New Zealand's Josh Lord and Argentina's Tomás Lavanini struggle during the Rugby Championship 2023 first round match between the Pumas and the All Blacks at the Malvinas Argentinas stadium in Mendoza, Argentina. Photo: Andres Larrovere / AFP)
The All Blacks are one win away from the Rugby World Cup final with familiar foe Argentina standing in their way.
The two Rugby Championship teams do battle in the first semi-final in Paris on Saturday morning with the winner to face either the Springboks or England in the title decider in France.
Argentina beat the All Blacks in Christchurch last year to claim their maiden victory in Aotearoa, upsetting a New Zealand side that had just come off a impressive win in South Africa.
The All Blacks are expected to beat Los Pumas this weekend but with that loss fresh in their minds, Ian Foster insists his team aren't taking the South Americans lightly.
New Zealand coach Ian Foster. Rugby World Cup France 2023, New Zealand All Blacks v Italy, Pool A match at OL Stadium, Lyon, France on Friday 29 September 2023. Mandatory credit: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
"We've learnt to greatly respect Argentina. For them playing for their country it clearly means a lot. They're perhaps an underrated team worldwide that has got a really rich history of perhaps overachieving at World Cups.
"They've done a fantastic job to get here at the same level we are. It's going to be a heck of a game."
Foster has made just two changes to the starting XV from the team that upset Ireland in last week's quarter-finals, with Sam Whitelock replacing Brodie Retallick at lock and Mark Telea returning to the wing after being stood down for breaching team protocol.
"Mark, he's done his time. He's been our form winger through this tournament. We have a lot of faith in him and I know he's excited."
Photo: AFP
The All Blacks are heavy favourites to beat Argentina but Foster said that won't mean much come Saturday morning in Paris.
"You've never heard us say we're favourites.
"We're in a World Cup semi-final and we're going to have to improve our performance because the stage gets bigger and bigger at this time of the tournament. We know that it's the best team on the night that wins it and we know that Argentina have done that to us."
The Pumas coach Michael Cheika is under no illusions as to the size of the task facing his side at Stade de France but he believes their previous wins over the All Blacks will give them belief.
"We know the challenges are getting harder and harder. The history is not in our favour but it is up to us to change that. We have a chance to and we will be ready. When we arrive on the field we will do what we do best.
"We know the other team is heavily favoured, everyone is expecting a New Zealand and South Africa final. We just have to play our part in making sure that we are clear about what is going to be required when the heat comes on.
"When they come at us or when the battle is on, that is the moment you need to use those experiences. That is where that (beating New Zealand in 2022 and 2020) comes in handy because you have felt it before, you have done it before."
Argentina rugby coach Michael Cheika. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
And Cheika is confident the size of the occasion won't overwhelm his side.
"It is a big situation but it is a beautiful one. It's a big opportunity for us and we are doing everything with that to try to take it."
The challenge for the All Blacks will be to come back down from the emotional win over Ireland and refocus mentally.
The 2019 All Blacks didn't manage to do that as they were upset by England and consigned to the third and fourth playoff and captain Sam Cane said the current side are desperate to avoid the same fate.
"There's plenty of us who have that hurt and some scars from 2019. There's two different Mondays we can turn up for next week and one of them is horrible. We need to turn up mentally right on the edge and be better than we were before so we are extremely driven."
All Blacks captain Sam Cane. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Foster's tenure with the All Blacks will come to an end after the World Cup and having overseen plenty of historic defeats in his time, he knows nothing can be taken for granted, even against a side his team have only lost to twice in 36 tests.
"We are massively respectful of Argentina. We know that they have had a great tournament. We don't live in the past in terms of past results. Rugby World Cup tournaments are really about the present, it's about the best team on the night.
"If you go into a World Cup semi-final with any expectation that the past is going to happen again, you have got problems."
If the All Blacks play like they did against Ireland they shouldn't have any problems getting past Argentina and into the World Cup final.