Argentina v Australia: Rugby World Cup semi-final – live! – The Guardian

Afternoon, folks. It’s fair to say that, of the two semi-finals this weekend, this one’s history is by far the less storied. Argentina and Australia have met twice at World Cups but neither match was especially memorable. Both 1991 and 2003 were early pool stage encounters and both resulted in comfortable Wallaby victories (on their way to the final, omen fans), while the Pumas’ impact on those tournaments was minimal.

That certainly isn’t the case this time around. In a way this is unchartered ground for Argentina. Yes, they finished third in France eight years ago, but they were comfortably brushed aside in the semi-final at the Parc des Princes by South Africa and were never really in danger of winning the tournament. I’m not saying they could now but, well… could they?

These two have played each other once already this season, when Australia recorded a thumping 34-9 win in Mendoza back in July. However that result doesn’t really reflect how closely matched the sides are just three years after Argentina were first brought into the Rugby Championship family. The 2014 double-header finished one win apiece, although you have to go back to 1997 for the Puma’s last win. Only once, in 1983, have they beaten the Wallabies outside on foreign soil, yet it would be a brave soul who bet against them breaking that duck today.

While Argentina’s quarter-final win over Ireland was, to put it bluntly, awesome, Australia’s over Scotland was a funny one. The Wallabies scored five tries, but weren’t very good. Bernard Foley held his nerve to seal the win quite brilliantly, but had a shocking game, missing three kicks and gifting Scotland one try, while his team collectively proffered another for Mark Bennett. I have no time for any idiot who says they’re only there because of one (marginal) wrong call; I thought Joubert had a poor game, wrongly carding Sean Maitland and letting Scotland off the hook in the scrum, but that final penalty, while the wrong decision, was a very understandable mistake. Nonetheless, Australia looked nothing like the side that had earned so many plaudits after demolishing England.

Today they are without Scott Sio and, given the Pumas’ vaunted scrum, this could be crucial. In Nicolas Sanchez, Argentina have perhaps the form fly-half at the World Cup and if Argentina get on top there, and if Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Pablo Matera can match Michael Hooper and David Pocock at the breakdown, my money says they will win. They have never won back-to-back Rugby Championship games and this is the first time at the World Cup they will have played two big matches on the bounce. With both sides favouring an attacking game and with, at the time of writing (12.30pm) the sun shining in this part of London (Holborn), it’s primed to be a fascinating, even brilliant match.

Kick-off is at 4pm BST GMT. That’s 3am over in our Sydney office – and indeed in the rest of the city – or a more palatable 1pm in Buenos Aires. Your case of gentlemen and players is as follows:

Australia

Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Bernard Foley, Will Genia; James Slipper, Stephen Moore, Sekope Kepu, Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons, Scott Fardy, Michael Hooper, David Pocock.
Replacements: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Toby Smith, Greg Holmes, Dean Mumm, Ben McCalman, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, Kurtley Beale.

Argentina

Joaquin Tuculet, Santiago Cordero, Marcelo Bosch, Juan Martin Hernandez, Juan Imhoff, Nicolas Sanchez, Martin Landajo; Marco Ayerza, Agustin Creevy, Ramiro Herrera, Guido Petti, Tomas Lavanini, Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Leonardo Senatore.
Replacements: Julian Montoya, Lucas Noguera, Juan Figallo, Matias Alemanno, Facundo Isa, Tomas Cubelli, Jeronimo De La Fuente, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino.