A great contest. I said before the match that the All Blacks would win it by 20 and Argentina played brilliantly to keep them to half that. I don’t want to patronise them, but it was always going to take a herculean effort to get close – even when they led after 57 minutes, the odds on them hanging on were always slim.
New Zealand weren’t perfect and by no means looked like nailed on certainties for the Cup. Still, they got the result they wanted and expected and it should be pretty comfy for them throughout the rest of the pool.
Thanks for reading. Bye!
Updated
Full-time: New Zealand 26-16 Argentina
Nothing of note happened in that final minute.
79 min McCaw kills it on the ground and gives away a penalty. Hernandez kicks to touch out ton the left, just over the 10 metre line. Chance for a losing bonus point for Argentina, though I doubt they’ll need it in this pool.
78 min More errors as the All Blacks try to put width on it. Sonny Bill tries to resurrect the move, but it goes forward and to ground. Scrum Argentina, and you get the impression that both sets of forwards would rather not have to do this.
77 min This time Hernandez clears deep into the New Zealand half, but he misses touch. Here we go again...
76 min New Zealand want another try and spin it wide for Ben Smith, who has moved out to the wing since Barrett’s arrival. He’s dragged down short and the ball shoots out off his boot, into touch.
75 min Argentina win the lineout ball and try to go on the attack. The problems are (a) they’re knackered, (b) they’re 90 metres out and (c) they’re playing New Zealand. Bosch knocks it on.
74 min An exchange of kicks ends with SBW flipping a nice little touchfinder bobbling out on the 22. We get a respite while Faumuina gets a small bit of treatment,
73 min Argentina disrupt it again, but Lobbe is shattered and just boots the loose ball forwards.
73 min Back inside it comes, but De La Fuente, who is on for someone, nicks it on the floor. Hernandez clears, but misses touch and New Zealand come back.
72 min Scrappy, scrambling defence now from the Pumas, as New Zealand try to get it along the line but the backs are up quickly to disrupt. Smith carries it up down the right, driving to the five metre line.
71 min New Zealand have to use it and Perenara chips with the outside of his boot for Smith to gather. They hadn’t counted on Cordero though, who comes flying off his wing and leaps high to win the ball for Argentina. He clears to touch as Vito replaces Retallick.
70 min More changes, as Hernandez puts one out on the full. Creevy is off, with Noguera coming on, and Tuculet makes way for Amorosino. Despite the extra front rows in the Argentina side, New Zealand get the rolling maul going from 30 metres towards the line.
69 min Mealamu is on for Coles (not Dan Cole, as Nick Mullins calls him) and Perenara for Aaron Smith. The crowd is confirmed at 89,019, which is a new World Cup record.
68 min Argentina have been mighty impressive today, but they’re done in now. Barrett seizes on a bouncing ball and soars majestically over the line with no little flourish. He knocked it on before though, so no try.
Try! (Cane 67 + Carter con) New Zealand 26-16 Argentina
All New Zealand now as they run a clearance back, hammering away at the line. Left it goes, there’s a huge overlap and Cane makes up for his error two minutes ago by jogging around and under the sticks.
Updated
65 min Carter kicks to touch on the 10 metre line as Argentina have a problem: Senatore limps off and the number eight is replaced by the second hooker Montoya. Smith makes a break that has the crowd on its feet after being put away by SBW’s inside pop pass. He steps inside and is dragged down just short, but then Cane knocks on in the follow up.
64 min Argentina continue to be effective at the rucks and keep knocking New Zealand backwards. They get up to the 10 metre line, but then Kaino – who was replaced according to the TV graphic but it was definitely him – seals it off well and wins the penalty. Ah now Cane comes on.
63 min Cabelli’s day is done, replaced by Landajo. New Zealand have momentum now, getting up to within five on the right then switching it left, but Carter’s final pass to McCaw goes forward and into touch. Cane replaces Kaino.
62 min Argentina win the lineout on halfway, but Read rips it back for New Zealand. Right it goes, then left and it’s Read who smashes his way into the 22.
