Argentina handed Australia a record defeat 67 – 27 in Santa Fe for one of the very best performances ever from a Pumas side.

Trailing 20 – 17 at half-time, Los Pumas were fizzing with confidence having come roaring back into the contest following a slow start.

Coming out hot to start the second half with three tries before the Wallabies could respond with one of their own. Now firmly out of sight, Los Pumas were ruthless in the final ten minutes as they scored four tries to put the bow on a perfect 100th cap for captain Julian Montoya.

Here is how Los Pumas fared in round four of The Rugby Championship.

1. Thomas Gallo – 8.5You’d be hard pressed to find a more dynamic front row head-to-head than Gallo vs Taniela Tupou and the pair did not disappoint! Playing a key role in their respective attacks, Gallo was utilised as a battering ram from close range. Making this tactic uber effective was the Benetton man’s ball playing ability which meant the Wallabies had to respect his ability to slip a pass at the point of contact as well as his obvious power in the carry.

2. Julian Montoya – 8On the occasion of his 100th cap, it was unsurprising that the hooker was emotional early on in the contest. Perhaps these emotions played a role in his early concession of a penalty for a no-arms tackle, which immediately allowed the Wallabies to get back on level pegging. This error appeared to be a shot in the arm that he needed to snap back to reality as moments later, he won an impressive turnover penalty.

Dotting down to get his team back within a score towards the tail end of the first half was crucial and the cherry on top of a special day for the hooker, who put in an impressive 70-minute shift.

3. Joel Sclavi – 7Getting through a mountain of work during his 46 minutes on the pitch, the 137kg tighthead anchored a strong scrum that set the perfect platform for his backline.

In the loose, he had a few notable exchanges both in the carry and tackle, ending his day with 3 carries, 6 tackles and a number of impactful breakdown impacts.

4. Guido Petti – 7 Trucking through a stack of work for his side, the big lock did the unfashionable jobs, which went a long way towards wearing down the Wallabies.

Closing his account with 7 tackles (1 dominant), 2 carries, 2 line-out grabs, and an offload was a good reflection of his busy and diverse day.

5. Tomas Lavanini – 6.5 Los Pumas’ habitual line pusher drew the ire of referee Pierre Brousset on a few occasions before eventually conceding a penalty.

Ending his day in the 46th minute, the lock left with a fairly modest stat line of 4 tackles and 3 carries for 7 meters. This of course doesn’t tell the full story as he hit a ton of rucks but is just lacking the cutting edge he possessed earlier in his career.

6. Pablo Matera – 9 Got his hands free in the contact area on multiple occasions which got his team rolling forward. Ending the first with 3 offloads and a try assist, Matera upped his involvement even further in the second half pouncing for a well taken try in the 57th minute to take his side more than a score ahead.

7. Marcos Kremer – 8 Denied a try that would’ve been his team’s first of the day due to Lavanini obstructing Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson, the powerhouse utility forward kicked on for another big showing as he once again topped the tackle charts with 16.

In attack his ability to get over the gainline was paramount to his team’s ability to up the tempo in the second half.

8. Juan Martin Gonzalez – 8.5Roaming the wide channels like an unhinged gazelle, the number eight had arguably his most impressive outing of the season. Linking with his backs effectively, he was the pendulum with which the attack functioned.

The exclamation mark on an exceptional outing was touching down for the go-ahead try early in the second half, following a moment of quick thinking and brute force as he ripped the ball from the breakdown.

9. Gonzalo Bertranou – 9Ending the first half as his team’s top tackler, the scrumhalf dominated the space around the ruck while remaining highly efficient in flinging the ball out of the ruck with 43 passes in that span. This rate of play got his team on the front foot following a slow start and ultimately played a significant role in keeping his team in touch at the break.

Hitting the ground running in the second half, Bertranou got his team rolling forward and should’ve had more reward for it but saw several scoring opportunities slip away through handling errors. Defensively, he continued his exceptional form in the second half with his one-on-one tackle on Max Jorgensen in the 50th minute, nullifying a promising attack. Concluding his day in the 70th minute with 2 turnovers won, 14 tackles and 60 passes for one of his finest showings in the jersey.

10. Tomas Al𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧oz – 8.5Out of the frying pan and into the fire, the flyhalf has had to bide his time on the bench before taking his opportunity with both hands today.

