All Blacks player ratings: ‘Incredible’ Ardie Savea leads the charge in comfortable win despite second-half bench ‘wobble’

Colin Newboult
Ardie Savea and Sevu Reece in action for the All Blacks (inset).

Ardie Savea and Sevu Reece in action for the All Blacks.

Following a 41-24 victory over Argentina in the Rugby Championship clash at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the All Blacks.

15 Will Jordan: A classy player who broke the game open with his break for the try-scoring Cortez Ratima. Before that moment of magic, the visitors were making far too many handling errors, but Jordan got them back on track. 7

14 Sevu Reece: Touched down twice, with the second a fine finish, as the wing had a good game on the right. Gave away one needless penalty but was regularly involved and a threat with ball in hand. 7

13 Billy Proctor: Again, much of his work was done in traffic as he struggled to break the Argentinian-enforced shackles. There is plenty of promise but he didn’t have a great outing here, which included a yellow card. 4

12 Jordie Barrett: Added plenty to the All Blacks cause, whether it was using his power to carry across the gain line or firing passes out to put people in space. 7

11 Rieko Ioane: Tried his absolute utmost to impact the match but, as it has been for the past year or so, it was all rather underwhelming. His basics were solid enough, however. 5

Half-backs in control

10 Beauden Barrett: Underplays his hand nowadays but is arguably a better and more rounded fly-half for it. We can’t see Damian McKenzie getting the 10 shirt with Barrett playing as he is; he just fits the Scott Robertson game plan. 8

9 Cortez Ratima: Handed a start with plenty to prove in the absence of Cam Roigard, particularly around his kicking game and speed of service, but both of those aspects were generally excellent as he made a big step forward. 8

Planet Rugby player ratings key 10 - Career defining performance 9 - Outright blockbuster effort 8 - Significantly influenced the result of the game 7 - Committed and effective outing 6 - Flashes of brilliance outside of executing fundamentals 5 - Fulfilling the role required by position (base level) 4 - Poor execution of fundamentals 3 - Costly errors and/or discipline in the game 2 - Poor performance that directly impacted the result 1 - Grossly ineffective throughout 0 - Should have carried water instead

8 Ardie Savea: Number eight or openside flanker, it absolutely doesn’t matter, he is just an incredible player. In attack, Savea was brutal in the carry while in defence, he was similarly exceptional, including one remarkable steal at a Los Pumas maul. 8

7 Du’Plessis Kirifi: Was unlucky on a couple of occasions not to be rewarded at the contact area but it did not detract from his overall defensive effort as he produced some big moments. 7

6 Tupou Vaa’i: Almost nicked one Argentina lineout and was busy around the field without perhaps being as impressive as he has been in recent Tests. 6

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Functioning set-piece

5 Fabian Holland: Is just exceptional technically and can become a real focal point of the pack. When you add to the fact that he has a tremendous engine and is abrasive in contact, it makes for a fine all-round package. 7

4 Scott Barrett (c): Set-piece work was great and he never stopped working but, as it has been all season, he didn’t make much impact in the loose. 6

3 Fletcher Newell: Part of a dominant starting front-row, he regularly sent the opposition loosehead prop into reverse. 7

2 Codie Taylor: Set-piece – both scrum and lineout – were in fine working order with Taylor proving why he is still the All Blacks’ first choice hooker. 7

1 Ethan de Groot: Like Newell, he had the upper hand in the scrum while he was busy in the loose to set a fine platform. 7

Replacements: There was a wobble midway through the second period with the scrum not functioning as well as it had. Finlay Christie also made a few errors, but they soon corrected that and Samisoni Taukei’aho and Patrick Tuipulotu had some big moments. On the downside, Anton Lienert-Brown’s tackle, which led to a late yellow card and bunker review, was utterly brainless and his place is surely under threat going forward. 6

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