Rugby World Cup semi-final results: New Zealand def Argentina 44-6 to storm into final
The All Blacks are through to a record fifth World Cup final after humiliating Michael Cheika’s Argentina - and in doing so, proved they’re finally rid of the worst tag in sport.
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Once rugby’s greatest chokers, New Zealand gave the Wallabies and Rugby Australia’s bungling leaders a spectacular reminder of how teams can turn things around with a bit of planning and patience as the All Blacks stormed into a record fifth World Cup final.
As ruthless as ever, the Kiwis smashed Michael Cheika’s Argentina 44-6 at the Stade de France in Paris early Saturday morning, with electric winger Will Jordan scoring a hat-trick of tries.
The New Zealanders will now face either South Africa or England in next weekend’s World Cup final with one piece of history assured and another beckoning.
“It’s so sweet. It’s new territory for this group,” New Zealand centre Jordie Barrett said.
“We slipped at the semi-final hurdle four years ago. I am just so proud of this group. It’s not done yet.
“We will have a very tough match regardless of who we have next week. It’s another week, which we are so grateful for.”
The days when the All Blacks were the laughing stock of the game because they would crumble under pressure at rugby’s biggest tournament are now a distant memory.
The first team to make five finals, they are on the brink of becoming the first nation to win the Webb Ellis Cup four times.
It seems astonishing now because of their recent success but after winning the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, the All Blacks had to wait 24 years before they finally won a second title.
The agony was only made worse because they often only had themselves to blame, earning themselves the most unwanted tag in sport – chokers.
It was only when they hit rock bottom – failing to make it past the quarter-finals at the 2007 World Cup France that New Zealand began to turn things around.
Their record since those dreary days has been phenomenal and should give hope to long-suffering Wallabies fans that Australia’s lean run may not be terminal.
In 2011, the All Blacks won a second World Cup, then in 2015 they went back-to-back, beating the Wallabies in the final.
In 2019, they were bundled out in the semis but have bounced back to make a fifth final from the 10 World Cup tournaments played.
They previously shared the record of four final appearances with the Wallabies – champions in 1991 and 1999 – and England, whose sole title was in 2003.
“We came here wanting to be in the final and then we obviously want to go and win it. We have given ourselves that opportunity,” All Blacks coach Ian Foster said.
“I am incredibly proud of the way we backed it up tonight. I thought it was a tough game. We got asked a lot of questions from Argentina early. We held great composure and finished strong so I am pretty pleased.”
Saturday morning’s victory over the Pumas was as one-sided as it was predictable.
After last weekend’s scintillating quarter-finals between four evenly-matched teams, it was always expected the semi-finals would be a letdown.
The Pumas have been a revelation under Cheika, reaching the semi-finals for the third time since their maiden appearance in 2007.
The former Wallabies coach has been able to extract everything he can out of the Latin Americans but is also no miracle worker.
“It’s incredibly disappointing for us. The effort was huge,” Cheika said.
“They put everything out there and I think it was just in the details of the game, you know the small details on transition in scrums, the last couple of minutes before half-time, the first couple of minutes after half-time - they are the little nuances that we don’t have as yet in our game.
“But we’ve certainly got a lot to be proud of. I know the score was hard but their effort today, their defence and their work around the field. Just didn’t have the class to match New Zealand.
“It’s not finished yet. It’s not finished. We want to go home with a medal. So next week is huge for us.
“I am not sure if you get one (a medal) for coming third but I think that’s the way it sort of works. We will have to get over tonight because we really believed we could get in there and do something and it’s going to hurt.”
His team simply did not have the cattle to overcome a superior All Blacks team whose delusional bosses had already made the bewildering decision to part ways with head coach Ian Foster six months before the tournament.
If you think Rugby Australia were barking mad for sacking the ineffective Dave Rennie and appointing Eddie Jones, that pales in comparison to what New Zealand Rugby did.
Foster took over as All Blacks coach in 2020 and has since led the Kiwis to four Rugby Championships and now a World Cup final.
He has a winning strike rate over 70%, making him one of the best coaches in professional rugby.
Yet, New Zealand Rugby’s leaders announced in March that Foster was no longer wanted and would be replaced next year by Scott Robertson, who has signed a four year-deal through to the 2027 World Cup.
So Foster will be without a job next week even if he wins the World Cup - though probably not for long.
“I am part of the group that is working hard to do tha,” he said.
“It is really satisfying but now all the pressure of the final comes. We’ll enjoy the moment and then wake up tomorrow and get to work.”
The decision not to re-sign Foster looked silly at the time and looks even worse now after the All Blacks destroyed the Pumas with seven unanswered tries to post the second biggest semi-final margin in World Cup history.
After giving up an early penalty it didn’t take the All Blacks long to rumble into top gear, with Jordan diving over in the right corner in the 11th minute to score the first of his three tries.
Barrett and Shannon Frizell both got on the scorer’s sheet as the All Blacks went to the break with a commanding 20-6 lead.
The second half was all one-way traffic, with halfback Aaron Smith darting over shortly after the resumption then Frizell bagging a second then Jordan adding two more to finish the carnage with the rain falling.
“The conditions actually helped us a little bit. We were able to go forward and put their skillset under a wee bit of pressure with the greasy ball,” Barrett said.
“One to eight laid a massive foundation for us. Scrum penalties and some maul penalties took the sting out of their legs. The big boys did an outstanding job.
“It’s new territory for a lot of boys but there are also World Cup winners and World Cup finalists so we will call on their experience as much as we can. We are just going to enjoy the week as much as possible. It’s special times.”
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Originally published as Rugby World Cup semi-final results: New Zealand def Argentina 44-6 to storm into final
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