A bit of Argie bargie: couple back two RWC teams

Argentinian Jose Gerardo Caballero and Kiwi partner Mandy Spencer have eyes on two teams. Photo / Dean Purcell

Argentinian rugby fan Jose Gerardo Caballero wasn't counting on getting any sleep in a nerve-wracking countdown to this morning's Rugby World Cup clash between the Pumas and the All Blacks.

"Not at all - I'm already quite nervous about it," the 38-year-old Auckland electronics engineer told the Herald yesterday afternoon.

On the other hand, his New Zealand partner, Mandy Spencer, was hoping for a few winks given that she is seven months pregnant and has to turn up to her IT job this morning.

"But apparently we're going to have a bit of excitement in the lounge or something - so maybe I'm not going to sleep."

She was still unsure which side to back in the early-morning rugby stoush, but recalls attending the Argentina-New Zealand test at Waikato Stadium in 2013, when the couple painted their faces "half and half" and the All Blacks won 28-13.

Mr Caballero said he was determined to enjoy the match, no matter who won, and was looking forward to getting up to watch every All Black match of the world cup as well as those of his national side.

"I'm just looking forward to watching a really good game of rugby," he said.

He said a Pumas win would prove even more of an upset than Japan's defeat of the Springboks yesterday morning, and would probably make him try to be the first in at work this morning "with my flag - set to party the whole day".

"It would be a historic occasion, because we've never beaten the All Blacks - we have never been close to beating them, so it would be something extremely special for us.

"We beat the Australians last year, and the Springboks last month, so there's only one left to go, only one team to beat."

Yet Mr Caballero has New Zealand to thank for his conversion to rugby, as he had never played it before spending an exchange year at Huntly College in 1995.

He took to the game like a duck to water and during the season he even made it to the Waikato under-19s provincial squad.