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New Zealand got their Rugby Championship campaign back on track with a first half blitzing of Argentina to secure a 42 – 10 win in Auckland.
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The victory was the All Blacks 50th consecutive unbeaten outing at Eden Park and was a reminder that a lot can change in a week at the top level.
Looking far more composed and assured in their game plan, Scott Robertson’s side dominated the physical contest and played at a pace that Argentina simply could not live with. On the flip side of this, Los Pumas looked lethargic just a week on from arguably their best performance of the past five years. Soaking tackles, getting held up in the carry and being blown away at the ruck, Felipe Contepomi’s side will depart New Zealand with a feeling of a glass half empty ahead of back-to-back home clashes with the Wallabies.
Here is how Los Pumas fared in Auckland.
1. Thomas Gallo – 3
Obliterated at scrum time under the weight of a wheeling Los Pumas pack as Sordoni struggled mightily on the other side. Despite his obvious struggles he remained on the park for sixty minutes.
2. Julian Montoya – 4
A rose between two thorns, Montoya put in an industrious shift for sixty minutes. Most of his work was done around the ruck where Los Pumas had to contend with lightening quick ruck speed from the All Blacks.
3. Lucio Sordoni – 3
Conceding two penalties and getting twisted like a bottle cap at scrum time, Sordoni never got to the pace of the contest.
4. Marcos Kremer – 3
Far from his rampaging best with three carries for four meters and thirteen tackles. Starting the contest in the secondrow, he was unable to mix it with the inexperienced All Blacks locks physically as he missed a few key tackles. Shifting to his preferred position in the backrow for the final half an hour saw a significant uptick in his performance but by that point a result was out of reach.
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5. Pedro Rubiolo – 3
Completely outshone by his opposite number Sam Darry, his inability to control the line-out meant that his team squandered several attack opportunities throughout the contest.
6. Pablo Matera – 4
Left clutching at shadows as Ardie Savea rampaged from the base of the All Blacks scrum, Matera was a tick off the pace. Yet despite this he never lacked for passion and intent and was Los Pumas only secure option at the line-out with six takes. Despite his willingness to get stuck in, his statistical performance was direction reflection of the hiding his front five took as he looked to plug the gaps that should’ve been filled by those wearing numbers 1 – 5.
7. Juan Martin Gonzalez – 4
Held up immediately from the kick-off in the second half was a snapshot of a performance in which he was found isolated on several occasions. Despite being one of the top carriers for his side, Gonzalez conceded two costly penalties as the All Blacks doubled up on him in the tackle leading to several turnovers and spilled balls.
8. Joaquin Oviedo – 5
Few could blame him for making little impact behind a scrum that was back tracking faster than the selection committee who sent RayGun to the Olympics. In open play he was busy as he made 30 meters from five carries and fronted up defensively with 12 tackles (1 dominant) before being replaced in the 50th minute.
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9. Gonzalo Bertranou – 3
Directly responsible for the All Blacks third try when the referee clearly told him the All Blacks were onside when he picked up the ball. Despite this he simply passed the ball to Tupou Vaa’i which set up a simple through the hands try for Caleb Clarke. In his defence, Los Pumas ruck was a shambles throughout the first half which was reflected in his rather dismall 18 passes during his time on the park.
10. Santiago Carreras – 3
Plucked from the action two minutes into the second half says it all for the flyhalf. Standing in stark contrast to his round one outing, Carreras looked lost behind a pack that couldn’t get any go forward ball. This forced him further into the pocket where he never looked like challenging the line and saw him shuffle stagnant ball onto those around him. Defensively he was found wanting on several occasions most notably when Will Jordan skinned him one-on-one in what should’ve been a routine tackle.
11. Mateo Carreras – 4
Sprung into action in the final ten minutes with some good carries that padded his stat line to 24 meters from five carries. Prior to this golden patch he was completely anonymous and spent most of his time back pedalling as the All Blacks went through the gears.
12. Santiago Chocobares – 4
Fronted up defensively in face of an All Blacks onslaught with 14 tackles made. Unfortunately opportunities to carry were far and few between as he got his hands on the ball just four times for nine meters.
13. Lucio Cinti – 4
Utilised as a kicking option on a handful of occasions, the Saracens centre didn’t have the time and space that he enjoyed a week ago. Defensively, Reiko Ioane’s pace caused him significantly more challenges than Anton Leinert-Brown did a week ago which saw the All Blacks get around the rush defence seemingly at will throughout the first half.
14. Matias Moroni – 3
One carry for two meters is about as bad as it gets for a winger who last week torched the All Blacks in broken play. Part of the triplet that were removed from the action in the 42nd minute, his inability to cover the All Blacks kicking game was a major red flag. When he was removed, Los Pumas handled this area more comfortably with Bautista Delguy covering the open space more efficiently which nullified a previously rampant attack.
15. Juan Cruz Mallia – 5
Head and shoulders above his teammate, the Toulouse fullback was brave in defence as the All Blacks peppered him with an array of kicks. Offensively he was Los Pumas top carrier with 9 carries for 68 meters and a try. His willingness to step up as a first receiver saw him score what was a truly exceptional individual try as he slipped between multiple All Blacks defenders.
Substitutes:
16. Ignacio Ruiz – 5
Entering the match when his team had been under the pump for sixty minutes, he brought some much needed flair and willingness to get on the ball both in attack and defence. Coming up with some good tackles and a key turnover, he was the pick of the forward replacements.
17. Mayco Vivas – 3
Bearing the brunt of the pressure going through Sclavi’s side of the scrum, he didn’t have an opportunity to test Fletcher Newell like he did in round one. Away from the set piece he got himself involved with five tackles and three carries during his twenty minute cameo.
18. Joel Sclavi – 3
Three penalties conceded during his thirty minute shift on the park is not the impact he would’ve wanted to have on the fixture. Drifting away from being the ultimate impact sub that he was a week ago, he merely picking up where the starting front row left off.
19. Franco Molina – 3
Seven tackles (1 missed) and one penalty conceded, he was somewhat of a non-factor for the thirty minutes he was on the park. Perhaps his biggest contribution was freeing up Kremer to move into the backrow where he had more of an impact.
20. Tomas Lavanini – 3
Huffing and puffing without ever blowing the All Blacks away, Lavanini came on and tried to unsettle the hosts. In reality he didn’t walk the walk that his talk merited as he was seen to be constantly getting stuck into verbal altercations.
21. Lautaro Bazan Velez – 5
Certainly an upgrade on the struggling Bertanou, the Benetton halfback handled a messy ruck as best he could. Completing 48 passes to Bertanou’s 18, he got the Argentine backline rolling and crucial shifted the ball away from the All Blacks poachers.
22. Tomas Albornoz – 5
Brought more direction to the attack than Carreras which saw an uptick in Los Pumas performance albeit the win was out of reach. Defensively he brought a physical edge which saw a noticeable reduction in the All Blacks simply going through the middle of the rush defence.
23. Bautista Delguy – 4
Replacing Moroni in the 42nd minute, the Clermont flyer came off his wing far more than his starting compatriot. Offering himself as a carrier into traffic took pressure of the halfbacks as Los Pumas played out a more even second half against an All Blacks side who slightly took their foot off the gas.
What has happened to what was once probably the toughest scrummaging country in world rugby.
A very long story of poor management and worse local rugby y policies. Basically, a catastrophe.