How the All Blacks rated in their 29-23 loss to Argentina in Buenos Aires.
Will Jordan – 4
Uncharacteristically poor night for Jordan. Beaten in the air on multiple occasions, and was shown a yellow card for cynically changing his line to interfere with Mateo Carreras. Still ran the most metres of any All Blacks back and made three tackles without missing.
Sevu Reece – 3
Finished the game in the sin bin for a cynical knockdown. Made an impressive nine tackles, but he’s not there to defend. Was caught out in the air, made just nine metres with ball in hand from four runs.
Billy Proctor – 6
Scored the opening try, second only to Jordan for metres run by the starting backs. Made seven tackles for one miss. Replaced by Tupaea on the hour.
Jordie Barrett – 4
Another to lose the aerial battle. Gave away four turnovers and one penalty. Made 10 tackles, but missed five. Made just two metres with ball in hand.
Rieko Ioane – 4
Ineffective, but was hardly given the chance with ball in hand. Made only two runs for three metres. Held up Pumas flanker Juan Martin Gonzalez to save a try, but otherwise absent.
Beauden Barrett – 4
Mixed night. Saved a certain try when the All Blacks were down to 13 with a tackle on Pumas wing Bautista Delguy. Made just one out of four of his shots at goal, costing the All Blacks seven points as a result.
Missed three tackles out of nine attempts. Replaced by McKenzie.
Cortez Ratima – 6
Left the field after 18 minutes with an injury. Had made six tackles without missing, the most for any All Blacks back. Looking quietly more assured as a starter in Cam Roigard’s absence.
Simon Parker – 8
Finished with the most tackles (20) when he left the field, even if he missed three. Ran the most metres (36), made one clean break and beat one defender. Excellent debut, more to come.
Ardie Savea – 6
Penalised early, won one back to cancel it out. Set up Newell’s try by filling in at halfback, but was comfortably second to Argentina’s loose trio. Unusually quiet on defence, only 11 tackles in 80 minutes, missed two.
Tupou Vaa’i – 4
Worst game in the No 6 jersey, including the 2023 World Cup opener. Missed four tackles, second only to Jordie Barrett. Was shown a yellow card for offside in the lead-up to Argentina’s second try.
Fabian Holland – 6
Continues to be excellent at the lineout, made 19 tackles, second only to Parker. Did give away a penalty for offside early, three missed tackles. Subbed for Lord in the final 10 minutes.
Scott Barrett - 7
Finished with the most tackles on either side (21), smart decision to take the penalty on the siren. Only time will tell how vital that losing bonus point will be.
Fletcher Newell – 5
Scored one try, made 11 tackles, beat two defenders. Another good test after Cordoba, fighting to keep the No 3 jersey when Lomax returns.
Codie Taylor – 5
Didn’t lose a lineout in his 100th test, made 10 tackles, missed three, won a turnover for his efforts. Subbed after 50 minutes.
Ethan de Groot – 5
Made 11 tackles, missed two. Wasn’t penalised once, hardly got the opportunity to scrum. Subbed at halftime as Williams returned.
Samisoni Taukei’aho – 4
Clear downgrade on Taylor at the lineout. Overthrew his first attempt, and then gave away a free kick for balking.
Did manage to score his third try of the tour from a lineout drive, but needs to nail his core role first.
Tamaiti Williams – 3
Quiet return. Made only three tackles in 40 minutes, ran three times for just four metres. Will need time to build back into test intensity after not playing since the Super Rugby final.
Pasilio Tosi – 3
Five tackles, two missed. Clearly the third-choice No 3 when everyone is fit and available.
Josh Lord – 3
Only got 12 minutes, managed two tackles and a lineout steal for his efforts.
Wallace Sititi – 5
Got through just under half an hour on his first game back from injury, and looked solid. Broke the line, beat two defenders, and ran for 13 metres with ball in hand.
Made seven tackles without missing, a matter of time before he’s back starting.
Finlay Christie – 6
A decent comeback after struggling in Cordoba. On early after an injury to Ratima, and set up Proctor with a smart play. Defended well and was strong over the ball, but still lacks that extra bit of “oomph” needed at test level.
Quinn Tupaea – 3
Slipped in at centre after replacing Proctor, despite being a specialist No 12. One run and one missed tackle in a quiet 30 minutes.
Damian McKenzie – 5
Was an immediate improvement from Beauden Barrett at 10. Kicked two vital goals, including a penalty to secure a losing bonus point.
Missed two tackles, but made 15 metres with ball in hand.
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.