OPINION: What a difference a week makes, as the All Blacks bounced back to a stunning 53-3 victory over Argentina at Hamilton.
The Pumas had no answer for the waves of All Blacks attacks and were even less sure with ball in hand, as the New Zealand defence caused all sorts of disruption.
The All Blacks targeted the breakdown and from there, were able to launch from a solid set-piece and make the visitors pay with some slick backline play.
Rieko Ioane and Caleb Clarke wrecked havoc from deep, with Richie Mo'unga pulling all the strings at first-five, thanks to great platform laid by the forwards.
Here's how individual players performed:
1-Ethan de Groot 7.5
Looking increasingly like the All Blacks first-choice loosehead prop, with another strong performance since his return. Scored New Zealand's first try and scrummed well.
2-Samisoni Taukei'aho 8
Like de Groot, looks to be cementing his spot as Ian Foster's go-to at the position. Carried powerfully and almost scored a try of his own.
3-Tyrel Lomax 7
A solid, if unspectacular performance from the tighthead prop. The All Blacks scrum wasn't as dominant this week, but was more than solid and Lomax held his own against his opposite.
4-Sam Whitelock 7.5
Made 10 tackles and disrupted plenty of Argentine ball at the breakdown. Was even dangerous with the ball in hand, beating a couple of defenders, while conceding just the one penalty.
5-Scott Barrett 7
Like his locking partner, was crucial at spoiling the ball at the ruck with several pilfers. Did miss a couple of tackles, but a solid performance.
6-Shannon Frizell 7
Starting to make the No.6 jersey his own, combining well with his loose forward trio. Wasn't as dominant with ball in hand and didn't rack up the tackle count, but did plenty of dirty work.
7-Sam Cane 7.5
Undoubtedly the All Blacks captain's best performance of the year. Made a team-high 13 tackles, missing just once and his discipline was perfect. Also got a try assist after timing his pass well to put Jordie Barrett in.
8-Ardie Savea 8
Made several strong carries, per usual, committing Pumas players along the way. Made more metres than any other All Black forward and also took his try well near the end.
9-Aaron Smith 7
Passing was on point as always, delivering fast ball to ignite attacks. Had so much more time at the breakdown, thanks to his forwards muscling up and laying the platform.
10-Richie Mo'unga 8.5
Was at his instrumental best, leading his troops around with clever feet and even better kicking. Elusive with ball in hand, beating a few defenders, and was superb with his attempts at goal.
Also showed great awareness to dislodge Tomas Lavavinini's reach on the tryline.
11-Caleb Clarke 7.5
Another All Blacks incumbent that's making the position his own. Took his try well and was always a handful on defence with solid carries.
12-David Havili 7.5
Supported Mo'unga exceptionally well with a couple of smart kicks to pin Argentina back and force the mistake. Looked tidy and composed in a much-improved performance.
13-Rieko Ioane 9
A much better outing from the centre, after a below-par showing a week earlier. Beat defenders and had a couple of linebreaks to boot.
Scored a try, assisted Clarke to his and had a hand in Jordie Barrett's with a brilliant run.
14-Will Jordan 6.5
Another quiet outing by his lofty standards. Struggled to make many metres with the ball for the second week running, and made a couple of errors and missed tackles, but an improvement on last week.
15-Jordie Barrett 7
Another solid outing from the All Blacks fullback. Was more tested on defence, but didn't miss a beat and made plenty of metres on attack. Scored a try of his own and even slotted a couple of conversions.
Reserves:
16-Dane Coles 6
17-George Bower 6.5
18-Fletcher Newell 5
19-Brodie Retallick 7
20-Dalton Papali'i 6
21-Finlay Christie 6.5
22-Beauden Barrett 7
23-Quinn Tupaea 6
Reece Labuschagne is a Newshub online sports producer
