All Blacks player ratings vs Argentina | The Rugby Championship

The All Blacks suffered a 38-30 defeat to Argentina in Wellington in the opening game of the 2024 Rugby Championship.

After leading the entire way, but with Argentina close in pursuit, a bad final quarter saw Los Pumas take the lead through hooker Augustin Creevy.

The All Blacks bench really failed to fire with the set-piece coming apart in the final quarter.

Here's how the All Blacks rated:

1. Ethan de Groot - 6

A scrum-less first half was a surprise, but De Groot got through a ton of tackles finishing with 12. Off at 58.

2. Codie Taylor - 6

A solid lineout tonight with 14/14 with Taylor on the park. Added five tackles. Conceded two penalties.

3. Tyrel Lomax - 5

No scrums for Lomax. Defended well but was penalised once for an ineffective cleanout.

4. Tupou Vaa’i - 7

Added punch in defence with some hard hitting with his 15 tackles. Was a reliable lineout option.

5. Sam Darry - 8

Impressive performance on his maiden start. Nailed the lineout with safe hands as the lead jumper. Bagged a try to boot. Added eight carries and

6. Ethan Blackadder - 5

A mixed bag for Blackadder at No 6. Pinged for not rolling in the first half. Had trouble clearing out Matera and co. Penalised for a high shot in the second half leading to three points for Argentina. High work rate with 19 tackles but three penalties conceded costly.

7. Dalton Papali’i - 7

Strong showing from Papali'i. Won a big turnover in the first half.

8. Ardie Savea - 7

A big night with ball in hand with 13 carries from Savea with 10 tackles. Came up with a big turnover late that gave the All Blacks a chance down by five but lineout troubles left it squandered.

9. TJ Perenara - 6.5

A couple of kicks charged down and the exits at times didn't make much metres. But he played a steady hand and produced a key assist for Mark Tele'a in the second half.

10. Damian McKenzie - 7

Once again the life of the All Blacks attack. One try assist in the first half and sparked the other with a chip and regather. Had a game-changing pass that forced a five metre scrum for Argentina. From there, the Pumas hit the lead.

11. Mark Tele’a - 6

Was kept under wraps by the Pumas. Pressured heavily on kickoffs, Tele'a failed to get the tackle busts he usually does but still finished with six. Scored a nice try in the second half.

12. Jordie Barrett - 6

Toiled hard all night but didn't have a game-changing performance.

13. Anton Lienert-Brown - 7

Produced a good performance in his first start since Uruguay. Had two line breaks, one a try, in the first half. Got caught out on defence on Cinti's try. Added a turnover won and seven tackles.

14. Sevu Reece - 5

Seven carries with two line breaks. A nice injection but off early at 49.

15. Beauden Barrett - 6

Had some big plays in the first half including a stellar assist for Sam Darry. Tried to influence the game but didn't get much space in the second half.

Reserves

16. Asafo Aumua - 2 - Really struggled at lineout time with his throwing which really cost the All Blacks.

17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi - 4 - A nice cameo with six tackles.

18. Fletcher Newell - 3 - Had a costly scrum penalty in an attacking zone.

19. Josh Lord - 5 - One of the best of the bench but still couldn't stablise the lineout.

20. Wallace Sititi - N/A - Tried to impact the game but ended up conceding a penalty at the end for the last three points.

21. Cortez Ratima - 5 - Added tempo and looked good running the attack.

22. Rieko Ioane - N/A - A couple of touches for Ioane but not enough time to influence the game.

23. Will Jordan - 4 - Had one line break called back from a forward pass. Jordan partly guilty for front running a little bit.