By Tadhg Peavoy
Email: sportonline@rte.ie
1019 A superbly contested first half as the Pumas fought tooth and nail with their illustrious hosts. In the end quality told and the All Blacks ran home comfortable winners.
But two late tries do not mask a far from complete performance from New Zealand. Colin Slade had a poor half an hour at outhalf and surely Cruden will start at number ten against Australia in the semi-finals. Plenty of questions still remain as to whether the All Blacks are going to claim this trophy. Can't wait.
See y'after.
1017 FULL-TIME NEW ZEALAND 33-10 ARGENTINA
80 mins The ABs are back in possession and a long ball is launched deep at the Argentine defence. The Pumas scramble back to cover and clear to touch, before Owens blows his whistle for full-time.
77 mins TRY & CONVERSION - NEW ZEALAND - THORN & CRUDEN
Senatore knocks on the lineout and the ABs snaffle it up. They break up the right flank, where Jane bursts up the wing, he manages to pass inside to Read, who feeds Thorn to steam over for a try. The icing on the cake. Cruden pops over the extras from wide right. New Zealand 33-10 Argentina
76 mins The ABs win the scrum and smack the ball downfield. It reaches halfway where the lineout will take place.
75 mins Contepomi clears to touch for the Pumas. The lineout goes over the top and Owens calls it back for not being straight.
74 mins The Pumas on the attack looking for a consolation score. Vito is penalised for contesting on the ground - penalty to Argentina.
72 mins PENALTY - NEW ZEALAND - WEEPU
Penalty to the All Blacks as the Pumas fail to release the tackler. Weepu will kick at goal from near the ten-metre line. It sails over with ease. New Zealand 26-10 Argentina
70 mins Weepu finds touch with a penalty from his own half and the ABs win the lineout. It's all New Zealand now as they hammer at the Pumas. Weepu, McCaw, Read, Thorn: slick passing, rucking, recycling - great stuff.
69 mins TRY - NEW ZEALAND - READ
The ABs win the lineout and set up the ruck in the middle of the park. The All Blacks continue to bash away, working left and right. Eventually, they go far left and the ball goes through the hands to Read. Rodriguez almost intercepts but fails and Read drops over the line for a try. Game over. Weepu fails to curl in the conversion.
New Zealand 23-10 Argentina
66 mins Weepu boxkicks deep to the Pumas half after the lineout and the Pumas knock it into touch.
65 mins The Pumas have a lineout in their own 22: they win and drive hard with Ledesma. The ball is fed back to Rodriguez, he jinks past four of five ABs and then loses his footing and has to kick to touch.
63 mins The Pumas are decimated in the scrum, but they scramble it back. However, the ABs are done for not rolling away.
63 mins The official attendance is 57, 912.
62 mins The ABs break with Weepu and then Thorn. Read and McCaw support before feeding Cruden on the break, he is almost away but is brought down by Imhoff and he knocks on.
60 mins The ABs take the restart, but lose it on the attack and the Pumas run it back themselves with Camacho - but he slips and knocks on. Scrum New Zealand.
58 mins PENALTY - NEW ZEALAND - WEEPU
YELLOW CARD - VERGALLO - ARGENTINA
Right on the line, there is a pile of bodies, McCaw reaches for the tryline, it looks like he hit the post with the ball, which is a try. Vergallo is also shown a yellow card for infringing at the ruck as Nigel Owens asks the TMO if McCaw got the try. The TMO says no - penalty back for the ABs. Weepu knocks over the three points. New Zealand 18-10 Argentina
57 mins The ABs win it back and spread wide, they make the Pumas 22. It's wave after wave from New Zealand. Weepu snipes around the side of a ruck. The Pumas are scrambling for their lives as the ABs pick and go relentlessly. It's a matter of inches now.
55 mins The ABs clear to touch and the Pumas win the lineout. But they fail to keep it tight and the ABs turn it over and feed Williams. He sears up the middle of the field and makes the Pumas 22 before feeding Nonu. The Pumas close down the space and the ABs resort a high kick to the corner from Cruden. But there isn't enough space and Jane is in touch when he comes down as Imhoff defends.
53 mins SB Williams breaks up the middle but he loses it and the Pumas hack the ball the length of the pitch into the New Zealand half.
52 mins The ABs run it back with Smith, and then go wide left where Mealamu is standing in at winger.
