Argentina-New Zealand: the favorites and favorites of our special correspondents

At the Stade de France

FAVORITES

Having gone through unusual turbulence over the last two years, the benchmark of international rugby has once again become a winning machine. A moving machine. After the huge fight won against Ireland, the All Blacks had a very quiet evening this Friday evening in Saint-Denis, perforating the South Americans too easily (44-6). The Pumas had only their courage to oppose but could do nothing against these triple world champions, who were increasingly impressive. They experienced sequences of territorial domination, but were unable to materialize them with an attempt, inexorably coming up against the black wall. The All Blacks repeatedly broke through the opposing defensive curtain with no less than seven tries. A festival in the image of Will Jordan, author of a hat-trick. Jordie Barrett (16th), Shannon Frizell twice (40th 2 and 49th) and Aaron Smith (42nd) also participated in the party. At the hour mark, Ian Foster had already been able to start the substitutes. Easy, too easy.

What a night for Will Jordan! By scoring a hat-trick, the Crusaders winger became the record holder for tries scored in one edition (8). Air Jordans! With eight goals, he equals his compatriots Jonah Lomu and Julian Savea, as well as the South African Byan Habana. Carried by his fiery legs, he will still have the final, next Saturday against England or South Africa, to seize this legendary record alone. At 25, he has already scored 31 tries in just 30 caps. Just that. Its latest, Friday, particularly left its mark. His speed worked wonders. A little kick over the top, the ball recovered after resisting the return of an Argentinian, and the winning sprint to flatten. A little masterpiece.

The new player from the Pau Section had broken a first record earlier in this World Cup. Coming into play against Italy, he became the most capped player in the history of the All Blacks (149 caps at that time, 152 now). After his team's victory in the semi-final on Friday, Whitelock should become the first player in history to play in three World Cup finals (2011, 2015, 2023). He won the first two. At 35 years old, the second row still has a lot of energy to spare, as evidenced by his very solid match against the Argentinians, rated 7/10 by our special correspondents at the Stade de France. Constantly advancing, valuable in the alignment, and even decisive on the first try scored by Will Jordan. “He’s the godfather,” confided Nepo Laulala about his teammate. A veteran, still and always indispensable.

CLAW STRIKES

Three semi-finals, three losses. It didn't go very far in 2015 (29-15 defeat against Australia), it was more complicated in 2007 (37-13 defeat against South Africa), but this Friday, the fall is heavy. The Pumas were an illusion for a good half hour, and then nothing more. Yet they knew the recipe: grinta, precision, intractable defense. Unfortunately, individual mistakes have torpedoed the collective strength. Too many air gaps in defense, not enough imagination in attack, and here are Michael Cheika's protégés swept away without even having the feeling of fighting. Benefiting from an affordable part of the table, Argentina made its mark until the last four, gaining strength since its very first match lost against England, on September 9 in Marseille. But the penultimate step was once again too high. There remains the quest for third place, which had eluded him in 2015.

This will have been the controversy of this World Cup: the draw. Two competitions took place in parallel. Two competitions of unequal level. The Argentines did not have to play great rugby to qualify for the semi-final, but the step was definitely too high against the All Blacks who were still exhausted after their Homeric quarter-final against the great Irish favorite. As a result, we were bored this Saturday evening in Saint-Denis. Unimaginative rugby in a match without suspense. Two tries just before and after halftime completely killed the game. The All Blacks were content to manage and unfold completely. Let's hope that the English give a better picture of their part of the picture.

The matches at the Stade de France had, until then, been marked by incredible atmospheres. The eliminations of France and Ireland will also have cooled the Dyonesian enclosure. On Friday, the Argentinian supporters timidly made their voices heard during the first minutes before gradually fading away. When the final whistle blew, the stadium quickly emptied. Enough to miss the moments of communion between the Blues and their supporters or the tens of thousands of Irish people singing Zombie from the Cranberries at the top of their lungs for tens of minutes. This semi-final had a sad scent of the end of the competition. The story ends next week...hopefully the stands will be a little livelier.