Argentina player ratings: Emiliano Boffelli steps up to keep Los Pumas in the Rugby World Cup

Following a 19-10 triumph over Samoa in the Rugby World Cup clash at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Friday, here are the player ratings for Argentina.

15 Juan Cruz Mallia: A couple of nice moments in attack and he was solid at the back in difficult conditions. 6

14 Emiliano Boffelli: Outstanding performance from the world-class wing. Scored 16 of Los Pumas’ 19 points and saved a try with a brilliant defensive read. 8

13 Matias Moroni: Solid without being exceptional. Some decent carries in attack while very little got down his channel in the midfield. 6

12 Santiago Chocobares: See Moroni really, although there were a couple more classy touches with ball in hand. Also hits hard in the midfield. 6

11 Mateo Carreras: Conditions made it difficult for the wings to show their class with ball in hand. Was dangerous in space but he didn’t get enough of it. 6

10 Santiago Carreras: Controlled the game better than he did against England but still overplaying somewhat. 6

9 Gonzalo Bertranou: Did well to dictate play off the base, with his service as slick as the surface. Helped create their only try for Boffelli but, after that, they couldn’t quite find the same fluency. 7

Pack leaders impress

8 Juan Martin Gonzalez: A focal point in the lineout in both attack and defence as he made himself a nuisance on Samoan ball. 7

7 Marcos Kremer: A big physical unit who made more impact than he did against England. Carried hard and put in some big hits. 7

6 Pablo Matera: Another standout display from the former captain who was simply everywhere. Earned several turnovers and was also effective with ball in hand. 8

5 Matias Alemanno: Part of a dominant lineout but his impact elsewhere was limited. 6

4 Guido Petti: Like his lock partner, Petti controlled the set-piece well, but failed to really give his side go-forward in the loose. 6

3 Eduardo Bello: Annihilated in the scrum in the first half and was unsurprisingly taken off early in the second period. 4

2 Julian Montoya (c): A captain’s performance from the hooker who was very busy during his 70+ minutes on the field. Tackled hard, carried well and the lineout went smoothly. 7

1 Thomas Gallo: Didn’t have it all his own way in the scrum in the first half but responded magnificently after the interval. When you add that to his contributions in the loose, it was a superb effort. 8

Replacements: Francisco Gomez Kodela made a big difference in the scrum but, in all honesty, the majority of the bench failed to build on the platform set in the first period. 5

READ MORE: Argentina see off Samoa to keep Rugby World Cup knockout hopes alive