Opening his account by making a half break in the opening passage of play which ultimately had the Wallabies back tracking before they conceded a penalty. Stepping up to drill the ball over the crossbar, Al𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧oz settled his nerves and got his side off to the perfect start.

Clearly relishing the addition of Carreras as a second distributor in the second half, Al𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧oz interchanged between flyhalf and fullback, exposing the fringe defence of the Wallabies. Grabbing the headlines this week will be his textbook try-saving tackle on Marika Korobiete in the 67th minute.

11. Mateo Carreras – 8Completing a mixed bag of the awful, bizarre and brilliant, the winger struggled defensively, with the Wallabies clearly identifying him as the weak link in Los Pumas’ defence throughout the first half. This was never more evident than for Andrew Kellaway’s try, where Carreras bit in on Max Jorgensen with one of his two missed tackles in the half. On the flip side, he was simply marvellous in attack, scoring his team’s first try, having run a scintillating support line that saw him slice through the Wallaby’s defensive line.

Shoring up his defensive duties in the second half, he limited the Wallaby threat out wide, in particular that of the impressive Max Jorgensen. Concluding his account with 118 metres from 16 carries, the winger seemed to break the Wallabies line at will in the final twenty minutes.

12. Santiago Chocobares – 7.5Whether he spoke to Los Pumas coaching staff about being more involved or if it was purely circumstantial, the Toulouse midfielder had a far more influential showing than he did in round three. Throughout the opening half, he was the key gainline buster in the backline with one line break and an offload to go with his 4 carries.

13. Lucio Cinti – 8Harnessing his inner Conrad Smith, the outside centre brought his outside backs into the contest with a winding running style that sucked in multiple defenders to create a handful of mismatches on the fringes. This link play was complimented by his outstanding ability to hit the line at just the right moment to make a major impact which was reflected in his 88 meters made from 10 carries.

14. Bautista Delguy – 4Plucked from the action following a quiet first half, Delguy joined Carreras in being exposed out wide throughout the first half. Missing two key tackles will disappoint the winger, but he was effective when he got the ball in hand with 42 meters from 4 carries.

15. Juan Cruz Mallia – 9.5He grew into the contest in a major way to have a monster day in counterattack for his team. At times, the Toulouse star was unplayable as he shredded the Wallabies’ defence, ending with a stat line that read more like a video game outing.

Ending his day with 94 meters from 17 carries, including 5 defenders beaten, 2 line breaks and 2 well-taken tries says it all for the World Class fullback.

Replacements16. Ignacio Ruiz – 6Came on for the skipper with 15 minutes to play and didn’t miss a beat in a team that were steaming forward at that point.

17. Mayco Vivas – 7He came on when the result was beyond doubt but did his part in keeping the Wallabies pack on roller skates with a big-time shunt at scrum time.

18. Eduardo Bello – 8Upped the ante tenfold at scrum time when he entered the action early in the second half as he got on top of the Wallabies record caps holder James Slipper. Absorbing the Wallaby’s early hit before forcing Slipper to slip his bind, Bello won some useful penalties, one of which directly led to Matera’s try.

19. Franco Molina – 7Took on the mantle of workhorse from Petti in the 58th minute and added to the try-scoring fest with a try assist of his own as well as making 3 carries for 17 meters.

20. Joaquin Oviedo – 8Replacing Lavanini in the 46th minute, the 23-year-old Perpignan utility forward brought a physical edge to Los Pumas pack. Shifting away from the ruck-hitting game of his predecessor, Oviedo ran some exceptional support lines, one of which led to his first try in the 63rd minute and his second in the 76th minute.

21. Santiago Grondona – 6Got on the ball immediately upon entering the fray with 3 carries for 11 meters, but in truth, he was facing very little resistance as he joined a pack that had already blasted their opponents into oblivion.

22. Gonzalo Garcia – 6Came on for the armchair ride of all armchair rides; he played his part in Argentina’s four tries in the final ten minutes albeit at that point it was more of a training run than a test match.

23. Santiago Carreras – 8Replacing Delguy at half-time, Carreras slotted back into his club position of fullback and immediately looked more comfortable as a secondary distributor rather than the main man. This does not necessarily tell the full story, given the significant difference in conditions between today’s perfect dry track and the previous two slop fests he encountered. Nonetheless, his team saw a significant uptick in performance when he entered the fray.