All Blacks v Argentina: Beauden Parrot pecks a winner for Rugby World Cup semifinal

Beauden Parrot, known more for his charm than his predictive prowess, has shared his thoughts on the impending Rugby World Cup semifinal between New Zealand and Argentina.

The tradition of using animals to predict the winners of matches isn’t new, with memorable mentions for Richie McCow and Richie the Macaw in past World Cups. And who can forget the German octopus Paul, whose psychic abilities at the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa earned him global fame?

Beauden Parrot, though undoubtedly adorable, has a track record that’s more of a rollercoaster ride than a steady flight. In previous matches, he wrongly picked the All Blacks to win the tournament opener against France but hit the mark with their victory against Namibia. His crystal ball went cloudy when he predicted Italy would win, a forecast that was hilariously debunked with a 96-17 thrashing. His forecast for Uruguay losing was on point, but he had another flap with the quarter-final, thinking New Zealand would bow out against Ireland.

Despite his feather-ruffling missteps, Beauden Parrot remains determined and, much like a persistent housefly, won’t be easily swatted away. He’s foreseen a triumph for the All Blacks in the semifinal against Argentina on Saturday.

Turning to the teams, the All Blacks have a formidable lineup, with a dozen survivors from their 2019 World Cup semifinal loss against England – Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Beauden Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, Anton Lienert-Brown, Codie Taylor and captain Sam Cane. Meanwhile, Whitelock is looking to become the first player to reach three Rugby World Cup finals, after being on the winning side in 2011 and 2015.

On the other side of the breakdown, there are six Argentinian players in the match-day team who played in both previous victories against the All Blacks – Matias Alemanno, Gonzalo Bertranou, Santiago Carreras, Marcos Kremer, Guido Petti and captain Julian Montoya.

Nicolas Sanchez comes off the bench and has been strong against New Zealand, with the second-most points of any test player against the All Blacks (151) – only Australia’s Matt Burke has scored more (176). Sanchez has not missed a shot at goal at this World Cup, kicking all 11 attempts.

As the rugby world eagerly awaits the outcome of his avian prophecy, we’re wondering whether Beauden Parrot’s predictions will ruffle any feathers and if the All Blacks will soar to victory, propelling them into the final. The field awaits, and so does destiny – feathers crossed.

How to follow the match

Follow the live updates at nzherald.co.nz or listen to the commentary from 8am on Saturday: Join Elliott Smith on Newstalk ZB, Gold Sport and iHeartRadio; or G.Lane and Matt Heath on the ACC on iHeartRadio and Radio Hauraki.

Luke Kirkness is an online sports editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was an assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.