New Zealand’s record-breaking and title-sealing rout of Argentina has been tarnished by a local fan flashing a laser in the face of All Blacks goalkicker Aaron Cruden.

Cruden had the laser light shone near his eyes as he lined up a last-minute sideline conversion for a 54-15 victory in La Plata.

While the All Blacks raved about their time in Argentina after clinching the Rugby Championship trophy and coach Steve Hansen praised the local support, Cruden felt the incident tarnished an otherwise memorable week.

He noticed the laser as he was preparing his kick but wasn’t deterred, perfectly slotting the goal from touch.

“It shot through my mind that maybe they were trying to put me off but I just tried to focus on the ball and strike it and luckily it went through,” said Cruden, who replaced five-eighth Dan Carter midway through the second half.

“I’ve never had that before but I’ve seen it (before in a Test match) on telly.

“It’s a bit of a shame when things like that happen but you’ve got to be the bigger man and put things like that behind you.”

The seven-tries-to-two thumping was the All Blacks’ biggest win in the expanded and rebranded Southern Hemisphere tournament.

It eclipsed their Tri-Nations record of 52-16 against South Africa in 2003, a week before they smashed the Wallabies 50-21 in Sydney.

Often the Pumas contributed to their own woes by pushing passes after making inroads out wide but they were to be commended for playing positive attacking rugby.

“I’ve really enjoyed the inclusion of this team in the Rugby Championship; its added an extra dimension to the tournament and we’re looking forward to them playing a big part in the years to come,” Hansen said.