All Blacks aim for fourth title: New Zealand shines against Argentina in Rugby World Cup semi-final

Dane Coles, New Zealand hooker, had already said it in the preview: “I don’t want to play third like we did against Wales in 2019. That’s my motivation.” A clear message from one of the leaders of a group which flew over Argentina this Friday. Actually It took them just 16 minutes to make the difference and begin securing their presence in the Rugby World Cup final. On October 28, they will seek their fourth title against South Africa or England, who play tomorrow in Paris.

Supremacy that the All Blacks built throughout the tournament. They started with doubts after losing to France (13-27) in the opening match of the tournament, but they found their form with comfortable victories against Namibia (71-3), Italy (96-17) and Uruguay (73-0) . Of course, it was in the quarterfinals that they reached the table, showing that they are the winningest country in history and that it doesn’t matter who appears on the horizon. They beat Ireland in a great match (28-24), the last Six Nations champion and to this day, world number one in the rankings.

A journey that made them arrive in Paris to compete in the semi-finals. Argentina, for its part, also swelled its chest, especially after the comeback against Wales (29-17), which allowed it to reach the round of 16 for the third time in its history. As in 2007 and 2015 . But the truth is that the differences were obvious. The Men in Black brought out their experience to shine in scrum, dominate in defense and shine with back breaks. They were unimpressed by Emiliano Boffelli’s penalty, returning the penalty with a try from Will Jordan in the 10th minute and another in the 16th minute from Jordie Barrett.

Although the Pumas managed to reduce the gap with another penalty from Boffelli, the truth is that in the 34th minute the feeling was that only one country was in control. That’s why it wasn’t surprising the penalty at 37′ from Mo’ounga nor the try at 40′ from Shannon Frizell. 20-6 at half-time and New Zealand are already contemplating what will be their fifth World Cup final and possible fourth crown.

But even this advantage on the scoreboard and the game did not put them to sleep. Argentina committed a forward attack from the start, causing a scrum which Aaron Smith took advantage of. The scrum half crossed the goal sixty seconds into the second half. And calmly they punished again. First thanks to Frizell, then with Will Jordan, who made seven (later he will make another) tries in this World Cup, becoming the most tester of the World Cup.

Even Scott Barrett’s yellow card in the 65th minute did not help Argentina narrow the gap, still controlled by some New Zealand attackers who showed their best version in these semi-finals. In fact, while the second row was still sitting courtside, Jordan showed up again. The 25-year-old winger, who now has 31 tries in 29 matches with the black jersey , broke the Pumas defense and placed the ball in the end zone again. 44-6 decisive, which reflects what happened on the Saint-Denis pitch.

The All Blacks will now await South Africa and England, who will play the other semi-final this Sunday at 4:00 p.m. in Chile. This will be the reissue of the 2019 final, which allowed the Springbooks to become champions again after 12 years. Indeed, if they beat La Rosa again, they will face the Oceanic team in a duel that will define the winningest team of all time. Currently, both have three Webb Ellis Cups in their stands.