61 min The turnover comes and Smith’s box kick bounces up dangerously in the 22. Cabelli jumps and collects with Conrad Smith, mistiming his jump, clambering all over his back. It might be a yellow card, but as Smith’s had one already Barnes wisely keeps his in his pocket.
60 min Carter goes long with the drop out and Argentina will have to go from 15 metres inside their own half. There’s nothing on from which to build momentum here.
59 min Creevy has a massive job on his hands now, to lift his team as they have to come from behind. They have a chance here as Tuculet gets it in space on the left and slips a kick down the line, but Barrett gets ahead to touch it down. Leguizamon on for Matera.
Conversion (Carter 58) New Zealand 19-16 Argentina
Carter knocks it over from right in front.
Try! (A Smith 57) New Zealand 17-16 Argentina
Into the corner it goes. Five metre lineout to New Zealand and Coles picks out Whitelock. Argentina drive the maul back, but it pops out to Aaron Smith, who squirts round the corner and slides over!
Updated
56 min Creevy kills the ball and it’s another penalty. There was a high tackle too, by Coles on Sanchez after the latter had seized an interception, but we go back for the original offence.
55 min More attritional stuff as New Zealand batter away. Hererra is on for Chaparro at three. This is a relentless battering from the All Blacks, as they get up to within five.
54 min From the lineout New Zealand go back and forth across the pitch, but Smith loses the ball in the tackle. Creevy grabs it and hacks the ball upfield, but then Lavanini fails to roll away at the ruck after chasing. Carter kicks up to the 22.
53 min Smith tries to irritate Cabelli, as is a scrum-halve’s wont, but the Argentinian gets it back to Hernandez, who clears to his own 10 metre line and touch.
52 min My apologies, it was Cordero who won that turnover. Easy to mistake the two. Ahem. Anyway, there was a series of knock ons there and the result is an Argentina scrum on the 22, over on the right.
51 min A couple more All Black changes as Milner-Skudder is replaced by Barrett and Franks by Faumunia. Aaron Smith sends up a high one and it bounces free, ending up in SBW’s hands. Left they go, up to the 22, back inside and then left again, but Lobbe rips the ball back for Argentina!
50 min Retallick rises high and pinches the lineout, but spills it forward upon landing. The Argentinian fans are a picture of joy, bouncing up and down in the stands. Words cannot describe how much I wish I was there. Senatore picks up at the back, but Aaron Smith does very well to drag him into touch.
49 min That’s a great kick from Sanchez, with no angle he finds touch on the New Zealand 10 metre line.
48 min So it’s an Argentina scrum, five from their own line, down in the bottom right hand corner. It’s a mighty rumble from the giant South American pack and Ayerza demolishes Franks, winning his side a penalty.
47 min What a chance! It goes right to SBW and he powers forwards towards the line. He’s not going to get there, so he offloads one-handed to Milner-Skudder, but the wing spills it!
“Was there ever an easier opportunity?” asks Nick Mullins.
“There was one, but we won’t talk about that,” reminisces Ben Kay.
Updated
46 min Lineout to New Zealand 35 metres out on the right then and they’ve made a couple of curious changes: Woodcock and Nonu off, Crockett and Sonny Bill Williams on. From the lineout, New Zealand trundle relentlessly into the 22, down the centre, but when they get it out a brilliant chop tackle takes down Retallick.
45 min Now Read and Kaino make headway down the New Zealand left. It comes back right and Nonu kicks it straight to Senatore. The number eight can’t get away, so Cabelli looks to box kick into space, but he overcooks it and puts the ball straight out.
44 min An exchange of kicks ends with a brilliant take by Tuculet. Hernandez kicks ahead for Cordero to chase, but Milner-Skudder is across to cover it well. Another exchange of kicks follows, with Milner-Skudder tapping a high one back for his pack.
Penalty (Sanchez 43) New Zealand 12-16 Argentina
Over it goes. They can’t, can they?
