Henry Lee's post-match ratings from the 17-10 Springbok win paint a picture of a Los Pumas side that more than held their own for large stretches — and might easily have levelled late on. Hooker Ignacio Ruiz earns the standout score (8.5): 25 tackles, flawless lineout work, and not a backward step taken. Prop Boris Wenger (8) was equally impressive, winning the first scrum penalty against Du Toit and providing the try-assist. At 10, Santiago Carreras is the clearest weak link — three missed tackles, a costly penalty miss, and some uncharacteristic decision-making that handed the Boks momentum. The replacements are rated a collective 5, with Oviedo's lineout error and the bench's inability to maintain scrum parity in the closing stages identified as key reasons Argentina couldn't close the gap when it mattered. For Rassie, the ratings confirm the Boks were genuinely tested — useful intel heading into the All Blacks series.
Argentina Player Ratings: Who stood tall against the Boks in Buenos Aires?
Ruiz (8.5) and Wenger (8) headline a Los Pumas ratings sheet that shows how close Argentina came to something more than a 17-10 defeat — with Carreras and the bench identified as the areas that ultimately cost them.
- Springboks
- Argentina
- Frans du Toit
- Rassie Erasmus
- New Zealand
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
All Blacks' loosehead crisis hands Springboks a ready-made weapon in Greatest Rivalry Series
Jeff Wilson has publicly identified loosehead prop as the All Blacks' most dangerous weakness ahead of four consecutive Tests against the Springboks — with Williams likely out, Tu'ungafasi's future uncertain, and the remaining options short on caps and experience. Set against the depth Erasmus has built across the prop positions, this piece maps out why scrum time could be where the Greatest Rivalry Series is decided.
Stephen Donald: Robertson copied the Boks — Rennie must go back to All Blacks DNA
Stephen Donald backs Hansen's anti-copycat argument, saying Robertson erred by chasing the Springbok blueprint rather than New Zealand's tempo-based strengths — and expects Rennie to correct that course ahead of a blockbuster four-Test series in South Africa.
Mulder's '95 Warning: Don't Sleep on the All Blacks
1995 World Cup winner Japie Mulder warns against writing off the All Blacks ahead of the four-Test series, drawing on South Africa's own underdog story to argue the gap in rankings doesn't guarantee a comfortable series win.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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