Will Jordan of New Zealand celebrates with teammate Jordie Barrett scoring his team's seventh try during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 semi-final match between Argentina and New Zealand at Stade de France Photo: Shaun Botterill
It's pretty hard to think that this morning could have gone much better for the All Blacks. While they were heavily favoured to beat the Pumas in their World Cup semi-final, only the most optimistic fans would have predicted such a one-sided result - a final score of 44-6 and a result that was sealed by half-time.
It was the final play of that first half that really put the nail in the coffin. The All Blacks probed and patiently waited along the Pumas' 22, sending a number of runners into what had been relatively strong defence on the close in ruck channels. But then, to mix it up, Mark Tele'a suddenly popped up and took a strong carry that busted several tackles, getting the All Blacks within a few metres of the tryline.
Tele'a was playing like a man who knew he had some ground to make up in some people's estimations, and the carry opened up a blindside so large Shannon Frizell had enough time to walk over the tryline, stop and have a think about what he was going to do, then nonchalantly put the ball down at the feet of the Pumas defenders.
Shannon Frizell of New Zealand scores his team's third try during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 semi-final match between Argentina and New Zealand at Stade de France Photo: Mike Hewitt
Bear in mind, this was a World Cup semi-final and Frizell's body language was something you'd see on a Saturday afternoon in lower grade club footy. It made the score 20-6 and already too much of an uphill battle for a brave Pumas side that just didn't have the firepower to chase any sort of lead - let alone one that large.
From then on, it was just a matter of game management, letting Will Jordan do what he does best, and even manufacturing a scenario at the end when Scott Barrett never came back on after his yellow card. It served two purposes: to eliminate any chance of Barrett picking up a red and to presumably give the All Blacks a bit more time playing short handed. They had to do so last weekend against Ireland, but this time they managed to get through it without conceding any points.
From a set piece point of view it couldn't have gone much better. It took half an hour for the first scrum to happen and when it did, the All Blacks won a penalty. The first scrum of the second half was so dominant it cleared enough daylight for Aaron Smith to run through and score. Defensively, the Pumas actually did get enough cracks at attacking lineout drives to test the forwards, but the All Blacks gave them nothing in return.
Really the only worry was Richie Mo'unga's wayward goal kicking, which is pretty irrelevant when the score line difference is 38 points. Even then, he did convert Jordan's first try from the sideline.
From a tournament perspective, the blowout was a pretty damp squib admittedly. The Argentinian fans have easily been one of the highlights of the last month and a half, and they sadly didn't get much to cheer about after their national anthem finished. They will play off in a deserved third place playoff to try and match their best ever World Cup finish.
Will Jordan of New Zealand scores his team's seventh try during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 semi-final match between Argentina and New Zealand at Stade de France Photo: Shaun Botterill
Jordan now stands to make history as the highest try scorer in a World Cup, only needing one more to break the record held by Jonah Lomu, Bryan Habana and Julian Savea. But really it won't matter who scores anything next weekend as long as the All Blacks win and complete their unlikely redemption arc.
It's highly likely tomorrow morning's match between the Springboks and England will be a tighter affair, although the way the Boks have been springing surprises there may well be another flogging dished out. It would set up the dream final - at least for New Zealanders and South Africans anyway - the two best teams in history meeting on the biggest stage of all.
