Player ratings: Leading from the front
Key players came to the fore for Argentina in their Rugby Championship clash against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday.
The experienced core of the side needed to lead from the front in their most gruelling assignment of the tournament and they did just that as they contributed to a proud team performance.
Quintin van Jaarsveld rates the Pumas players.
15 Martín Rodríguez
Looked dangerous when joining the line on attack but couldn’t find the target with his place-kicking in the Wellington wind.
6/10
14 Gonzalo Camacho
Nippy and elusive out on the right wing. Made the most of every opportunity.
6.5/10
13 Marcelo Bosch
Made a brilliant try-saving tackle on Victor Vito just before half time.
6.5/10
12 Santiago Fernández
Rock solid on defence. Fronted up well against the strong-running Ma’a Nonu.
6.5/10
11 Horacio Agulla
Chased well and stabbed through a clever grubber inside the attacking 22.
6/10
10 Juan Martin Hernandez
A courageous comeback from Hernandez, who was particularly impressive on defence, making some big hits.
7/10
9 Nicolas Vergallo
Effective, low kicking from the base in the difficult conditions.
6.5/10
8 Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe
Brilliant in the line-out and mauls and led the visitors with aplomb. His positional play on defence was exemplary.
7/10
7 Juan Manuel Leguizamon
Made some big hits but often jumped the gun on defence. Perhaps tried too hard to make an impact on his return.
6/10
6 Julio Cabello
Cynical professional foul which saw him being yellow-carded. Could easily have been a penalty try.
5/10
5 Patricio Albacete
The go-to man in the line-outs and a key contributor in the tight loose.
7/10
4 Manuel Carizza
Spilled a crucial line-out ball five metres from the All Black try-line in the opening ten minutes but bounced back well and had a solid game overall.
6.5/10
3 Juan Figallo
His solid scrummaging was only truly noticed once he was replaced.
7/10
2 Eusebio Guiñazu
The Argentine hooker struggled with his line-out throwing in the gusting wind which put his team under pressure at the all-important set piece.
6/10
1 Rodrigo Roncero
The old warhorse turned in another courageous effort. He bled for the cause, inspired his teammates and showed great power and technique to drive under two All Black defenders to score a memorable try.
7.5/10
Replacements:
16 Agustin Creevy (on for Guiñazu , 73rd minute)
Not enough time to be rated.
17 Marcos Ayerza (on for Roncero, 51st minute)
Roncero’s showing was a tough act to follow and almost amplified Ayerza’s irrelevancy.
4/10
18 Juan Pablo Orlandi (on for Figallo, 51st minute)
Like his fellow prop replacement, Orlandi couldn’t maintain the solidity of the Argentine scrum, which crumbled after the good work of the starting front rankers.
4/10
19 Leonardo Senatore (on for Leguizamon, 41st minute)
Did his bit on defence and at the breakdown.
6/10
20 Tomás Leonardi (on for Cabello, 60th minute)
Strong with ball in hand and won two turnovers.
6.5/10
21 Martín Landajo (on for Bosch , 77th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.
22 Lucas Amorosino (on for Rodriguez, 67th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.