Updated
42 min Argentina reset slowly and go back inside. New Zealand go offiside and have a simple shot at goal from right in front.
41 min Here we go again, Hernandez getting things restarted with no changes on either side. McCaw is back on as Nonu charges up out his 22. Aaron Smith sends it high by Cordero takes it very well and Argentina go left and surge into the 22!
“I can’t believe that the Pumas didn’t take the scrum late on,” writes Andy Gordon. “There would have been a one-man advantage on both sides and the potential for the All Blacks pack breaking up to add to the defensive line. Trying to explain rules and tactics to my Argentine wife in Spanish on the go is fraught enough without having to figure out these decisions as well!”
It was an understandable decision, albeit a fairly negative one. Japan would have taken the scrum.
To those of you writing to say Carter deliberately kicked/kneed Petti in the head, please stop, you’re embarrassing yourselves. Carter was badly positioned and moved across late as Petti drove low towards the line. There was nothing he could have done given his positioning error.
“McCaw’s been getting away with that kind of stuff for years,” says Colm Cross. “I think his cloak of invisibilty has finally stopped working.” He’s just had three yellow cards in his career. I’m not in the least bit surprised by that statistic.
Half-time: New Zealand 12-13 Argentina
Well.
Updated
Penalty (Carter 40) New Zealand 12-13 Argentina
Carter knocks it over from 21 metres out, fractionally to the right.
40 min Here comes the driving maul, with Coles at the back of it. He gets it to Carter via Smith, then Matera plays it on floor on the 22. Carter will knock this over to end the half.
39 min Tuculet receives it under pressure in the 22 and is forced to kick with his left boot. It doesn’t go too far and New Zealand have a lineout on the 22.
Penalty (Sanchez 38) New Zealand 9-13 Argentina
It’s right in front, just inside the 22 and an easy three points.
38 min Argentina are going to take the points, rather than the scrum against 13 men. Fair enough.
37 min The All Blacks are on the ropes! Through goes Imhoff into the 22. He’s stopped and Smith desperately plays it on the floor and goes to the bin! New Zealand are down to 13.
Updated
36 min From the scrum Argentina spin it wide left and surge up towards halfway, looking to put Imhoff away. He’s well marked, so they go right again, then left again, pulling black shirts hither and tither.
35 min Back inside it comes, but still they can’t get there. Smith pops it up off the floor to Read, but the number eight knocks on in the tackle!
34 min New Zealand come forward from the scrum, up to the 22 and they start to bang away at that gainline, looking for weaknesses. Ball carrier after ball carrier comes forward, before Smith goes through one gap and then another up to the line...
33 min Carter chips ahead, before Bosch switches play with a brilliant behind-the-back pass and there’s an overlap, but Sanchez spills it! Bah!
32 min It’s taken by Reed on halfway and Nonu thunders into midfield. The ball goes loose as Carter wraps around Smith, but it was knocked on by an Argentinian hand in the tackle.
31 min From the restart, Creevy drives up to his 22 and Cabelli boxes it clear. The Argentina captain has had a quite outstanding first half hour.
Penalty (Sanchez 30) New Zealand 9-10 Argentina
From 48 metres out, to the left, Sanchez strokes it coolly through the sticks. Argentina lead!
Yellow card for Richie McCaw!
30 min Ah hold on a minute. It looks like Imhoff was tripped as he took it. He was and it’s the captain who goes to the bin. The atmosphere turns hostile while Sanchez lines up his kick.
Updated
29 min Now Argentina steal the lineout on their own 22 and Cabelli puts it up. Smith claims the ball but holds on. Imhoff takes it quickly on halfway... and immediately drops the ball. D’oh.
28 min Back inside and New Zealand are finding space. It goes right to Milner-Skudder who steps outside and flicks a brilliant little one-handed pass back inside, only for Kaino to spill it. Argentina clear.
27 min Carter finds touch on the 22 on the left. It’s thrown to Whitelock at the front and flung infield, whence Savea looks to make headway from the back of a ruck. Left it goes and Nonu bounces off one tackle before giving it out to Read.
