The All Blacks have opened their Rugby Championship campaign with a strangely dominant win over Los Pumas in Córdoba. The 41-point performance was entertaining from a scoreboard perspective, but I feel it papers over some cracks in what was, for large stretches, a match that lacked execution and polish.
It’s been a little while since we’ve been able to do one of these ratings, so I’m excited to once again have 80 minutes of action to sink our teeth into and break down for you all.
Ethan de Groot
The 2024 All Blacks castaway has bounced back in strong fashion, stepping in for the injured Tamaiti Williams to start the test season. Yesterday might have been his best outing yet. The scrum held firm once again, and he earned a penalty in what was a dominant showing from the All Blacks front row.
Grade: 7/10
Codie Taylor
The soon-to-be All Black centurion was once again a solid contributor, with most of his impact on the game coming from the set piece. He played a key role in the lineout, which went 15 out of 15, something that has become almost routine with Taylor leading it in 2025.
Grade: 7/10
Fletcher Newell
The same sentiment carries over from one prop to the next, as Fletcher Newell also did most of his work in the set piece phase, where he provided the All Blacks with a solid platform. Like his front-row partner, he managed to win a penalty that led to a converted try only minutes later.
Grade: 7/10
Scott Barrett
The skipper was back from the calf injury that kept him out for most of the France series and was given 55 minutes to make his mark against the Pumas. It was a relatively quiet day from him, where he offered little around the paddock aside from getting stuck into his trademark high tackle count, finishing with 11.
Hopefully, we’ll see more from the captain this upcoming weekend with another full week of training under his belt
Grade: 5.5/10
Fabian Holland
Another strong 71 minutes from Holland as he continues to mature effectively on the international stage. He made 13 tackles on the day, added a few bruising carries, and was effective at ruck time with some solid cleanouts. Most importantly, he played a key role in the lineout, collecting six throws at a 100 percent success rate.
Grade: 7/10
Tupou Vaa’i
It was a relatively quiet outing in terms of impact around the park for Vaa’I by his lofty standards, but he still looked like a genuine No. 6 at test level nonetheless. He clearly grew into the game and took on more responsibility once the starting locks left the field. He also contributed as a lineout weapon, collecting four takes on their own throw and stealing one from the Pumas.
Grade: 6.5/10
Du’Plessis Kirifi (betcha’s Best)
He was trusted with his second start of his test career, and the Hurricanes captain made the most of it. He was all over the park, getting stuck into everything on both attack and defense. You can see his confidence growing at the next level, as he’s starting to get in the face of opponents and is clearly becoming a nuisance around the ruck.
Grade: 7/10
Ardie Savea (betcha’s Best)
Death, taxes, and Ardie Savea being an absolute superstar. Once again, he was the best player on the park. The All Blacks No. 8 was everywhere, scoring tries, stripping the ball from Argentine mauls, and shrugging off tackles like they meant nothing.
At this point, it’s hard to even describe his level of play because we haven’t seen someone this consistently dominant in an All Blacks jersey for a very long time.
Grade: 8.5/10
Cortez Ratima
Dangerously big shoes to fill for Ratima as he tried to replace Cam Roigard, who I believe could be the best scrum-half in the world. It was a rollercoaster day for Ratima, with some highs like his try and a clever sniping run in the attacking 22. However, in the first half, he was one of the main culprits behind the team’s accuracy issues, and his kicking game also let him down.
Grade: 5.5/10
Beauden Barrett
Beauden had a relatively quiet day in terms of his impact in open play, struggling to cast his usual magic over the game. However, he was very effective as a kicker both in open play and off the tee, collecting 15 points and keeping the Argentines at bay for most of the match.
Grade: 6/10
Reiko Ioane
One step forward and two steps back for the All Blacks left winger, who had a tough day at the office across the board. He was one of the key reasons the team struggled to execute in the first half, with three handling errors and a poor tackle on a block runner without the ball which resulted in a penalty. In the second half, he provided no spark and rarely came off his wing to find much work.
Grade: 4/10
Jordie Barrett
He honestly struggled to get involved in much of the game and when he did, especially on attack, his timing was off with the players around him, leaving some passes behind. He was really good in the air and worked hard on defense, making a plethora of tackles. While also being a key figure in the All Blacks kick chase for most of the match.
Grade: 6/10
Billy Proctor
A really tough outing for Proctor, who did little to inspire confidence that he is the name to take over the No. 13 jersey going forward. He wasn’t very potent on attack, slipped off a few key tackles, and lacked accuracy at ruck time, missing cleanouts and giving away a professional foul that led to him being carded.
Grade: 3.5/10
Sevu Reece
Reece was one of the players who really impressed me this weekend, as he answered a question I’ve had about him for a long time at the international level. For me, he’s always looked like a great Super Rugby player, but I hadn’t seen that same impact in a test jersey until now.
This weekend, Reece was outstanding. He scored two tries, broke three tackles, and was one of the only players able to completely break through the Pumas’ defensive line.
Grade: 8/10
Will Jordan
A top-three player in the New Zealand setup, and once again he showed why he’s all class. Even though he didn’t score, he managed to set up two tries. One of them came from absolutely nothing, as he skinned the Argentine defender with a vicious inside step, made a clean break, and then put Ratima under the sticks to extend the early lead.
Grade: 8/10
The Bench
Samisoni Taukei’aho
Great energy off the bench from the All Blacks’ backup hooker, who in true fashion scored two tries off the back of a rolling maul, with one of them coming after bouncing off defenders. He was also solid at lineout time and brought plenty of energy to the side.
Grade: 7.5/10
Ollie Norris
This was the first time he looked out of his depth at the international level. He gave away a poorly timed scrum penalty, which highlighted the drop-off in that area compared to de Groot.
Grade: 4.5/10
Pasilio Tosi
In my opinion, he is the perfect impact prop at the international level. He held his own in the scrum, made some damaging carries, and forced a knock-on by dominating the contact area.
Grade: 6.5/10
Patrick Tuipulotu
Made a real impact off the bench by saving a sure-fire try with a great tackle on the line. He also forced a turnover and, like the rest of the locks, was strong at lineout time.
Grade: 7/10
Samipeni Finau
8 minutes so no grade here.
Grade: N/A
Finlay Christie
It was a tough return to the international stage for the halfback, after letting Albornoz waltz under the sticks for a try and later kicking a box kick out on the full. The one positive was his quick ruck clearance, but overall it was still a difficult day.
Grade: 4/10
Anton Lienert-Brown
One to forget for the veteran, who didn’t have a single positive impact on the game. Instead, he was penalised twice, including one for head-to-head contact that ended his night with a yellow card.
Grade: 2/10
Damian McKenzie
He was brought on for about 25 minutes but didn’t get much opportunity to attack or defend. It’s a tough one to grade because the flow of the game never went his way, but sometimes you have to go out and find things to do rather than wait.
Grade: 5/10