Argentina stun New Zealand with historic Rugby Championship victory

Argentina beat the All Blacks on New Zealand soil for the first time with a shock 25-18 victory in a Rugby Championship Test in Christchurch on Saturday.

The Pumas achieved their first ever win over New Zealand two years ago in another championship match, in Sydney, and Saturday’s victory was from the same mould, with magnificent defence backed up by iron discipline.

“I’m very proud of our team, we are starting to believe what we can do, not just a magic moment like our first win [in Sydney],” said the captain, Julián Montoya. “Very, very happy, very, very proud, it’s a very special moment for us.”

The boot of the winger Emiliano Boffelli, who kicked five penalties, kept them in the contest when New Zealand scored two tries in the first half and enabled them to stay ahead after the flanker Juan Martín González scored an opportunist second-half try.

The three-times world champions, who played the last nine minutes with 14 men after Shannon Frizell was shown a yellow card, will almost certainly be plunged back into the crisis that looked to be ended by their victory over South Africa two weeks ago. Tries from Samisoni Taukei’aho and Caleb Clarke should have given them a comfortable lead at half-time but ill discipline throughout the match cost them dearly.

The victory gives Argentina successive wins in the Rugby Championship for the first time after their impressive 48-17 thrashing of Australia in San Juan two weeks ago. They also remain top of the championship standings on points difference ahead of Australia, who earlier beat South Africa 25-17 in Adelaide.