- New Zealand are through to the Rugby World Cup final in France after a 44-6 win over Argentina.
- The “All Blacks” manage 7 tries at the Stade de France, while the “Pumas” never find their way into the opposing end zone.
- Defending champions South Africa will face England in the second semi-final on Saturday.
Argentina’s hopes of a comeback were abruptly halted just three minutes after the restart. Aaron Smith grabbed the ball after a scrum and carried it into the end zone with a spectacular solo run. After the converted “conversion” kick it was 27:6 for the New Zealanders.
And if there was still a spark of hope at that point, it was extinguished no later than 6 turns of the hand. Then Shannon Frizell found another gap in the opponent’s defensive line. The flanker made it 32:6 with his second “try” of the evening.
This marked the fifth final appearance in history for the All Blacks. The New Zealanders were able to replace some of their regulars more than 20 minutes before the end of the game and rest them for the final. Meanwhile, Argentina couldn’t find its way into the opponent’s end zone in the final phase either. On the contrary: Wing Will Jordan managed 2 more attempts and finally became the match winner.
Argentina tied back at half time
The All Blacks had already gained a clear lead in the first half. Jordan countered an early Argentinian penalty kick with the first try of the game. A little later, Jordie Barrett increased the score to 12:3 with the next try. Both times, the disorganized Argentine defense was a little too easy to crack.
After successfully converting penalty kicks on both sides, the New Zealanders gave the “Pumas” their first stab in the back with the last action of the half. Frizell carried the ball into the end zone to make it 20:6 after Mark Telea had impressively powered his way through the Argentine defensive line. It was the preliminary decision in a game that was to develop into a New Zealand showpiece in the second half.
This is how it continues
The final opponent of the All Blacks will be determined between South Africa and England on Saturday before the final of the Rugby World Cup takes place on October 28th. You can follow both games live on SRF.