Argentina’s rugby union national team Los Pumas kicked off their 2025 Rugby Championship campaign on the wrong foot, falling 41-24 to New Zealand at home. With the rematch set to be played next Saturday, the team needs to find a way to bridge the gap.

The Pumas were looking at a difficult first game in the Rugby Championship. Coach Felipe Contepomi’s team wasn’t coming into the tournament in the best form, having fallen twice to England at home in July. A clash with New Zealand’s All Blacks — the best team in the world according to the rankings of rugby union-governing-body World Rugby — was bound to be a tough challenge.

Playing at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba, the All Blacks came out swinging. They took advantage of a series of mistakes by the Pumas and took a 31-10 lead in the first half, leaving very little room for an Argentina comeback. The game ended 41-24 despite the Pumas’ best efforts.

According to Pumas captain Julián Montoya, one of the biggest things the team needed to change was their discipline, having committed many penalties that favored New Zealand.

“It was a match where our indiscipline cost us many involuntary mistakes, which gave them field position and penalties,” he told press after the match. “We shot ourselves in the foot with the penalties we committed.”

Regardless, Montoya gave credit to the All Blacks for “taking advantage of every chance they had” and “making it very difficult for [the Pumas] to score any points.”

“We’re making many mistakes that [help] the other team [get] back into the match,” Montoya added. “Last year, it happened at the beginning of games, and now it’s the other way around. These mistakes are ours and we have to keep our part of the game in check. We failed there.”

Head coach Contepomi argued that it’s easy to go “over the limit” when facing teams that are physically very strong, but he valued the team’s resolve, adding that they “never stopped fighting.”

“Sometimes it’s like that, when you’re against the ropes, that’s when you have to improve and come out better,” he said. “That shows how much we’ve improved. When you play against the best, details are what cost you. The important thing is to look at what we can improve and not talk about the other team.”

Contepomi announced changes for the squad that will face the All Blacks on Saturday, with flanker Benjamín Grondona coming on for Nicolás D’Amorim. There could also be changes in the All Blacks squad. After the game, Lock Patrick Tuipulotu was taken to a hospital in Córdoba to have his head injury checked, and he will likely be unavailable for the second match.

The Pumas will face the All Blacks again at the José Amalfitani stadium in Buenos Aires City, with the game set to kick off at 6:10 p.m. on Saturday.