After what can only be described as one of the greatest quarter-final weekends in Rugby World Cup history, New Zealand and Argentina will resume their journey to be crowned world champions when they face off in the semi-final on Friday evening.
After six incredible weeks of action, just four sides remain, and only one of these teams will be able to move on to face either South Africa or England here at Stade de France in the final match on October 28.
Match preview
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With four Six Nations teams winning each of the Pools in the competition, the fact that three of the final four sides left in the tournament include the All Blacks, Los Pumas and the Springboks is a testament to the Southern Hemisphere's never-say-die attitude on the biggest stage.
Perhaps none more so than Argentina, who, after losing to England in their first match, were expected to struggle to get out of Pool D above Japan, but they once again showed the improvement they have made over the last couple of years by beating the Brave Blossoms fairly convincingly in their final group stage match to secure their place in the last eight.
Los Pumas were clear underdogs last week heading into the match against undefeated Wales and were 10 points down early in the match, but fought back with four penalties from Emiliano Boffelli before Joel Sclavi and Nicolas Sanchez got over the try-line to claim a 29-17 victory.
While Argentina go into this one as the big outsiders yet again, Michael Cheika's side have likely got used to that tag, and it potentially works in their favour due to there being less expectation, though writing them off could be a huge mistake.
Despite only winning three of their 36 previous encounters against the All Blacks, two of those wins came in the last seven meetings, including a stunning 25-18 victory in Christchurch in August last year.
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Meanwhile, after being handed a record-breaking defeat in the warm-ups and losing their tournament opener to France, New Zealand were being written off from the competition by some, yet they are still here and peaking at just the right moment.
The All Blacks were ruthless in their last three group-stage matches, beating Namibia, Italy and Uruguay each by a margin of over 68 points, but none of those wins would have felt as sweet as overcoming the world number one Ireland last weekend.
Against the Shamrocks, Ian Foster's side headed into the break just one point up and went on to outscore their opponent 10-7 in the second half of a match that will go down as one of the greatest in World Cup history.
Having taken down the giants that conquered Pool B, which included Scotland and South Africa, the All Blacks are now arguably the favourites to go on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for a record fourth time.
New Zealand were far too good for Los Pumas in the battle of the Southern Hemisphere's heavyweights back in July when they claimed a 41-12 victory in Mendoza, while they have also emerged victorious in five of their last six encounters.
Argentina Rugby World Cup form:
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Argentina form (all competitions):
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New Zealand Rugby World Cup form:
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New Zealand form (all competitions):
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Team News
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Cheika has maintained confidence in the team that secured victory against Wales, making only one alteration to the lineup by bringing in Gonzalo Bertranou while dropping Tomas Cubelli from the matchday 23.
Santiago Chocobares and Lucio Cinti will provide the speed and strength in the centre positions, while Santiago Carreras partners with Bertranou in the halves pairing.
In the forward pack, Facundo Isa maintains his position at number eight in the absence of Pablo Matera, forming the back row with flankers Marcos Kremer and Juan Martin Gonzalez.
For the All Blacks, Mark Telea is returned to the starting 15 for this match after being dropped for their last one due to a breach of team protocol and will replace Leicester Fainga'anuku on the left wing.
Beauden Barrett and Will Jordan team up with Telea in the back three, while Rieko Ioane and Jordie Barrett resume their positions in the centre with Aaron Smith and Richie Mo'unga at half-back.
The sole change in the forward pack is at lock, with Sam Whitelock chosen over Brodie Retallick to pair with Scott Barrett, while Retallick takes a spot on the bench alongside Samisoni Taukei'aho, who is favoured as the impact hooker over Dane Coles.
Argentina starting lineup: 15. Juan Cruz Mallia, 14. Emiliano Boffelli, 13. Lucio Cinti, 12. Santiago Chocobares, 11. Mateo Carreras, 10. Santiago Carreras, 9. Gonzalo Bertranou, 8. Facundo Isa, 7. Marcos Kremer, 6. Juan Martin Gonzalez, 5. Tomas Lavanini, 4. Guido Petti, 3. Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2. Julian Montoya (c), 1. Thomas Gallo
Replacements: 16. Agustin Creevy, 17. Joel Sclavi, 18. Eduardo Bello, 19. Matias Alemanno, 20. Rodrigo Bruni, 21. Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22. Nicolas Sanchez, 23. Matias Moroni
New Zealand starting lineup: 15. Beauden Barrett, 14. Will Jordan, 13. Rieko Ioane, 12. Jordie Barrett, 11. Mark Telea, 10. Richie Mo'unga, 9. Aaron Smith, 8. Ardie Savea, 7. Sam Cane (c), 6. Shannon Frizell, 5. Scott Barrett, 4. Sam Whitelock, 3. Tyrel Lomax, 2. Codie Taylor, 1. Ethan de Groot
Replacements: 16. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 17. Tamaiti Williams, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Brodie Retallick, 20. Dalton Papali'i, 21. Finlay Christie, 22. Damian McKenzie, 23. Anton Lienert-Brown
Head To Head
These Rugby Championship foes have met on 36 previous occasions, and New Zealand have won 33 times, while Argentina have won twice and one match ended in a draw. Notably, Los Pumas only won their first-ever match against the All Blacks in November 2020.
We say: Argentina 16-38 New Zealand
The odds are stacked in New Zealand's favour here, and rightfully so, after beating Ireland in one of the best 80 minutes in their World Cup history. Taking nothing away from Argentina, we feel they will be no match for the All Blacks, who will also be looking to send a message to their opponents for the final.
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Devesh Jaganath
