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Looking for New Zealand vs Argentina predictions and odds at the Rugby World Cup 2023? We’ve got you covered…
On Friday, 8 September, when this competition began, over five weeks ago, 20 proud nations from around the globe eagerly anticipated their first fixture, ready to compete for the chance to go all the way, now only four remain.
One of those teams still in France, very much alive and kicking, was one of those two teams competing on opening night, New Zealand, who fell 27-13 to the hosts but outlasted them to get to the semi-finals.
Despite most predicting two all-Northern Hemisphere semi-finals, judging from the quarter-finals, the Southern Hemisphere has defied the odds and stolen three of the four spots, including an all-Southern Hemisphere affair in our first of the two semi-finals, New Zealand vs Argentina.
The fabled Stade de France will be the host for this titanic New Zealand vs Argentina fixture as one team fights to play in their fifth Rugby World Cup Final and the other fights to be in their very first.
New Zealand vs Argentina match predictions
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This very same tussle between old Rugby Championship rivals has never been bigger, never has more been on the line. For Argentina, it is the biggest game in their history since 2015, maybe earlier. Who will prevail in New Zealand vs Argentina?
New Zealand vs Argentina preview
Neither team come into this fixture unbeaten, with both New Zealand and Argentina losing their first game of the tournament to France and England, respectively, proving that longevity is the key to Rugby World Cups with convincing wins over Ireland and Wales in their respective quarter-finals last week.
Argentina to win with a + 18.5 point handicap @ 4/5 (1.80)
Let’s get one thing clear, Argentina, while deserving to be in the semi-finals, are not a team that should be in the Rugby World Cup Final this year. They fell apart against a 14-man England and shaved past Japan and Samoa.
However, to predict a 19 + margin of victory is to misunderstand the nature of Rugby World Cup semi-finals. They are nervous, tense affairs that are won by kicks off the tee, defensive sets and set-piece steals, not by scoring four tries to none.
Though Argentina are not in their best shape ever, a team of endlessly proud and passionate individuals like them will not lie down and they have more than enough talent to make it close.
The last time Argentina were in a Rugby World Cup semi-final, in 2015, they were virtually swept aside by a far superior Australia team, and the margin of victory then was only 14. Expect a similar, if maybe closer New Zealand vs Argentina match this Friday night.
Will Jordan to score the first try @ 6/1 (7.0)
When making these articles, we always like to find an obscure prediction that no one else could predict and would produce a big profit. This is not one of them.
Quite simply, it is a no-brainer, Jordan is one fire and probably the best finisher in the world. He has five tries in his four Rugby World Cup 2023 games, including a stunner versus Ireland last week and a remarkable total of 28 tries in his 29 international caps (just short of a try a game for those who struggle with maths).
New Zealand are odds on to score first, and when they do, the usual suspect will be on the end of it.
New Zealand
As the old adage goes, never write off the All Blacks at the World Cup. This rings no more true than this year when the All Blacks, seemingly a team in the shadow of its former self and in the peripheral of the other three teams in the top four, accentuated by a 35-7 drumming at the hands of South Africa in the warm-up a week before the World Cup.
Despite this, everyone knew that come the bright lights of the game’s biggest tournament, they’d compete, and yet few outside of New Zealand could have foreseen a semi-final run, disposing of the world’s number-one ranked team, Ireland, in the process.
If New Zealand were to go on and win the Rugby World Cup from here, it would surely be the most unlikely of runs to the Webb Ellis Cup, trumping South Africa in 2019 and 2007.
However, with two of the top four teams in the world sent packing last weekend, the door is wide open for a historic fourth Rugby World title and the chance for a group of players to cement a legacy that surely can never be touched, with three titles in four tournaments.
Equally, an exit at this stage to a team they’ve only lost to twice in 36 matches and their tournament takes on a different shade, one of disappointment and potential unfulfilled.
Argentina
Los Pumas have been less than convincing this tournament. They had to wait until the last day of the group stage to qualify for the knockouts, edging out Japan. Michael Cheika’s team do not struggle with talented individuals, attack or defence but with consistency, disappearing for weeks on end then producing an all-time great performance, which can work in and out their favour.
Completely written off versus Wales last week, they pulled something out from deep inside them and played at the very best we have seen them play.
If that same team turns up versus New Zealand this Friday night, then an absolute classic New Zealand vs Argentina Rugby World Cup semi-final is on the cards. If their group-stage self turns up instead, however, it could be ugly for the South Americans.
In conclusion, they have never been to a Rugby World Cup Final, they may never get a better chance.
New Zealand vs Argentina match details
- Date and Time: Friday 20th October, 20:00 GMT
- Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
- How to Watch New Zealand vs Argentina: See Here
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