We’re now down to just four countries in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and for the first time in the tournament, the semifinal round will see an all-Southern Hemisphere group of competitors.
Australia has been on a tear throughout the event, but nearly suffered a major upset at the hands of the Scots in their quarterfinal bout. Meanwhile, Argentina took care of the Irish in impressive fashion to set its place in the final four.
Which amongst these two powerhouses will prevail this coming Sunday and make it to the big dance? Read on as we take a closer look at this riveting matchup. For our coverage on the other RWC semifinal match, head on over to preview for New Zealand vs. South Africa right after this.
Probably in the most exciting match of the entire tournament thus far, Australia needed a last-minute penalty for the 35-34 win on Sunday over Scotland to advance to the seminal round of the Rugby World Cup.
[sc:Other240banner ]Ironically, one person who’s probably not as thrilled about the win is Aussie coach Michael Cheika, who allowed the Scots to nearly pull off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the RWC’s knockout stages.
Once again, it was fly-half Bernard Foley to the rescue for the Wallabies, who booted in the game-winning penalty with just 30 seconds left in the game. However, Foley didn’t really have the best of games on Sunday. In fact, his three missed kicks from the first half of the match could’ve very well cost his team the semifinal berth if it wasn’t for the late penalty kick.
At least the Aussies still found plenty of firepower from their squad that could bode well for their RWC final prospects. Wing/fullback Drew Mitchell had two tries in the victory, while Adam Ashley-Cooper, flanker Michael Hooper and centre Tevita Kuridrani each had a try as well.
Australia would need a much better outing this coming Sunday to continue its dominance over Argentina. The Wallabies have won four of the last five meetings against the Pumas. Even more so, the team is 2-0 in the Rugby World Cup against the Argentinians, with those wins coming in the pool stages of the 1999 and 2007 campaigns.
Betting on Argentina
The luck of the Irish has run out once more, as Argentina ousted Ireland from the tournament with a sound 43-20 victory on Sunday. The Pumas have now defeated the men in green for the third time in the Rugby World Cup, with the two other wins coming from the 1999 and 2007 events.
The South Americans’ offense was at full force on Sunday, with wing/fullback Juan Imhoff scoring on two tries, and Matias Maroni and Joaquin Tuculet each finding the whitewash as well.
But perhaps the MVP of this match is fly-half Nicolas Sanchez. Unlike Australia’s Bernard Foley who had three misses on Sunday, Sanchez was near-perfect in hitting nine of his 10 kicks – five via penalties and four from conversions. The 26-year-old’s boot better be as accurate and reliable this coming Sunday for the Pumas to stay toe-to-toe with the Aussies’ equally potent offensive production.
And while the Wallabies have indeed won four of the past five Test matches against Argentina as mentioned earlier, the Pumas’ win came just last year – a tense 21-17 victory at The Rugby Championship. To add, three of those five past contests were decided by four points or less, meaning that the Argentinians know how to hang around and compete with one of the most decorated clubs in all of rugby.
Writer’s Prediction
Australia makes quick work of Argentina, 31-15, to advance to the RWC final for the first time since 2003.
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