WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Veteran Agustin Creevy scored a try in the 69th minute as Argentina beat New Zealand 38-30 on Saturday in a thrilling Rugby Championship match which saw five lead changes in the second half.
The 39-year-old hooker came off the bench in the last quarter to score his seventh try in tests and secure Argentina’s third win over New Zealand in 42 meetings.
Creevy’s try in Wellington stemmed from a moment of abject panic among the All Blacks who, with two wild passes, retreated from near halfway to their own goal line where they conceded a five-meter scrum. The Pumas scrum held steady and Creevy was able to drive the ball through the defense under the posts.
Santiago Carreras converted, then kicked a penalty in the 77th minute which made the margin eight points and snuffed out the possibility of an All Blacks rally. Carreras finished with seven goals from eight attempts for 18 points.
“I’m 39 and this is the first time for me winning a game in New Zealand,” an emotional Creevy said. “That is one game. But there is another game next week and that is the next thing. Winning two games in a row.”
The teams meet against at Auckland’s Eden Park next Saturday.
While the All Blacks scored tries through lock Sam Darry, center Anton Lienert-Brown and winger Mark Telea to lead 30-25 after 53 minutes, Argentina stuck with them all the way and gave their opponents no breathing space in the second half.
Carreras cut the New Zealand lead to two points with a penalty in the 55th and that created the opportunity for Argentina to snatch the win with a late try.
“I think we had a great preparation and we had a plan and stuck to the plan even when the score was not in our favor,” said Argentina captain Pablo Matera, who was a tower of strength for his team.
“We just kept going and got the win.”
Argentina dominated large parts of the match and the All Blacks fumbled for long periods in their own half. Few All Blacks teams have had a better preparation for domestic test matches than this one. But they seem to have made little progress under new head coach Scott Robertson.
New Zealand was disjointed, disorganized and made far too many errors to press Argentina or hold them out at the end.
“It’s hugely disappointing,” All Blacks captain Ardie Savea said. “We prepared all week to come here and get the win but it wasn’t our night tonight.
“All credit to Argentina, they stayed with us, put us under pressure and we couldn’t hold them.”
Discipline was Argentina’s only Achilles heel in the first half in which they matched the All Blacks’ two tries and after which they trailed 20-15. The Pumas conceded 10 penalties and received an official warning before halftime and that did more than anything to give the All Blacks a solid foothold in the half.
Damian McKenzie opened the scoring with a penalty in the 12th after the All Blacks were unable to gain an advantage when they took lineouts instead of goal kicks.
Darry then scored the first try to mark his starting debut for New Zealand. McKenzie kicked ahead and regained possession, then passed to Beauden Barrett who center kicked. The bounce eluded Lienert-Brown and Telea but fell to Darry who scored in the 15th minute.
The Pumas produced a superb reply and a try to center Lucio Cinti. Matera held the ball up for a long time in midfield, then dropped it off to Santiago Chocobares in a gap who linked with Cinti 40 meters out.
McKenzie and Santiago Carreras exchanged penalties and the score was 13-8 after 30 minutes.
Lienert-Brown scored New Zealand’s second try when a penalty gave it an attacking lineout. The All Blacks pressed the Pumas’ line then tricked the defense when they went to the backline. McKenzie had Jordie Barrett and Lienert-Brown in support and went wider to Lienert-Brown who spun through a tackle to score.
Again, Argentina replied immediately. In a contest for the ball in the air, Sevu Reece batted the ball back New Zealand’s way but Mateo Carreras ran onto the bounce and stepped McKenzie at pace to score.
Argentina claimed the lead for the first time immediately after the restart. Carreras drilled the ball into the corner from a penalty and at the lineout the Pumas threw up a dummy jumper. The All Blacks were deceived and the ball went to Franco Molina at the front who drove over.
The lead then changed three times in quick succession. A penalty from McKenzie put the All Blacks back in front and another from Santiago Carreras restored Argentina’s two-point lead at 25-23.
Then Telea scored for the All Blacks in the 52nd. After New Zealand’s most sustained attack in which Savea had a crucial carry, the ball went to Telea behind a ruck and he was able to find space close in to score, putting New Zealand ahead 30-25.
Argentina finished more strongly than New Zealand whose 30-year unbeaten record at Eden Park must now be under threat.
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