50 mins The ABs field the restart and go wide to Williams, he pops back inside to the support. The ball goes forward and the Pumas win their own scrum and clear long.
49 mins PENALTY - NEW ZEALAND - WEEPU
The Pumas are caught short on numbers on the left and slow down the ball at the ruck - penalty New Zealand. That was going to be a try, so probably the better option to let the ABs have the penalty. Weepu smacks over the penalty from wide left of goal.
New Zealand 15-10 Argentina
48 mins The All Blacks come steaming back at them and Jane is fed on the wing and hammered in the tackle. Nonu steams at the Pumas, but is stopped short.
45 mins PENALTY - ARGENTINA - BOSCH
The Pumas win a penalty and kick to touch. But the Pumas lose their own lineout and the All Blacks go spread it wide but then infringe at the breakdown. Penalty to the Pumas and Marcelo Bosch smacks it with all his life from nearly halfway and dear Lord it's sensational and sails over!
43 mins Argentina scrum: they hold and Vergallo is fed by Senatore. The Pumas pick and go several times with ferocity.
41 mins Thorn mashes up the middle of the park and the Pumas haul him down, the ball goes forward in the next phase of play and the Pumas have the put-in to the scrum.
40 mins We're underway again here in Auckland. Well, I'm in a brom cupboard in RTÉ, but you get the idea.
0918 HALF-TIME: NEW ZEALAND 12-7 ARGENTINA
40 mins Pumas kick long to the All Black half as Roncero is taken of for Marcos Ayerza. The All Blacks win the lineout and boot to touch. Half-time is called. But the notoriously demanding New Zealand fans don't even cheer their team off the pitch. You'd have to say that's pretty hard to respect. Back for more soon.
39 mins PENALTY - NEW ZEALAND - WEEPU
Weepu tries a grubber kick through for Cory Jane to chae on to. The Pumas defend it well, bue referee Nigel Owens calls it back for a penalty to New Zealand - there were Puma hands in the ruck. So, in front of the sticks, Weepu slots it.
New Zealand 12-7 Argentina
37 mins The All Blacks come again. Weepu spreading the ball this way and that as his team test the Pumas defence.
35 mins PENALTY - NEW ZEALAND - WEEPU
New Zealand are awarded a penaly for Contepomi not rolling away from a tackle. Wrong call there. But Weepu says thank you very much and bangs over the penalty from wide left. The All Blacks lead.
New Zealand 9-7 Argentina
33 mins Sensational call here. Slade is taken off by Graham Henry and replaced by Aaron Cruden. The All Blacks boss says you aint up to it, boy, and changes tack, bringing on Cruden.
29 mins TRY & CONVERSION - ARGENTINA - CABELLO & CONTEPOMI
Solid scrum and the Pumas burst into the All Blacks half with Senatore with a pick off the base. The ball gets to Contepomi, who feeds wide of him. Rodriguez injects huge pace to cut the All Blacks open and is hauled down on the line. The Pumas recycle and Farias Cabello barges over for a try. Contepomi adds the conversion.
New Zealand 6-7 Argentina
28 mins The All Blacks bash it back downfield to Camacho. He darts back at the All Blacks and goes to contact. The Pumas win a scrum.
27 mins Pumas win a lineout and are awarded a penalty for the All Blacks pulling down the lineout. Contepomi will have a pop at goal with this one. From the All Black 10-metre line, wide left of goal, the former Leinster man pulls it left.
24 mins PENALTY - NEW ZEALAND - WEEPU
The bind is dropped by the Pumas and a penalty is awarded. Weepu will kick at goal and boy he hits it right. Super kick from wide right.
23 mins The Pumas attempt to boxkick clear and the ball is knocked on. Scrum All Blacks: they win and kick to the corner, but the Pumas scramble back to claim it. They set the ruck and Vergallo plays the most awful pass to Fernandez - over the outhalf's head and into the crowd! Awful! Five-metre scrum to New Zealand.
20 mins The All Blacks come again Smith goes bang up the centre. Slade tries a grubber which doesn't come off and the Pumas claim it.
18 mins The ABs have put together 13 phases now. Muliaina is almost through on the right but is stopped in the 22. The All Blacks then put the ball through the hands to the left and it reaches Read who crossed for a try - but the TMO rules his foot was in touch.
