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New Zealand face Argentina in Paris in the first Rugby World Cup 2023 Semi Final. The elimination fixture will be contested between two teams that have a rivalry dating back to 1985. New Zealand has the formidable record of have 33 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses against Argentina; however, Los Pumas have won two of the past seven matches and neither victory was at home.
How the teams reached the Semi Final was impressive. Both teams had to overcome opening defeats in their pools. History was made in the opening night of the tournament; New Zealand fell to a 27-13 loss against France in Paris. The All Blacks recovered to defeat Namibia 71-3, Italy 96-17 and Uruguay 73-0.
New Zealand finished second in Pool A behind France. This meant that France faced South Africa in their Quarter Final while New Zealand took on Ireland. South Africa had fallen to Ireland in their pool match yet the Springboks rebounded to eliminate France this past Sunday.
On the eve of the South African triumph, both New Zealand and Argentina were victorious. The All Blacks were 28-24 winners over Ireland while Argentina defeated Wales 29-17. The two Quarter Final winners had gone in to their respective matches ranked lower and as the team least likely to win the elimination match.
Argentina reached the Quarter Final after finishing second in Pool D. Los Pumas opened with an inept performance against England. The 27-10 defeat saw Argentina badly outplayed. Los Pumas rebounded to defeat Samoa 19-10. Confidence then grew with a 59-5 win over Chile and a 39-27 win over Japan.
Ian Foster has made two changes from the Quarter Final. The first sees Brodie Retallick making way for Samuel Whitelock in the second-row. The second sees Mark Tele’a replacing Leicester Fainga’anuku on the wing. Tele’a was dropped on disciplinary grounds.
Retallick will feature as a replacement. He is one of two changes to the New Zealand bench. The other sees Samisoni Taukei’aho preferred to Dane Coles as the replacement hooker. Retallick and Whitelock both played in the Rugby World Cup 2019 Semi Final as did Beauden Barrett, Jordie Barrett, Scott Barrett, Sam Cane, Rieko Ioane, Richie Mo’unga, Anton Lienert-Brown, Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith, and Codie Taylor.
Cane, Retallick, Smith, Whitelock and Beauden Barrett all played in the Rugby World Cup 2015 Final. They were World Cup champions, beating Australia who were then coached by Michael Cheika. Whitelock also played in the Rugby World Cup 2011 Final.
Michael Cheika has opted for continuity. Fourteen of the same fifteen players who started the Quarter FInal will also start the Semi Final. Moreover, the replacements bench is unchanged. The only change to the team comes at scrum-half; Gonzalo Bertranou returns with Tomás Cubelli dropping out of the 23.
The decision to replace Cubelli with Bertranou is tactical. The style of play of Wales was suited to Cubelli while the All Blacks’ play suits Bertranou. This was the justification. Lautaro Bazán Vélez is the injection option.
Seven of the 23 from the 2022 win over New Zealand will not play in the Semi Final. They are roster members Tomás Cubelli, and Mayco Vivas in addition to Tomás Albornoz, Santiago Cordero, Santiago Grondona, Matías Orlando and Santiago Socino who are missing from the World Cup.
Argentina’s 2022 win saw Los Pumas winning the battle of the collisions. This was also the case against Wales in the Quarter Final. Argentina’s approach is a physical pack of forwards with bigger, rather than more mobile, replacements.
Thomas Gallo is a mobile loose head while Joel Sclavi is a specialist tight head who can cover loose head. Guido Petti is more mobile than Matías Alemanno and Juan Martín González is more mobile than Rodrigo Bruni. In addition, Petti and González troubled Wales’ lineout.
The backline has the unorthodox fly half of Santiago Carreras. Cheika likes what he brings. Santiago Carreras made 14 carries in the Quarter Final. He made 112 meter, two line breaks and defeated four opposition defenders. He was a winger in his rookie Pumas season at the previous Rugby World Cup. He started at fullback in Argentina’s 2020 win over New Zealand. When Bertranou and Carreras play well the team does well.
Santiago Chocobares is back following an early exit against Wales. He was replaced in the 27th minute after a knock to the head. His offense and tackling are two key areas for Argentina both to threaten the opposition and to stand firm defensively.
Matías Moroni has been somewhat of a super-sub for Argentina this year. He put in a try-saving tackle against Wales. Fellow veteran Nicolás Sánchez came on to score the match-sealing try against Wales.
Agustín Creevy will set a record as the oldest player in a Rugby World Cup Semi Final. The 38-year-old will overtake South African Victor Matfield’s record from the 2015 World Cup. Creevy became the first Puma to 100 caps earlier this year. Sánchez became the second. N 8 Facundo Isa will earn his 50th cap on Friday.
The Semi Final will be the second meeting between New Zealand and Argentina in 2023. The prior meeting saw the All Blacks well on top. The 41-12 win was against a Pumas side without Top 14 play-off’s players. Moreover, four of the players missed out on the World Cup roster.
The teams traded wins in 2022. Argentina made history by winning 25-18 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The All Blacks gained revenge in Hamilton one week later with a 53-3 win. New Zealand won both 2021 fixtures but the teams also split wins in 2020. Los Pumas won 25-15 in Sydney while the All Blacks were 38-0 winners in Newcastle.