26 min The Petti replacement has been made permanent. New Zealand win their lineout ball and Smith puts the kick up high, but Cordero takes it magnificently. Sadly for him, Lobbe drives off his feet and concedes the penalty.
25 min As Ben Kay points out, it was Carter’s bad positioning that allowed Petti over for the try. Argentina get the lineout on the right, midway inside the All Black half and form the maul, but once it’s recycled the ball is knocked on in the tackle. Carter clears and the advantage is over, before Tuculet returns to touch just over halfway.
Updated
24 min A temporary replacement as Gloucester’s Galarza comes on while Petti has a head injury assessment. Argentina won a scrum as New Zealand knocked on the restart and from that they get a scrum as the All Black front row takes a trademark Ayerza battering.
Conversion (Sanchez 23) New Zealand 9-7 Argentina
Petti has hurt himself in driving through the defence there and is having treatment. Wembley loved that score by the sounds of things and they love Sanchez’s conversion. Game on, and Matera isn’t even back yet!
Try! (Petti 21) New Zealand 9-5 Argentina
Imhoff now jinks and weaves his way down the left, before Tuculet takes it on. They have advantage as Creevy, then Senatore drive up to the line... and then Petti dives over!
Updated
20 min McCaw takes the restart and Aaron Smith clears. It’s taken in by Senatore, who goes on a strong, barraging run down the left and sets up his team to go through the phases.
Penalty (Carter 19) New Zealand 9-0 Argentina
10 metres to the right of the posts, you don’t become rugby’s greatest ever points scorer by missing those.
18 min Whitelock twists brilliantly out of a tackle as New Zealand set themselves and go. Kaino carries it on, 15 metres from the line, then Lavanini is offside and concedes Argentina’s eighth penalty of the first 18 minutes.
17 min Penalty New Zealand at the scrum as Ayerza goes to ground. Carter sends that to touch midway between the Argentinian 10 metre line and the 22.
16 min Hernandez’s penalty sets up a lineout on the New Zealand 22, out on the left. Six in the lineout and it’s Lavanini who wins it. They go infield and Hernandez knocks on, and New Zealand look to counter. Barnes awards a penalty for holding on against the All Blacks, but then remembers the knock on and changes his mind.
15 min Argentina get themselves in a spot of bother as they decide to run it out of their 22. They get out of it well enough though, as Sanchez and Creevy both slip out tackles to get up the middle. New Zealand go off their feet at a ruck and that’s Argentina’s first penalty of the day.
14 min 10 phases and then Cabelli kicks over the top, but the bounce sits up nicely for Ben Smith who counters. Right they go and it’s kicked ahead.
Updated
13 min Argentina win their own lineout ball, but McCaw is so, so quick getting up in defence and the Pumas are going backwards. Capelli goes for the attritional route, picking and driving, but New Zealand are solid.
12 min The restart bounces into touch five metres from the New Zealand line, but they secure the lineout and execute yer standard clearance easily enough. Carter’s kick finds touch 35 metres upfield.
Penalty (Carter 11) New Zealand 6-0 Argentina
Carter opts for the sticks from 20 metres out, a couple to the left of the sticks. Through it goes.
9 min Off the back of it Read pops the ball to Aaron Smith, but he’s taken down before he can get it out to the wing. New Zealand launch a series of drives before flinging it left, with Conrad Smith sending an outrageous pass through his legs to Savea. New Zealand get the penalty for offside and then Matera prevents Aaron Smith from taking it quickly. Yellow card for the flanker.
8 min Free-kick to New Zealand at the scrum, though Barnes doesn’t explain why. They’re going to take another scrum, with Milner-Skudder lurking on the blindside.
6 min From the lineout around halfway New Zealand spin it quickly right across the field. Nonu kicks ahead and Tuculet has to slide back and carry it over his own line. Five metre scrum to the ABs...
