The Rugby World Cup reaches the semi-finals, with Argentina and New Zealand becoming the first of the last four teams to advance to the semi-finals. They meet at the Stade de France in Paris on Friday and know that victory will secure them a place in the final.
Argentina reached the last four with an ultimately comfortable win over Wales in Marseille. A missed penalty from Emiliano Boffelli allowed Wales to score their first points and the Pumas fell 10-0 behind. Clever and tactical attacks followed, with Boffelli overcoming four penalties to level the deficit. Tomos Williams restored Wales’ lead with a brilliant try before two late tries from Joel Sclavi and Nicolas Sanchez sealed victory for the South Americans.
In contrast, New Zealand played their best game of the tournament and beat Ireland 28-24. In the final minutes of the game, it defended 37 phases to maintain its lead and prepare this duel against Argentina.
Here’s everything you need to know before the game Rugby World Cup odds and tips can be found here:
When does Argentina vs New Zealand take place?
The semi-final is scheduled to begin at 8pm BST on Friday October 20th at the Stade de Frace in Paris.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the game live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 7:30pm BST.
Registered users can also stream the game online for free on ITVX.
Team news
For the Rugby World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Saint-Denis, Argentina head coach Michael Cheika brought in scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou for Tomás Cubelli – the only change from the team that beat Wales in the quarter-finals.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have welcomed winger Mark Tele’a into the team for the semi-finals after he missed the All Blacks’ round of 16 win over Ireland for disciplinary reasons. Tele’a replaces Leicester Fainga’anuku with the other change to Ian Foster’s squad in the second row, where Sam Whitelock, the most capped All Black of all time, is preferred to long-time locking partner Brodie Retallick.
Retallick will have to make do with a place on the bench, which also includes hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho, who didn’t feature last week.
Confirmed lineups:
Argentina XV: 15-Juan Cruz Mallia, 14-Emiliano Boffelli, 13-Lucio Cinti, 12-Santiago Chocobares, 11-Mateo Carreras, 10-Santiago Carreras. 9-Gonzalo Bertranou, 1-Thomas Gallo, 2-Julián Montoya, 3-Francisco Gómez Kodela, 4-Guido Petti Pagadizabal, 5-Tomas Lavanini, 6-Juan Martin Gonzalez, 7-Marcos Kremer, 8-Facundo Isa.
Substitute: 16-Agustín Creevy, 17-Joel Sclavi, 18-Eduardo Bello, 19-Matias Alemanno, 20-Rodrigo Bruni, 21-Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22-Nicolas Sanchez, 23-Matías Moroni
New Zealand XV: 15-Beauden Barrett, 14-Will Jordan, 13-Rieko Ioane, 12-Jordie Barrett, 11-Mark Tele’a, 10-Richie Mo’unga, 9-Aaron Smith; 1-Ethan de Groot, 2-Codie Taylor, 3-Tyrel Lomax, 4-Samuel Whitelock, 5-Scott Barrett, 6-Shannon Frizell, 7-Sam Cane, 8-Ardie Savea
Substitute: 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
opportunities
Argentina – 10/1
Draw – 40/1
New Zealand – 1/16
forecast
Argentina go into the game as underdogs, especially after New Zealand’s narrow win over Ireland last time out. This win may have turned the All Blacks’ back, but Ian Foster’s side should have the quality needed to get to the final.
Argentina 16-27 New Zealand.
