All Blacks player ratings: Scott Robertson’s charges fall WELL short in frustrating defeat to Argentina
Ardie Savea carries for the All Blacks against Argentina.
Following the All Blacks’ 38-30 loss to Argentina, here are our player ratings for Scott Robertson’s men in Wellington.
Backline
15 Beauden Barrett: The classy veteran showed his ever-impressive skills as he expertly set up Sam Darry’s try. Elsewhere he kicked well enough and tried to make a difference where he could going forward. 6
14 Sevu Reece: Got his hands on the ball here and there but failed to make a notable impact before being subbed early in the second half. 4
13 Anton Lienert-Brown: A bit of a mixed bag as he shone on attack, taking his chance in that sense, but missed some crucial tackles which led to Argentina points. 5
12 Jordie Barrett: Always busy when he is on the park but this time out he failed to make the required impact as opposite number Santiago Chocobares produced a brilliant shift. Nothing beyond his duties. 4
11 Mark Telea: Not often you see a wing who enjoys a pick and go like Tele’a but the All Black loves to get involved. Once again topped defenders beaten for the All Blacks and scored a try. 6
10 Damian McKenzie: The fly-half had some magical moments where he was involved in several tries but his ratings plummeted because it was his wayward pass that welcomed Los Pumas deep into their territory leading to the decisive try. 5
9 TJ Perenara: His delayed pass for Tele’a try was sumptuous but otherwise he looked like a player returning from injury and didn’t have the impetus Cortez Ratima did. 5
Forwards
8 Ardie Savea: Led from the front as he carried like a warrior and made his tackles. Savea notched up joint most metres with ball in hand for his side and there was not much he could do to give his side the chance to win. 7
7 Dalton Papali’i: The openside was busy while on the park showing his breakdown prowess and being a committed defender but quite frankly was blown out of the water by the Argentine loose trio. 5
6 Ethan Blackadder: Good and bad from the blindside who showed his physicality as required in his role but gave away a lot of penalties in the process. Still, his brilliant work-rate topped the tackle count with a whopping 20. 6
5 Sam Darry: The second-row is becoming a real find and produced an impressive shift in his first start as typified by his try. Darry was a focal point of the lineout and is surely a name for the future. 7
4 Tupou Vaa’i: Just didn’t impose himself on the game in any way and is at serious risk of falling down the pecking order. 4
Scrumless props
3 Tyrel Lomax: The prop would never have expected to not scrum in his entire shift that ended before the first set-piece on the hour mark. He was decent enough otherwise. 5
😲 The big boys had to wait AN HOUR for the first scrum!#NZLvARG #RugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/6mGoBwHxcC
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) August 10, 2024
2 Codie Taylor: Very nearly bagged a try after a long chase upfield but struggled to do much else in the game. The lineout was much better when he was on the park. 5
1 Ethan De Groot: Copy and paste from Lomax. It hard for a prop to shine if he is not scrumming. 5
Replacements: Ratima added some tempo to the attack when he came on. Will Jordan was quiet on his return while the front-row subs struggled in both the scrum and Asafo Aumua with the lineout. Wallace Sititi was expensive with his penalty count in key moments. 4
READ MORE: Argentina claim shock victory over All Blacks as Scott Robertson left with plenty to ponder