6 min Sanchez kicks long to Nonu and he’s wrapped up, but there’s a penalty against Bosch for not rolling away. Harsh call that as he wasn’t interfering with play. Still, if Wayne Barnes spots an opportunity to blow his whistle he damn well will.
Penalty (Carter 5) New Zealand 3-0 Argentina
He does. A good spot from Ian McCourt, who notes that every New Zealand player is wearing black boots, which is a rare sight.
Updated
4 min New Zealand go through the phases and shuffle into the 22, winning a penalty as Argentina fail to roll away. Carter should get the scoreboard ticking from just to the right of the sticks.
3 min Argentina have possession in midfield, 15 metres inside the All Blacks’ half, but get penalised for going off their feet and holding on. Carter finds touch five metres outside the 22.
2 min The lineout is good from New Zealand and Whitelock claims cleanly. Back to Carter it goes and he fires his clearance upfield and into touch.
Updated
1 min Wayne Barnes – oh no – peeps his whistle and Dan Carter kicks off with a shallow one for his forwards on the right. This is a seriously weird, high camera angle. Argentina claim and Sanchez goes high. It’s regathered by Argentina and, after and exchange of kicks, Hernandez stabs a nice one into touch in the 22 on the right.
Here we go. If you’re at Wembley I am aching with jealousy.
Is that you, Rob Kitson?
Love Los Pumas. Biggest anthem blubbers. pic.twitter.com/vMMw5cwAn9
— Mick Cleary (@MickClearyTel) September 20, 2015
Like their fellow South Americans Uruguay earlier, the Argentinian players are in tears at the national anthem. Ominous intense professionalism on the New Zealanders’ faces.
Here come the teams. Five minutes to go and Wembley is rocking.
The first email of the match comes from Geoff Foley: “When do you think we’ll see the first defending team refuse to contest a rolling maul from a lineout? The minnows are getting smashed there early on and it looks impossible to defend a properly constructed roll in any event (see how many tries Pocok scored for the Brumbies in the Super 14 off these). Or have the teams been told by the officials that they need to contest and invariably draw a yellow card for a pen or 5 points?”
The honest answer is I don’t know. I wouldn’t say the rolling maul is a blight on the game, but if we keep seeing them rolling minnows over then it’s not going to sell the game to a wider audience. One of England’s strengths is their effectiveness at defending the rolling maul: other teams would be wise to study Courtney Lawes’ work in that.
Some pre-match reading. Courtesy of Messrs Rees and McCaw.
He’s the best ever, isn’t he? McCaw good too.
Elsewhere, plucky Wales have beaten Uruguay 54-9. Alan Smith has that one if you want to relive the action.
There’s another record likely to be broken tonight.
RWC top crowds - set to be broken 2night? 82,957 England 20 Oz 17 2003 82,444 Oz 22 New Zealand 10 2003 82,346 England 24 7 France 2003
— Brendan gallagher (@gallagherbren) September 20, 2015
The crowd should be around 90,000, which would be a record for a World Cup game. Still someway short, though, of the 109,874 who watched the Tri Nations classic between Australia and New Zealand at Sydney in 2000.
Preamble
Afternoon, folks. Welcome one, welcome all, to the Richie McCaw Glory Procession opening ceremony! Behold, the mighty All Blacks, conquerors of all, they who bow to no one, as they trample all before them on the path to World Cup glory. Envy the plucky Argentinians, who have the honour to share the same turf as these titans this afternoon!
Or at least let’s hope not. This is nothing to do with playing favourites or an anti-New Zealand bias – on the contrary, I love to watch them – but that would be a bit boring, wouldn’t it? The signs are that it’s going to be a close tournament – as I write this, Uruguay are hilariously beating Wales 6-0 – and the All Blacks, while favourites, won’t have it all their own way.
To say the draw has been kind to New Zealand is akin to saying that Don Bradman could bat a bit. Pool C looks ludicrously easy for them and today’s match against Argentina is, by far and away, the toughest they’ll play over the next month or so.
