Key events
Still thinking about England v South Africa tomorrow? Here’s some preview reading:
Here’s Michael Cheika: “We know we’re heavy underdogs tonight, but as a team we believe in ourselves. The half-backs have been really good in training, I’m trying to play it horses for courses, this feels like the right game for Gonzalo.
What’s the game plan tonight? “Tackle hard, even spacing and a really good alignment … at the ruck, that’s where the war zone is. How you tackle dictates how well you can defend overall.”
If you’re hoping to see some dazzling tries tonight, you may be in luck – Will Jordan (twice) and Mateo Carreras (once) are both on this list. And how about that Argentina change kit? Woof.
Some pre-match reading for you …
Just one change from Cheika to the Argentina team that beat Wales, with Dragons scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou returning to the starting fifteen and Tomas Cubelli dropping out of the squad entirely.
For New Zealand, Ian Foster reinstates Richie Mo’unga at fly-half, with Beauden Barrett returning to full-back. Winger Mark Tele’a also returns, while Ethan de Groot, Tyrel Lomax and Shannon Frizell start in the pack.
Team news and match officials
Argentina
Starting XV: 15 Juan Cruz Mallia; 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 11 Mateo Carreras; 10 Santiago Carreras 9 Gonzalo Bertranou; 1 Thomas Gallo, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela; 4 Guido Petti Pagadizabal, 5 Tomas Lavanini; 6 Juan Martín González 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Facundo Isa.
Replacements: 16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Joel Sclavi, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Nicolás Sánchez, 23 Matías Moroni.
New Zealand
Starting XV: 15 Beauden Barrett; 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Mark Tele’a; 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith; 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Tyrel Lomax; 4 Samuel Whitelock, 5 Scott Barrett; 6 Shannon Frizell, 7 Sam Cane (c), 8 Ardie Savea.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Brodie Retallick, 20 Dalton Papali’i, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown.
Match officials
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Aus), Karl Dickson (Eng)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Preamble
The quarter-finals served up one of the best Rugby World Cup weekends of all time – can the semi-finals compare? Well, the instinctive answer is perhaps not – after four tense, thrilling contests last week, both of these games kick off with clear favourites. Less charitable observers might argue we saw the semi-finals last week, and this round is a mere formality before an All Blacks-Springboks showdown next Saturday.
That, of course, does a disservice to unbeaten England (who face South Africa tomorrow), Argentina (who have been here twice before) and the whole concept of a World Cup semi-final. We’ve seen favourites fall here before, collapsing under pressure against opponents riding a wave of self-belief. New Zealand know that better than most.
The perpetual title contenders have fallen at this fence four times, memorably upset by France in 1999 and (to a lesser extent) England in 2019. New Zealand have racked up a 94-15 aggregate in their last two games against Argentina, but the scoreboard resets to zero for tonight. In Michael Cheika, the Pumas have one of rugby’s most canny operators – and there are parallels in how both teams got here.
Both teams lost their first game at this tournament, and regrouped in their own way. New Zealand fully released the creative handbrake while Argentina switched to knockout mode, grinding through must-win pool matches and carrying that momentum into the Wales game, which they won by 12 points – the biggest margin of the four quarter-finals.
New Zealand fought and won a ferocious battle with Ireland to get here – and that should neutralise any risk of complacency. They are the clear and undeniable favourites tonight but unlike Argentina, they have something to lose. This is a different kind of spectacle – a test of nerve the resurgent All Blacks are expected to pass, but a contest that might deliver the biggest thrill of all.
