Argentina vs New Zealand
Stade de France
20.10.2023, 22:00
Friday night's semi-final match between New Zealand and Argentina follows what can only be called one of the finest quarter-final weekends in Rugby World Cup history. After six spectacular weeks of play, there are just four teams left, and on October 28 at Stade de France, one of them will face either South Africa or England in the final match.
Claim Your Registration Bonus!Argentina - can the Pumas be strong again?
The fact that three of the last four sides left in the competition are made up of teams from the Southern Hemisphere is a monument to the Southern Hemisphere's never-say-die spirit on the largest stage. Possibly none more so than Argentina, who, after losing to England in their first match, were expected to struggle to get out of Pool D above Japan, but they once again showed the improvement they have made over the last couple of years by beating the Brave Blossoms fairly convincingly in their final group stage match to secure their place in the last eight. Emiliano Boffelli fought back for Los Pumas with four penalties before Joel Sclavi and Nicolas Sanchez crossed the try line to clinch a 29-17 victory. Last week, Los Pumas were an obvious underdog entering into the encounter against undefeated Wales. They were 10 points behind early in the match. Despite the fact that Argentina will start this match as one of the biggest underdogs once again, Michael Cheika's team has probably gotten used to being in that position. This may work to their advantage because there are fewer expectations placed on them, but it would be a massive error to write them off completely. Despite the fact that they had only won three of the previous 36 matches they have played against the All Blacks, two of those wins have come in the most recent seven matches, including a surprising 25-18 triumph in Christchurch in August of the previous year.
New Zealand - All Blacks will come on top again
Some people had written off New Zealand's chances of winning the competition after they suffered a record-breaking loss in the warm-ups and then lost their tournament opener to France. Despite this, New Zealand is still in the competition and is reaching their optimum performance at the perfect time. The All Blacks were dominant in their final three group stage matches, winning each one by a score differential of over 68 points over Namibia, Italy, and Uruguay. However, none of those victories would have been as satisfying as the All Blacks' victory against Ireland last weekend, which was the world's number one team at the time. In their encounter against the Shamrocks, the team captained by Ian Foster went into halftime leading by only one point, but they came back to outscore their opponent 10-7 in the second half in a game that will go down in World Cup annals as one of the best games ever played. After defeating the giants that dominated Pool B, which included Scotland and South Africa, the All Blacks are now considered the odds-on favorites to win the Webb Ellis Cup for a record-setting fourth time. The team that will represent the United States at the Rugby World Cup in 2023 was significantly superior to Los Pumas when they faced off against each other in a battle of the Southern Hemisphere's heavyweights back in July. The champions of the 2023 tournament won the match 41-12 in Mendoza, and they have also prevailed in five of their most recent six matches.
Expert Betting Tips
As a result of their victory over Ireland in one of the most impressive quarters in their World Cup history, the odds are currently stacked in New Zealand's favor, which is as it should be. We are of the opinion that Argentina will not be able to compete with the All Blacks, who will not only be trying to win the match but also to send a message to the team that they will face in the final.