Argentina player ratings v Scotland: Santiago Carreras ‘leads the way’ with ‘massive impact’ as Los Pumas clinch stunning comeback win
Argentina back-row Pablo Matera (inset) and playmaker Santiago Carreras.
After their 33-24 victory over Scotland in their Autumn Nations Series clash at Murrayfield, here’s how the Argentina team performed on Sunday.
15 Juan Cruz Mallia: The Toulouse star was off target with two penalty attempts in the first half and also spent some time in the sin bin early on after a deliberate knock down of a Darcy Graham pass deep inside his 22. Showed improvement in the second half but will be rueing all those first half errors. 5
14 Rodrigo Isgro: Like most of Argentina‘s team, it took him some time to get going but, once that happened, he proved a real handful on attack in the second half and scored a well-taken try on the hour-mark. 7
13 Matias Moroni: After a quiet opening half, the Bristol Bears midfielder came to the fore with a fine performance in the second half as he made some telling line breaks. One of those saw him tearing Scotland‘s defence to shreds before he set off on a 50-metre run but there was no reward as he offloaded to Mateo Carreras, who knocked on with the try-line at his mercy. Moroni was eventually replaced by Justo Piccardo in the 67th minute. 7
12 Santiago Chocobares: Although Los Pumas battled during the early stages, he was one of their few players who was solid during that period and he improved after half-time as his side launched a gallant fightback. Chocobares impressed as a ball carrier as he created opportunities for his team-mates and also did what was expected of him on defence during that period. 7
11 Mateo Carreras: The Bayonne speedster was at fault for Scotland’s first try when he jumped the line and created a gap which Jack Dempsey glided through before dotting down. Also failed to round off after Moroni set him up but it was a totally different performance after the break. Was much better in the second half and looked dangerous on attack and kept Scotland’s defence busy with some superb runs. 7
10 Geronimo Prisciantelli: He’s in his first season of international rugby and his inexperienced showed as he battled to execute his basics during his time on the field. Missed a routine kick for touch from a penalty which proved costly as Scotland counter attacked and soon crossed for a try. He was yanked off shortly afterwards with Santiago Carreras replacing him. 4
9 Simon Benitez Cruz: Los Pumas were on the back foot for most of the first half which made life difficult for him and he was replaced by Agustin Moyano in the 46th minute. 5
The forwards
8 Joaquin Oviedo: Not his best day at the office as he was restricted mostly to defensive duties before being replaced by Pablo Matera after 46 minutes. 5
7 Juan Martin Gonzalez: While most of his team-mates battled during the first half, he put in a solid performance and showed great improvement in the second half. The Saracens star came to the fore with an outstanding all-round performance as he shone on defence and attack while also doing well in the lineouts. 8
6 Santiago Grondona: Another one who showed his class in the second half after he battled to make an impact in the opening stanza. Grondona was solid as a ball carrier after half-time and did what was expected of him defence as well. 6
5 Pedro Rubiolo: He missed a routine tackle close to his line on Ewan Ashman, who crossed for the home side’s second try late in the second half, but Rubiolo put that behind him and emptied the tank as the visitors came back strongly after the break. Solid in the lineouts while also shining as a ball carrier and was rewarded with a crucial try late on. 7
4 Guido Petti: The experienced second-row did what was expected of him in the lineouts where he was a valuable source of possession and also did well on defence before Efrain Elias replaced him in the 73d minute. 7
3 Pedro Delgado: Although Scotland dominated proceedings in the opening half, he was solid in the scrums before being replaced early in the second half by Francisco Coria Marchetti. 6
2 Julian Montoya (c): Despite his side’s poor showing in the opening half the veteran captain kept his composure as he led his side well and started their comeback when he scored their first try in the 57th minute. Continued to soldier on before leaving the field in the game’s latter stages with Ignacio Ruiz replacing him. 8
1 Mayco Vivas: Like his front-row partner Delgado, he stood up well in the scrums but only lasted 46 minutes before Thomas Gallo replaced him. 6
Replacements: After a woeful opening half, Los Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi turned to his bench and there was a big turnaround in the complexion of this match when he made six changes in the 46th minute. Chief amongst those was the introduction of Santiago Carreras at fly-half and he made a massive impact as the visitors launched a stunning fightback after trailing 21-0 at half-time. Carreras led the way with superb game management and playmaking skills while veteran back-row Pablo Matera was not far behind and he scored a converted try in the 75th minute which gave Argentina the lead for the first time before Piccardo added the final nail in Scotland’s coffin when he dotted down in the dying moments. 9
READ MORE: Scotland v Argentina: Result, match details, stats, line-ups