AUCKLAND, New Zealand – New Zealand won the torrid forwards showdown against Argentina to tough out a 33-10 victory on Sunday that set up a semifinal with archrival Australia in the Rugby World Cup.
The Pumas went gunning for the All Blacks up front, and New Zealand struggled mightily to break their clutches on Eden Park. Argentina even scored a try against the run of play to briefly lead 7-6 in the first half, but under constant siege, the Pumas grudgingly conceded penalties.
Scrumhalf Piri Weepu did a perfect impersonation of sidelined superstar Dan Carter by booting over his first six shots at goal to build a safe 18-10 lead by the hour mark, after which the Pumas exhausted their energy and New Zealand finally ran in tries to forwards Kieran Read and Brad Thorn.
«They come at you like a black wave and it’s very hard to stop them,» Pumas captain Felipe Contepomi said.
The All Blacks will meet the Wallabies on the same ground in a week. It will be the third All Blacks-Wallabies semifinal in tournament history, with the Wallabies triumphant in 1991 and 2003.
Maintaining an unbeaten record against the Pumas may have been costly for New Zealand. Fullback Mils Muliaina, who became the second All Black to 100 tests, lasted only 41 minutes before he was replaced with a serious shoulder injury, and Colin Slade came off early with a groin injury. Carter’s tournament ended with a torn tendon in his groin in training, elevating Slade to the starting flyhalf.
In for Slade went Aaron Cruden, the squad replacement for Carter, and after his first All Blacks appearance in a year he was praised by coach Graham Henry for his composure.
«I’ve twice played Argentina and never had an easy game,» captain Richie McCaw said. «They’re passionate, and when it comes to a World Cup quarterfinal, they showed how much it means to them, and we expected that.
«They play well as a team, try to interrupt your flow and put you under pressure. We knew it might take a bit of time to get on top. The thing we didn’t want to do was panic. We’ve learned from the past that you’ve got to play 80 minutes in these big tests, there’s always going to be opportunities and you’ve got to take them.»
Argentina pulled off its plan to slow down New Zealand’s ruck ball, hold its defense together and make first-time tackles count. But its willingness to bend the rules in the breakdowns drove referee Nigel Owens to frustration, and he penalized the Pumas 10 times, seven of them within range for Weepu.
Feisty scrumhalf Nicolas Vergallo was also sin-binned in the second half after repeated warnings, and that was when the All Blacks put the result beyond doubt, scoring 11 points to jump from 15-10 to 26-10.
Vergallo was one of the Pumas’ best, alongside try-scoring flanker Juan Cabello and veteran prop Rodrigo Roncero, who put in 12 tackles before he was replaced seconds before halftime. New Zealand ran off at halftime to muted applause, much less than it has been used to in this World Cup.
But the All Blacks returned with a greater sense of urgency, moving ruck ball faster and slowly making more sniping raids through Argentina’s tiring defense.
A penalty from the halfway line by the Pumas’ Marcelo Bosch closed the deficit to 12-10, but Weepu’s fifth penalty extended the lead to 15-10.
Chances opened up. A Weepu crosskick was taken by Cruden, who fell into the right corner flag, then McCaw was held up in front of the right post in the same struggle which sent Vergallo to the sin-bin, and Weepu made it 18-10.
Then New Zealand’s tries finally arrived. Jerome Kaino’s no-look outside pass was missed by Pumas fullback Martin Rodriguez and Read scored.
Weepu finally missed a shot, the conversion, but nailed his seventh penalty from 41 meters for 26-10.
Then winger Cory Jane, who starred throughout the game after being sanctioned for a night of binge drinking on Thursday, drew three defenders, Read picked up the over-the-shoulder pass, and Thorn strolled in. Cruden converted.
•Australia 11, South Africa 9: In Wellington, New Zealand, winger James O’Connor landed a 71st-minute penalty as Australia ralled to beat South Africa in a quarterfinal on Sunday, ending the title defense of an aging Springboks team and keeping the Wallabies on track to become the first team to win the title three times.
O’Connor’s 30-meter goal regained the lead for Australia, which had led 8-3 at halftime with a try to its captain James Horwill but which had fallen behind under relentless pressure through the second half.
Springboks flyhalf Morne Steyn kicked a penalty and a dropped goal to give South Africa a 9-8 lead after 59 minutes, before O’Connor rewarded a valiant Wallabies defensive performance with the winning goal.
«It was a huge effort,» Horwill said. «We had some real issues there in the second half. I’m really proud of the way the guys fought it, dug in.
«We knew that we had to stick in, our defense would win these big games. We had to trust that.»
Australia soaked up unrelenting pressure from the Springboks throughout the second half as it sought to preserve first its 8-3 lead, then an 8-6 lead when Steyn kicked a 54th minute penalty. Even when it fell behind by a point to Steyn’s 40-meter dropped goal the will of the young Australian team didn’t break.
They rallied. They forced themselves into South African territory for one of the few occasions in the second half and when the Springboks committed an error, the Wallabies snatched their chance for victory.
Even at the end of the match , Australia made the tackles, forced the turnovers, won the inches of ground which turned the match in its favor and ended South Africa’s World Cup reign.
The match likely ends the careers of many of the Springboks’ veterans who strove so hard on Sunday to keep their World Cup defense alive: captain John Smit who played 49 minutes in his 110th test on Sunday and his 17th straight World Cup match.
Perhaps most prominent was the giant flanker Schalk Burger, who carried the ball into contact fearlessly throughout the match, and who made desperate tackles and fought for the supply of loose ball through which South Africa hoped to apply its game of pressure and territory.
Flanker David Pocock equally played a massive role in Australia’s victory, forcing a steady succession of turnovers from a South African pack which was willing, physical but sometimes sluggish at the breakdown. It was in that area more than any other that the age of the Springboks team manifested itself.
Australia’s young backline stars, Quade Cooper, Digby Ioane and Will Genia weren’t always able to shine in a match played mostly in their own half and under crushing pressure. Cooper had his worst game of the tournament, but the inside backs performed their tasks on defense, in the receipt of kicks and as tacklers.
The Associated Press.