip than in recent weeks but his running game wasn’t able to make a comeback. Off in 52nd minute.

10. Richie Mo’unga – 7.5
Mixed up his kicking game to good effect, sometimes sliding it along the ground, sometimes popping it over the top. Nailed all his shots on goal in what was not the easiest of conditions, contributing 14 points off the tee. Distributed well but ran cross-field when he tried to find seams in the Pumas defence. Off in 62nd minute.

11. Caleb Clarke – 7
Bumped off a few Argentinian defenders on a nice run and was then on hand to grab the All Blacks’ second try soon after. Popped up in the midfield later in the game but perhaps could have gotten involved earlier in the match.

12. David Havili – 7
Put in the speculative kick that led to the All Blacks’ first try of the night and then opted for a similar tactic on the half-hour mark but didn’t get the same result. Gave a nice short ball to Rieko Ioane for NZ’s third score. Was used more in a distributive role this week than the usual crash-and-bash one that’s been asked of him, and he flourished.

13. Rieko Ioane – 8.5
Showed off what a bit of pace in the midfield can produce with a scorching run to create a try for Clarke. Scored one of his own shortly before halftime. Made a brilliant break out of the 22 at the end of the third quarter which ultimately ended in one of the tries of the season. Generally showcased perhaps the best option-taking of his midfield career to date.

14. Will Jordan – 6
Managed to tap back Havili’s chip kick to help the All Blacks retain the ball en route to their first try. Tried to get himself involved in the play, popping up all over the park. Pinged once for a high tackle after slipping up on Santiago Carreras.

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15. Jordie Barrett – 7
Slipped into the backline with ease. Was rarely tested under the high ball but had no issues defusing any bombs. Ran some great support lines throughout the match.

Reserves:

16. Dane Coles – 7
On in 63rd minute. Offloaded to Savea for the stand-in skipper’s try and hit all his targets at the lineout.

17. George Bower – 6
On in 52nd minute. Held up the scrum and was happy to cart the ball up.

18. Fletcher Newell – 5
On in 52nd minute and was sin-binned four minutes later for collapsing a maul. Got himself involved on both sides of the ball.

19. Brodie Retallick – 7
Off in 59th minute. Snared a late-game meat pie in his first match of the Rugby Championship and threw himself into contact with reckless abandon. A great cameo.

20. Dalton Papali’i – N/A
On in 64th minute.

21. Finlay Christie – 6
On in 52nd minute. Distributed well and was always on hand as a link man.

22. Beauden Barrett – 7
On in 62nd minute. Straightened the backline, which is exactly what the All Blacks needed in the final quarter. Ran over for a well-taken try to round out the contest.

23. Quinn Tupaea – 6
On in 69th minute. Made a couple of big carries late in the game.

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1 Comment
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Globalmitch 793 days ago

I think you mean Retallick was "on" in the 59th minute?

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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TRENDING Marcus Smith on that substitution and his England plea Marcus Smith on that substitution and his England plea
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