All Blacks player ratings: ‘Brilliant’ back-row bounce back as props ‘obliterate’ Los Pumas in emphatic Eden Park battering
The All Blacks put in an emphatic performance to hammer Argentina at Eden Park.
Following the All Blacks’ emphatic 42-10 win over Los Pumas at Eden Park, here is how we rated Scott Robertson’s charges as they epically bounced back from a disappointing defeat.
All Blacks player ratings v Argentina
15 Beauden Barrett: Continues to show that he is nowhere near finished at the highest level. He kicked well all game, assisted Damian McKenzie with the playmaking duties from full-back nicely and then ran the show well when he moved forward into the number 10 jumper. A solid and understated outing but still a key one. 7
14 Will Jordan: Back in the All Blacks starting XV and back amongst the tries as he grabbed two to go with his three against the Pumas at the World Cup last year. 8
13 Rieko Ioane: Probably his best Test match this year as he repaid the faith of the All Blacks coaching staff. He ran some great lines off the shoulder of Jordie Barrett, shifted the ball wide nicely and was solid on defence. 7
12 Jordie Barrett: Largely anonymous last week but like many of his teammates, he responded with a vastly improved performance. He made several key interventions on defence and linked up well with Ioane. 7
11 Caleb Clarke: Had little to do to finish off his try but regularly made easy meters when the ball came his way. He was occasionally wasteful in possession, a strong performance but not one that will guarantee he retains a starting role for the Springboks Tests. 7
10 Damian McKenzie: His highlights will paper over the cracks in his overall game management and decision-making at fly-half but that is not to say it was a poor outing – in fact it was the opposite. McKenzie mixed up his game well and kept the Pumas defence guessing. He grabbed a try, assisted another and knocked over all six attempts at goal. A statement performance which included a bit of brilliance to deny the Pumas a 50/22 but his clearing kicks are still a bit of a concern. 8
9 TJ Perenara: Kicked far better out of hand as the All Blacks clearly worked on their exits which have been atrocious this year. They were far from perfect but hugely improved. A glorious double-pump offload brilliantly sent Jordan speeding away over the line. It was the TJ of old as he emphatically silenced his doubters. 8
👏 TJ PERENARA TAKE A BOW! #NZLvARG pic.twitter.com/FZ35JtnSlj
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 17, 2024
All Blacks back-row bounces back
8 Ardie Savea: The cliche of leading from the front as he set the tone for the All Blacks performance with his first involvement thundering into contact. He grabbed a try from short-range, was abrasive with ball in hand, and strong without it. A performance worthy of his Player of the Year tag. 9
7 Dalton Papali’i: Far improved from Wellington as he hammered into Argentine bodies on defence, was efficient at the breakdown and hardly put a foot wrong before making way for Sam Cane. 7
6 Ethan Blackadder: Like his fellow back-rowers, Blackadder rose to the challenge of the abrasive Pumas pack and put in a sensational shift that was night and day compared to last week. Excellent at the breakdown, brutal on defence and excellent in the lineout. 9
5 Sam Darry: Backed up a solid outing last week with a busy performance at Eden Park. He ran the lineout well and threw his weight around on defence. 7
4 Tupou Vaa’i: An absolute pest in every facet of the game – that is a huge compliment. His sharp knowledge of the laws led to Clarke’s first-half try as Gonzalo Bertranou served the ball to him on a platter. Like any Test lock would, he got into the Pumas players’ faces too cheering the Argentine mistakes and the All Blacks’ small wins. 8
Brutal front-row
3 Tyrel Lomax: Got far more scrums than he did last week and boy did he make the most of it as he taught Thomas Gallo some tough lessons in scrummaging excellence. Did was required of him around the park but it was in the set-pieces where he was simply world-class. 9
2 Codie Taylor: His lineout throws weren’t perfect but it was a solid outing for the veteran hooker who made a key covering tackle on Juan Martin Gonzalez which ultimately resulted in Clarke’s try. Back to his industrious best around the park overall. 8
1 Tamaiti Williams: Obliterated Lucio Sordoni and Joel Sclavi in the scrums in a powerful performance that more than justified his elevation to the starting XV ahead of Ofa Tu’ungafasi. He was excellent in the loose too. 9
Replacements: The job was pretty much done by half-time and if there are concerns that Robertson can take from the emphatic win, it will be the rather blunt impact from the bench. They took their foot off the Pumas’ throat and with South Africa’s famed Bomb Squad primed to rip into the All Blacks, Robertson will want a major improvement here. 5
READ MORE: Ex-Springboks coach: ‘Jack Russell’ Damian McKenzie takes it ‘too far’ as All Blacks fly-half