As the recent results indicate, Argentina is now genuinely competitive and capable of winning against New Zealand at a Rugby World Cup. A historic place in a Rugby World Cup Final is comparatively possible when placed alongside the meetings of the teams at Rugby World Cups 2011 or 2015.
The All Blacks were on their game against Namibia, Italy, Uruguay and Ireland. This marked an impressive recovery from losing to France. However, the loss against France was not an isolated outcome. South Africa were 35-7 winners over New Zealand two weeks before the start of the World Cup.
New Zealand are now under pressure to back-up their tense Quarter Final victory over Ireland. Moreover, if Los Pumas can put together a performance like that against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2022 or Sydney in 2020 then anything is possible.
World Rugby have appointed Angus Gardner as the referee. The Australian took charge of Argentina’s historic first-ever win over New Zealand in Sydney, Australia in 2020. He has officiated three other matches between Los Pumas and the All Blacks, including the 2023 Rugby Championship match in Mendoza. Gardner will officiate the Semi Final contest entirely in the English language.
1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 5 Scott Barrett, 6 Shannon Frizell, 7 Sam Cane (Capt.), 8 Ardie Savea, 9 Aaron Smith, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 11 Mark Tele’a, 12 Jordie Barrett, 13 Rieko Ioane, 14 Will Jordan, 15 Beauden Barrett
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
1 Thomas Gallo, 2 Julián Montoya, 3 Francisco Gómez Kodela, 4 Guido Petti, 5 Tomás Lavanini, 6 Juan Martín González, 7 Marcos Kremer, 8 Facundo Isa, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 10 Santiago Carreras, 11 Mateo Carreras, 12 Santiago Chocobares, 13 Lucio Cinti, 14 Emiliano Boffelli, 15 Juan Cruz Mallía
Replacements: 16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Joel Sclavi, 18 Eduardo Bello, 19 Matías Alemanno, 20 Rodrigo Bruni, 21 Lautaro Bazán Vélez, 22 Nicolás Sánchez, 23 Matías Moroni
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Date: Friday, October 20
Kick-Off: 4:00pm (AR); 9pm (FR)
Venue: Stade de France, (Paris, FR)
Referee: Angus Gardner (AU)
Assistant Referees: Nic Berry (AU) and Karl Dickson (UK)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (UK)
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HISTORICAL RESULTS
Jul 08, 2023 – Argentina 12-41 New Zealand (Mendoza, AR)
Sep 03, 2022 – New Zealand 53-3 Argentina (Hamilton, NZ)
Aug 08, 2022 – New Zealand 18-25 Argentina (Christchurch, NZ)
Sep 18, 2021 – New Zealand 36-13 Argentina (Brisbane, AU)
Sep 12, 2021 – New Zealand 39-0 Argentina (Gold Coast, AU)
Nov 28, 2020 – New Zealand 38-0 Argentina (Newcastle, AU)
Nov 14, 2020 – New Zealand 15-25 Argentina (Sydney, AU)
Jul 20, 2019 – Argentina 16-20 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
Sep 29, 2018 – Argentina 17-35 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
Sep 08, 2018 – New Zealand 46-24 New Zealand (Nelson, NZ)
Sep 30, 2017 – Argentina 10-36 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
Sep 09, 2017 – New Zealand 39-22 Argentina (New Plymouth, NZ)
Oct 01, 2016 – Argentina 17-36 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
Sep 10, 2016 – New Zealand 57-22 Argentina (Hamilton, NZ)
Sep 20, 2015 – New Zealand 26-16 Argentina (London, UK) *
Jul 17, 2015 – New Zealand 39-18 Argentina (Christchurch, NZ)
Sep 27, 2014 – Argentina 13-34 New Zealand (La Plata, AR)
Sep 06, 2014 – New Zealand 28-09 Argentina (Napier, NZ)
Sep 28, 2013 – Argentina 15-33 New Zealand (La Plata, AR)
Sep 07, 2013 – New Zealand 28-13 Argentina (Hamilton, NZ)
Sep 29, 2012 – Argentina 15-54 New Zealand (La Plata, AR)
Sep 08, 2012 – New Zealand 21-05 Argentina (Wellington, NZ)
Oct 09, 2011 – New Zealand 33-10 Argentina (Auckland, NZ) *
Jun 24, 2006 – Argentina 19-25 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, NZ)
Jun 26, 2004 – New Zealand 41-07 Argentina (Hamilton, NZ)
Dec 01, 2001 – Argentina 20-24 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
Jun 22, 2001 – New Zealand 67-19 Argentina (Christchurch, NZ)
Jun 28, 1997 – New Zealand 62-10 Argentina (Hamilton, NZ)
Jun 21, 1997 – New Zealand 93-08 Argentina (Wellington, NZ)
Jul 13, 1991 – Argentina 06-36 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
Jul 06, 1991 – Argentina 14-28 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
Jul 29, 1989 – New Zealand 49-12 Argentina (Wellington, NZ)
Jul 15, 1989 – New Zealand 60-09 Argentina (Dunedin, NZ)
Jun 01, 1987 – New Zealand 45-15 Argentina (Wellington, NZ) *
Nov 02, 1985 – Argentina 21-21 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
Oct 26, 1985 – Argentina 20-23 New Zealand (Buenos Aires, AR)
* Rugby World Cup Match
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OVERALL RESULTS
New Zealand Wins 33
Argentina Wins 2
Draws 1
