Argentina player ratings: Front row ‘manhandled’ as Los Pumas rue ‘stunningly silly’ errors in defeat to Australia
Argentina prop Thomas Gallo and flanker Marcos Kremer.
Following the 20-19 defeat to Australia, here is how we rated the Argentina players in the Rugby Championship clash.
Argentina player ratings v Australia
15 Juan Cruz Mallia: A tough day to be a fullback but Mallia did his utmost to get his side on the right side of the final scoreline but his efforts fell short. He kicked well and covered the backfield nicely. 6
14 Santiago Cordero: Went in search of work but the chances were few and far between. Replaced shortly after the hour mark having also struggled defensively against Australia star Marika Koroibete. 4
13 Lucio Cinti: Starved on genuine attacking opportunities but managed to free up his wingers on occasion. Solid without being a standout or game changer. 5
12 Santiago Chocobares: A world-class talent for Argentina but was unable to fix his talents with ball in hand but stood strong on defence. 5
11 Mateo Carreras: As slippery as the conditions, the pocket rocket winger was simply sensational as he contested in the air superbly and made a remarkable 40-odd metres with ball in hand shrugging off defenders at will. He then made a try-saving tackle that looked to have won the game. 8
10 Santiago Carreras: It was just as difficult to kick in these conditions as it was to hold onto the ball but Carreras was flawless and converted all of his opportunities. A hiccup on defence but overall, he was pivotal putting his team in a winning position, unfortunately, he was unable to see them over the line. 7
9 Gonzalo Bertranou: In troublesome conditions, the scrum-half made a good account of himself causing all kinds of issues for the Wallabies’ back three. 6
Springboks leave it late to down All Blacks in epic Ellis Park showdown
Loose forwards
8 Juan Martin Gonzalez: Much like the rest of the Los Pumas loosies, you know what to expect from the Saracens star and he did not disappoint. He grabbed an early try, was a solid option at the lineout and impressed at the breakdown before shifting into the backs for the final six minutes. 7
7 Marcos Kremer: The big man, for the big Test matches and the big hits. It’s seldom that Kremer doesn’t deliver today wasn’t one of those rare occurrences. Racked up over 20 tackles, won a turnover and kept his discipline relatively well. 8
6 Pablo Matera: Copy and paste from above. Matera is always a solid performer for Los Pumas and thrives in close quarters and there was plenty of that today – Another high-quality performance in the ever-growing catalogue. 7
Tight five
5 Pedro Rubiolo: Sadly had his night cut cruelly short in the opening minutes of the game – we cannot give him a fair rating. N/A
4 Franco Molina: Simply, he did what was required of him hammering into tackles, rucks and carries. Argentina packed the bench with a pair of locks, luckily so considering the injury to Molina’s locking partner, and Molina emptied the tank as required and did it accurately. 6
3 Joel Sclavi: Caught out around the fringes and put in a lazy tackle attempt which the Wallabies punished as Jake Gordon scored. He manfully tried to keep Angus Bell at bay in the scrum, but the pressure on the other side of the scrum was too much. 4
2 Julian Montoya: In testing conditions, his lineout darts were still accurate and this kind of game is where he earned his bread and did so. A powerhouse in the tight, he was powerful in contact on both sides of the ball and strong at the breakdown.7
1 Thomas Gallo: A brilliant workhorse around the park and that’s clearly the focal point for his selection because again he was manhandled in the scrums. He did manage to eke out a penalty, but that was more from a Wallabies’ mishap than him dominating. If he can sort his scrums, he would be one of the best looseheads in the game as few go as deep into the match as him and have as many involvements. And then there was his spill over the line that he simply had to finish, plus he should have done better with his shot on Rob Valetini. 3
Replacements: There were so many positive contributions from the bench with Tomas Lavanini throwing his weight around well, Guido Petti impressing on his return but the star was Tomas Albornoz who kicked the Pumas attack into life and regularly found gaps in the Wallabies defence. However, Mayco Vivas conceded a stunningly silly penalty to hand Australia the win. 5
