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All Blacks grind out win over Pumas
Richie McCaw of the All Blacks hands off Gonzalo Camacho of Argentina. Photo: Getty Images
80th min: Fulltime. The All Blacks end up cruising into the semi-final against Australia, but for an hour the Pumas had them worried. The game went as predicted. The Pumas did not have enough points in them to win.
78th min: That's it. All Over. Brad Thorn scored the try but it was brilliant work by Cory Jane. Three cover defenders were driving him over the sideline. He flops the pass over and Read distributes to Thorn who strolls over from 30 metres out. Cruden kicks the conversion. NEW ZEALAND 33 ARGENTINA 10.
74th min: Pumas get a penalty and they are on the attack. Not enough time to affect this result. And a crooked throw does not help.
72nd min: This match is fizzing out. Nigel Owens has had enough with Argentina's tactics of slowing the ball down. New Zealand get another penalty and Owens warns the Pumas that the next man pinged is in the bin. Weepu kicks it. NEW ZEALAND 26 ARGENTINA 10.
68th min: Try. That's it. Argentina are gone. Kieran Read crosses over wide. It was nearly a try to Argentins with Martin Rodriguez nearly swooping on the intercept. Weepu misses his first kick. NEW ZEALAND 23 ARGENTINA 10.
66th min: New Zealand is closing in on the tryline to deliver the coup de grace.
65th min: No they try to kick it but the chasers are through quickly on Martin Rodrigues. He runs. Makes a half break then somehow kicks the ball into touch as he falls over.
64th min: New Zealand pile on the pressure from the scrum. Argentina some how keep the ball and New Zealand is penalised for not using their arms at the breakdown. The Pumas win the lineout. They will try to keep the ball in hand with the player off the field.
63rd min: Cruden and McCaw have combined well to nearly put Conrad Smith over. But there is a knock on and the Pumas live to fight on.
60th min: Cory Jane makes an amazing break from the re-start. He bounces out of about three or four tackles and finds himself in the clear. The All Blacks waste possession by kicking through. The Pumas now are running it from everywhere this will play into the All Blacks' hands.
59th min: Weepu makes it six successful penalty goals. NEW ZEALAND 18 ARGENTINA 10.
58th min: Phase after phase the All Blacks throw themselves at the Pumas line. And the All Blacks score we think. McCaw may have scored by placing the ball at the base of the post. The replay suggests the ball was up off the ground and cannot be awarded. Meanwhile Nicolas Vergallo has been sent to the bin. The decision is no try but New Zealand get the penalty.
55th min: The All Blacks are getting closer to scoring the match-sealing try. Cruden and Nonu combined to threaten the line while Sonny Bill Williams and Conrad Smith are constantly posing questions of the Pumas.
52nd min: Non stop end-to-end action. Argentina kick it down field and the All Blacks counterattack. Eventually Cruden's kick is charged down 10 metres out from New Zealand's line. The All Blacks win the line out and find the line.
48th min:Argentina fail to find touch from the re-start and New Zealand pile on the pressure. The Pumas hold firm but eventually they get pinged for their tactics fo slowing the ball down. Weepu with the shot. He kicks it. NEW ZEALAND 15 ARGENTINA 10.
45th min: But the All Blacks give away a penalty for obstruction and Marcelo Bosch is having a shot from 50 metres out. And he kicks it. NEW ZEALAND 12 ARGENTINA 10. What a kick.
44th min: New Zealand has been camped in Argentina's half but the defence is brutal. Eventually the Pumas force the mistake and that's followed by a relieving penalty. However the Pumas lose the lineout.
41st min: Second-half is under way and no De Villiers distractions. Full focus on the quarter-final. Argentina make a bust from the kick-off but they concede the penalty for not releasing.
40th min: More on De Villiers' resignation.
39th min: The All Blacks build the pressure. They do not look like breaking the line but they eventually get the penalty and Piti Weepu wshould slot the three points. He does. NEW ZEALAND 12 ARGENTINA 7.
34th min: New Zealand get the penalty after running through the phases. Cruden slips and Felipe Contepomi catches him high. Unlukcy, but correct. Weepu with the shot at goal. He kicks it. WEEPU 9 ARGENTINA 7.
34th min: Slade off, Cruden on.
32nd min: TRY, try to Argentina. The bust was made from a scrum just on halfway. Contepomi was involved and Martin Rodriguez is dragged down just short but Julio Farias Cabello picks up and dives over. Contepomi converts. ARGENTINA 7 NEW ZEALAND 6. Anyone nervous?
30th min: The All Blacks are clearly in the ascendancy but lack the fluency to make their domination count.
27th min: New Zealand concede a penalty and Felipe Contepomi shoots for goal from 40 metres out but he leaves it to the left.
23rd min: The Pumas have botched that. Piri Weepu puts a superb kick through but Nicolas Vergallo cleans up. But Vergallo's pass from the base of the ruck is thrown over the head of the kicker and goes dead. The five metre scrum is blown up in New Zealand's favour and Piri Weepu takes the shot. He kicks it. NEW ZEALAND 6 ARGENTINA 0.
22nd min: Apparently Slade's injury is an ankle strain.
20th min: Slade is still on but does not look fit.
18th min: New Zealand have the ball for 15 phases in Argentina's quarter. The Pumas eventually crack as the ball goes through the backline - and when I say backline, I mean forwards in the backline. Kieran Read dives in the corner but his tow was out. Colin Salde looks gone. The word is he has a groin injury.
15th min: Pumas are trying to control possession in New Zealand's half but they eventually concede the penalty for not releasing at the breakdown.
13th min: The All Blacks have a penalty 35 metres out. The first question of the night has been answered. Piri Weepu not Colin Slade is the goalkicker. And he kicks it. NEW ZEALAND 3 ARGENTINA 0.
10th min: Santiago Fernandez goes for a drop goal. It's straight but goes under the crossbar. The TMO confirms what everyone knew.
9th min: It's still a stalemate at Eden Park. The Pumas are committing themselves in defence but one can sense the All Blacks are about to cut loose. But hang on Colin Slade drops the ball cold, and it's kicked through by Marcelo Bosch. Conrad Smith stops the try. Close call.
4th min: Sorry for the delay but news has just come through that Peter de Villiers has quit.
2nd min: SBW has already set Cory Jane sailing towards the tryline. He is brought down on the 22, but the All Blacks knock on.
1st min: Play is underway in and it will be interesting to see the tactics of the Pumas. The All Blacks will play an expansive game.
The players are out on the field ready for the haka. The All Blacks will be pleased to see how battered the Wallabies were after their thrilling win in Wellington. But they must get over the Pumas first.
Welcome to RugbyHeaven's coverage of the World Cup quarter-final between New Zealand and Argentina in Auckland.
New Zealand: Mils Muliaina; Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Sonny Bill Williams; Colin Slade, Piri Weepu; Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (capt), Jerome Kaino; Sam Whitelock, Brad Thorn; Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock. Replacements: Andrew Hore, Ben Franks, Ali Williams, Victor Vito, Jimmy Cowan, Aaron Cruden, Isaia Toeava.
Argentina: Martin Rodriguez; Gonzalo Camacho, Marcelo Bosch, Felipe Contepomi (capt), Horacio Agulla; Santiago Fernandez, Nicolas Vergallo; Leonardo Senatore, Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Julio Farias Cabello; Patricio Albacete, Manuel Carizza; Juan Figallo, Mario Ledesma, Rodrigo Roncero. Replacements: Agustin Creevy, Martin Scelzo, Marcos Ayerza, Alejandro Campos, Alfredo Lalanne, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, Juan Jose Imhoff
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