Following a 28-24 defeat to the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship clash at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium on Saturday, here are the player ratings for Argentina.
15 Juan Cruz MallÃa: Some classy touches in attack from the full-back, who provided the final pass for Delguy’s try. Elsewhere, Mallia mopped up at the back and kicked well, apart from one chargedown which was almost costly. 6
14 Bautista Delguy: Part of a livewire duo out wide as they constantly threatened the Wallabies with ball in hand. He also chased excellently and made life difficult for the hosts’ backfield. 7
13 Lucio Cinti: Was at the heart of Argentina’s brilliant second try with a superb break and off-load, while he also displayed a couple of other nice moments in attack. Defended well, too, against a talented Australian centre pairing. 7
12 Santiago Chocobares: Somehow seems to go under the radar but is getting up towards the likes of Jordie Barrett and Damian de Allende as one of the best centres in the world. Outstanding line for the Delguy try, and some great work on both sides of the ball. 8
11 Mateo Carreras: Despite his smaller stature, Carreras is remarkably difficult to bring to ground as the Wallabies found out. He scored one try and was always a threat. 7
Outstanding first half
10 Santiago Carreras: Had a fantastic first half by linking play nicely, kicking well and keeping his side on the front foot, but Carreras lost control slightly after the break. There were still some fine individual moments, but also a few errors. 7
9 Gonzalo GarcÃa: Similar to Carreras, the scrum-half was excellent in the opening period, with his kicking particularly accurate, but he couldn’t reverse the momentum after the break when the hosts got on top. 7
8 Pablo Matera: Another exceptional shift for 50 minutes, and to be honest, they probably missed his leadership when he went off. Their standards slipped, especially in regards to their discipline, when Matera was replaced. 7
7 Marcos Kremer: Some bruising defence from the flanker, as well as a few big carries, enabled Los Pumas to get on the front foot before the interval. Wasn’t quite as influential after the break, but he remained important to their cause. 8
6 Juan MartÃn González: Like the rest of the back-row, Gonzalez was tireless in the loose, while he was also influential in the lineout. 7
Big shifts
5 Pedro Rubiolo: An absolutely mammoth shift from the ever-improving second-row, who is touching world-class levels after being effective in most facets of the game. 8
4 Franco Molina: Part of a fine locking duo in the opening period, despite spending 10 minutes off the field for his HIA. He was then replaced early in the second half and Argentina were not quite as effective. 7
3 Joel Sclavi: A solid display from the prop, with the set-piece not too much of a factor during his time on the field, while he did his job in the loose. 6
2 Julián Montoya (c): An immense performance from the captain who never seems to have a poor game. Was particularly influential in the first half and did all he could to turn the tide of momentum after the interval. 8
1 Mayco Vivas: Similar to Sclavi, the scrum was solid and he was busy around the field without having a standout match. 6
Replacements: It was a struggle for the majority of them and it lost Los Pumas the game. While the props were solid, there was discipline issues, while in the back five we did not see any barnstorming carries from Joaquin Oviedo. Scrum-half Agustin Moyano also struggled to impose himself on the game. 3
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