Last time the teams met, in the Rugby Championship, the Kiwis came away with a fairly comfortably 39-18 win. Still, they will need to be wary of being caught cold by this immensely powerful, experienced, Argentina team if they’re not to be part of the second shock result in this young tournament (Wales lead 14-9 now and I suspect they’ll cling on for the remaining 55 minutes).
Ah yes, experience. Even with the recalls of Marcos Ayerza and Juan Martin Hernandez, Argentina’s collective caps pale into nothing when stood up to New Zealand’s world record 1,013 (with 316 more on the bench for good measure). It’s arguably that experience more than anything else that makes the Kiwis favourites for the whole damn thing.
Kick-off at Wembley is at the slightly esoteric time of 4.45pm BST. That’s 3.45am if you’re an insomniac/liveblogger in Wellington, or the more palatable time of 12.45pm in Buenos Aires. Here are your teams:
New Zealand
Ben Smith; Nehe Milner-Skudder, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu, Julian Savea; Dan Carter, Aaron Smith; Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (capt), Jerome Kaino; Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick; Owen Franks, Dane Coles, Tony Woodcock
Replacements: Keven Mealamu, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Victor Vito, Sam Cane, TJ Perenara, Beauden Barrett, Sonny Bill Williams
Argentina
Joaquin Tuculet; Santiago Cordero, Marcelo Bosch, Juan Martin Hernandez, Juan Imhoff; Nicolas Sanchez, Tomas Cubelli; Leonardo Senatore, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Pablo Matera; Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti; Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Agustin Creevy (capt), Marcos Ayerza
Replacements: Julian Montoya, Lucas Noguera, Ramino Herrera, Mariano Galarza, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Martin Landajo, Jeronimo De La Fuente, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino
Dan will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s Gerard Meagher preview of the two teams:
New Zealand
Coach Steve Hansen
Captain Richie McCaw
World ranking 1 World Cup best Winners, 1987, 2011
Defending champions, favourites and having lost only one game in the northern hemisphere since the 2007 World Cup, the All Blacks are again the team to beat. Sweeping all before them only to squeeze past France in the final four years ago, New Zealand have continued to improve since Hansen replaced Graham Henry and oversaw a 22-match unbeaten streak. They do not lack experience – in Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Dan Carter and the irrepressible McCaw they have four cap centurions, with Ma’a Nonu set to join them. And those writing the All Blacks’ obituary were made to look foolish after a defeat against Australia in Sydney last month was followed by a 41-13 win to defend the Bledisloe Cup.
Chinks in the armour are few, but their rivals will look for an advantage at the scrum and will bear in mind New Zealand have never reached the final in the three northern hemisphere World Cups. There is also the feeling the All Blacks are not quite as far in front as they were 18 months ago and in a straightforward group they may reach the quarter-finals undercooked. Still, selecting Waisake Naholo, the stand-out wing in Super Rugby this year, only six weeks after he broke his leg would appear to dampen any suggestions that their aura of invincibility is slipping.
Argentina
Coach Daniel Hourcade
Captain Agustín Creevy
World ranking 8 World Cup best Third, 2007
Progress has been slow since the 2007 World Cup when wins over Ireland, Scotland and France, twice, resulted in a stunning third-place finish. Disappointing defeats punctuated by impressive one-off wins – most notably over Australia at home last year and against South Africa in Durban last month – has been the pattern. Traditionally reliant on a powerful scrum, they also have a backs division of real repute. Juan Martín Hernández is an old head at fly-half and Juan Imhoff has express pace.
Premiership followers will be familiar with the Bath wing Horacio Agulla and the Saracens centre Marcelo Bosch while they are captained by Creevy, the former Worcester hooker. Next to him is Leicester’s loosehead stalwart Marcos Ayerza, but tighthead is of real concern, with Matías Díaz and Juan Figallo both missing. Argentina at least arrive having avoided bottom spot of the Rugby Championship for the first time since their inclusion in 2012 and will expect to follow the All Blacks out of the pool.