16 mins All Blacks win the lineout and spin to midfield. Nonu has a pop but is taken down. It's wave after wave from the ABs, with the Pumas slowly conceding ground.
12 mins Scrum Pumas on halfway: the packs collide and they both collapse. The scrum is reset: Argentina win and work up the middle. Big aggressive carries. But they fail to release and it's penalty New Zealand. Weepu kicks to the Pumas 22.
11 mins PENALTY - NEW ZEALAND - WEEPU
The ABs win a penalty for offside and will go for goal through Weepu. From the 10-metre line the kick splits the posts.
New Zealand 3-0 Argentina
10 mins Slade restarts and Hernandez garryowens to Williams. The All Blacks put the ball through the hands to Jane on the right. He injects gas and tries to chip ahead, but no joy, he slices off his boot and into touch.
7 mins Lineout Argentina in the AB half. They win it and feed Santiago Fernandez. He goes for the drop goal from the ten-metre line. It drops inches under the bar! So close.
6 mins Weepu kicks to touch, but puts it out on the full.
5 mins Rodriguez clears to touch for Pumas and NZ win the lineout. Thorn takes it. The All Blacks maul and then set the ruck. Pumas get a foot to a loose ball and there is a foot race to get back to secure on the All Blacks line. Jane gets back and does just that and the All Blacks clear to touch. Slade dropped the ball causing the Pumas to get that kick in.
4 mins Contepomi looks for touch and misses it. The ABs run it back to their own 10-metre line. Slade and Read make ground. McCaw spills and the Pumas kick deep. The All Blacks do much the same and the Pumas attempt to field it but are pushed out of play.
3 mins Scrum Pumas: the All Blacks collapse and it's penalty to the Pumas.
2 mins The ball goes forward in the tackle and it's scrum to the Pumas.
1 mins Kaino takes the kick-off from Argentina. The Pumas turn it over but then knock on and Nonu grubbers to the Pumas 22. Contepomi boots long to Slade and the All Blacks take it back and make the Pumas half again.
0831 Some New Zealand v Argentina stats for you:
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Played 13: New Zealand 12, Argentina 0, drawn 1
HEAD-TO-HEAD IN WORLD CUPS: Played 1: New Zealand 1, Argentina 0
LAST TIME: 25 June 2006 (Buenos Aires): Argentina 19-25 New Zealand
0829 The All Blacks have done their throat-slitting Haka - they mean business today.
0828 Argentina have never beaten the All Blacks and a win today will easily be their biggest victory ever.
0826 And time for the Pumas ditty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWOxr3-M4c
0824 The teams are out on the pitch in Auckland as the New Zealand anthem belts out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVIdziunk0A&feature=fvwrel
0809 These timezone differences are killing me. Thank God the next World Cup is in England. Right, Australia are in the last four. Who will they play? The fiesty Pumas or the fearsome All Blacks? We're going to find out very shortly. The teams for the clash in Eden Park are outlined below.
New Zealand
15 FB Mils Muliaina
14 W Cory Jane
13 C Conrad Smith
12 C Ma'a Nonu
11 W Sonny Bill Williams
10 FH Colin Slade
9 SH Piri Weepu
1 P Tony Woodcock
2 H Keven Mealamu
3 P Owen Franks
4 L Brad Thorn
5 L Sam Whitelock
6 F Jerome Kaino
7 F Richie McCaw
8 N8 Kieran Read
Replacements
16 Andrew Hore
17 Ben Franks
18 Ali Williams
19 Victor Vito
20 Jimmy Cowan
21 Aaron Cruden
22 Isaia Toeava
Argentina:
15 Martin Rodriguez Gurruchage
14 W Gonzalo Camacho
13 C Marcelo Bosch
12 C Felipe Contepomi
11 W Horacio Agulla
10 FH Santiago Fernandez
9 SH Nicolas Vergallo
1 P Rodrigo Roncero
2 H Mario Ledesma Arocena
3 P Juan Figallo
4 L Manuel Carizza
5 L Patricio Albacete
6 F Julio Farias Cabello
7 F Juan Manuel Leguizamon
8 N8 Leonardo Senatore
Replacements
16 Agustin Creevy
17 Martin Scelzo
18 Marcos Ayerza
19 Alejandro Campos
20 Alfredo Lalanne
21 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino
22 Juan Imhoff
