Los Pumas player ratings: Classy ‘El Mago Nuevo’ sets the tone in HISTORIC win over the Springboks
Tomas Albornoz was a real standout for his side against the Springboks
Following their 29-28 victory over the Springboks, here is how we rated Los Pumas players after an enthralling encounter in Santiago.
Los Pumas player ratings v Springboks
15 Juan Cruz Mallia: Solid as a rock under the high-ball, and was able to come up with some clever counter-kicks as a result. Also connected well with the rest of the backline with some nice attacking flourishes. 7
14 Bautista Delguy: Fairly quiet from the winger, with Argentina getting a lot more change down the other flank. Came up with a couple nice defensive efforts though. 5
13 Lucio Cinti: Really good defensive performance from the centre. He topped the charts for tackles, notching 13 over his spell on the pitch, and also restricted the work of red-hot Jesse Kriel too. Connected with the likes of Chocobares and Albornoz well in attack too. 8
12 Santiago Chocobares: A really solid shift from the Toulouse ace. Produced a lovely assist to send Mateo Carreras in for the opener, and also carried very well into heavy traffic to get his side on the front-foot. 8
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11 Mateo Carreras: His try played a huge role in getting his side back into the game after the fast Springboks start, and he later turned into the creator to send Pablo Matera over. 8
Half-backs
10 Tomas Albornoz: El Mago Nuevo! A really exceptional showing from the fly-half, and was right at the heart of everything good for his team against the Springboks. He looked a constant threat in attack, and got the Pumas purring with some classy touches. Notched a nice try for his efforts, and kicked well from the tee too. The El Mago comparisons keep being made, but he keeps delivering El Mago-esque performances. 10
9 Gonzalo Bertranou: Combined well with Albornoz, and gave him consistent quick-ball which in turn helped give Los Pumas the upper hand. 7
Back-row
8 Joaquin Oviedo: Couldn’t replicate his heroics against the Wallabies, but a very strong showing none the less. Fronted up against a powerful Boks pack, and was a constant nuisance in the breakdown. 7
7 Marcos Kremer: Industrious as ever, and set the tone for his side in the physicality battle. Got stuck into almost every facet of the game to good effect. Hopefully, for Argentina’s sake, his injury isn’t as bad as it looks. 7
6 Pablo Matera: Never has a bad game for his country, and today was another example of his brilliance. Brought heaps of physicality on both sides of the ball, and played a pivotal role in getting his side over the gainline. Capped off a fine showing with a try too. 8
Tight five
5 Pedro Rubiolo: Ran his blood to water in tough conditions. Put his body on the line with some bruising tackles, and was also dependable at the set-piece too, which helped give his side a decent platform. 7
4 Franco Molina: Busy shift from the Exeter-bound lock. Made plenty of work for himself in the tight, and did the ugly stuff well when his team needed him too. 6
3 Joel Sclavi: Grabbed himself a nice try in the first-half, and got involved in the battle up-front. Made an impressive 12 tackles too, which is good going for a front-rower in the conditions in Santiago. 6
2 Julian Montoya: Typically decent showing from the experienced hooker. Solid on both sides of the ball and did a decent job in the set-piece too. 6
1 Thomas Gallo: Really put himself about around the park. Notched a haul of 11 tackles in his stint, and made a few decent carries too. 6
Replacements: The Los Pumas bench have been a real strength this Rugby Championship, and they were again decent today. The likes of Santiago Carreras, Gonzalo Garcia and Juan Martin Gonzalez made some decent in-roads into the Springboks defence, and importantly also injected some pace to proceedings when South Africa looked to get back on the front-foot.
Elsewhere, Gudio Petti, and Ignacio Ruiz – playing out of position in the back-row – continued the work of the players they replaced to good effect, and this continuity will certainly please boss Felipe Contepomi. Matias Moroni made the most of his five minutes on the pitch too with a few nice tackles.
Despite this, the replacement props just weren’t able to stem the flow at scrum-time; however debutant Pedro Delgado will only be better for this experience.
It’s a hard job going up against the ‘Bomb Squad’ but Los Pumas bench certainly did a great job and they ultimatley closed the game out. 7