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Isgro (15'), Albornoz (50'), Oviedo (63')
Tries
Reece (8', 42'), Ratima (23'), Savea (36'), Taukei'aho (68', 73')
Albornoz (16', 51', 63')
Conversions
Barrett (9', 24', 37', 43')
Albornoz (29')
Penalties
Barrett (3')
New Zealand began their Rugby Championship campaign with a four-try win over Argentina in Cordoba on Saturday.
It was a stop-start encounter and while both sides had good spells, they also had spells when they struggled to find their rhythm and made elementary mistakes.
Ultimately, it was the All Blacks who were more clinical when they had their chances, and their tries came from Sevu Reece, Cortez Ratima, Ardie Savea, and two from Samisoni Taukei'aho.
Argentina scored through Rodrigo Isgro, Tomas Albornoz, and Joaquin Oviedo. Oviedo’s effort gave the Pumas hope in the last quarter, but the All Blacks raised their intensity again to close out the match comfortably.
SLOW BURNER
Beauden Barrett opened the scoring with a penalty after Santiago Chocobares had played him off the ball.
Albornoz hit the post with his first penalty, and soon after Recce swept onto Will Jordan’s pass to score in the corner.
Argentina’s flyhalf kept his cool to keep play moving and set up his side’s first try. As black shirts swarmed around him, he worked the ball wide and Isgro dotted down.
Pablo Matera came up with a big tackle on Reece that stopped the All Blacks just as they were building their momentum. Errors creeped into their game, as the Pumas shook off their early torpor to sweep over their visitors.
Still, they were the next to strike. Jordan found space in the Pumas defence to break clear, and he set Ratima free for a simple run in.
Albornoz landed his second penalty, and while Jordie Barrett was left floundering after an ariel duel with Juan Cruz Mallia, Savea was alert to a loose ball on a Pumas throw and off went the All Blacks again.
Still, it stayed a seven-point difference as both teams made unforced errors. As the score reflected, the All Blacks were worth a narrow lead, though they extended it through their skipper who dotted down from a lineout drive.
Just on the stroke of halftime they stretched their lead again, and Reece dived over after quick hands.
UPPING THE INTENSITY
The match continued to swing, and Pumas flankers Matera and Marcos Kremer both tore into the All Blacks defence. It was Albornoz who found the way through, bouncing two New Zealand defenders on his way to the line.
Argentina kept the ball in hand, and it had New Zealand’s defence rocking. Another Matera charge finished with Billy Proctor being shown a yellow card, but from the resulting scrum confusion reigned in the Pumas’ ranks and the All Blacks cleared.
Back they came. Scrumhalf Gonzalo Garcia tried a snipe, the forwards tried power, the backs tried evasion, and in the end, Oviedo reached out over his tackler to score.
Albornoz turned emergency flanker to stop a rolling maul, New Zealand tried again from another penalty and Taukei'aho drove over. The reserve hooker scored a carbon copy soon after to put the result beyond doubt.
Anton Lienert-Brown was the second All Black to visit the sinbin, and Argentina had one last attack. Samipeni Finau rose highest in the lineout though and that was that.
Argentina Starting XV (1-15) Mayco Vivas, Julian Montoya, Pedro Delgado, Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer, Joaquin Oviedo, Gonzalo Garcia, Tomas Albornoz, Bautista Delguy, Santiago Chocobares, Lucio Cinti, Rodrigo Isgro, Juan Cruz Mallia
Argentina Replacements (16-23) Ignacio Ruiz, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Joel Sclavi, Guido Petti, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Simon Benitez Cruz, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo
New Zealand Starting XV (1-15) Ethan de Groot, Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell, Scott Barrett, Fabian Holland, Tupou Vaa'i, Du'Plessis Kirifi, Ardie Savea, Cortez Ratima, Beauden Barrett, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Billy Proctor, Sevu Reece, Will Jordan
New Zealand Replacements (16-23) Samisoni Taukei'aho, Ollie Norris, Pasilio Tosi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Samipeni Finau, Finlay Christie, Anton Lienert-Brown, Damian McKenzie
