Argentina v New Zealand: Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final – live

The quarter-finals served up one of the best Rugby World Cup weekends of all time – can the semi-finals compare? Well, the instinctive answer is perhaps not – after four tense, thrilling contests last week, both of these games kick off with clear favourites. Less charitable observers might argue we saw the semi-finals last week, and this round is a mere formality before an All Blacks-Springboks showdown next Saturday.

That, of course, does a disservice to unbeaten England (who face South Africa tomorrow), Argentina (who have been here twice before) and the whole concept of a World Cup semi-final. We’ve seen favourites fall here before, collapsing under pressure against opponents riding a wave of self-belief. New Zealand know that better than most.

The perpetual title contenders have fallen at this fence four times, memorably upset by France in 1999 and (to a lesser extent) England in 2019. New Zealand have racked up a 94-15 aggregate in their last two games against Argentina, but the scoreboard resets to zero for tonight. In Michael Cheika, the Pumas have one of rugby’s most canny operators – and there are parallels in how both teams got here.

Both teams lost their first game at this tournament, and regrouped in their own way. New Zealand fully released the creative handbrake while Argentina switched to knockout mode, grinding through must-win pool matches and carrying that momentum into the Wales game, which they won by 12 points – the biggest margin of the four quarter-finals.

New Zealand fought and won a ferocious battle with Ireland to get here – and that should neutralise any risk of complacency. They are the clear and undeniable favourites tonight but unlike Argentina, they have something to lose. This is a different kind of spectacle – a test of nerve the resurgent All Blacks are expected to pass, but a contest that might deliver the biggest thrill of all.