All Blacks v Argentina: All Blacks semifinals ranked and what Ian Foster can learn from each one

The All Blacks line-up in their ninth Rugby World Cup semifinal on Saturday when they clash with Rugby Championship rivals Argentina. The All Blacks are 4-4 in semifinals and fans probably don’t want to relive the defeats, but there are some big lessons for Ian Foster. We’ve ranked all eight semifinals and highlighted the lessons for Fozzie.

8.) 1999: All Blacks 31 France 43

This was an extraordinary test. Hard to bag a team that scored 31 points in a World Cup semifinal but let me bag away. They really lost the plot in the final quarter. Jonah Lomu was superb as the All Blacks went out to a 24-10 lead after 45 minutes and then came possibly one of the worst 35-minute patches for the ABs. France, the Six Nations wooden-spooners, scored 33 points unanswered. Just nuts. Much like 2007, the All Blacks played France earlier in the year and smashed them 54-7 only to lose when it mattered.

Lesson for Ian Foster’s side: Play the full 80.

7.) 2003: All Blacks 10 Australia 22

Stirling Mortlock forever running away is the lasting memory but the truth is the All Blacks were ill-disciplined from start to finish and were punished for it. Plus the Wallabies did a great job in denying them any ball as John Mitchell’s side failed to make the most of their few scoring chances. “We couldn’t break out wide and we couldn’t get through down the middle,” skipper Reuben Thorne summed up afterwards. Yeah, I can see that being an issue. Should have played Tana Umaga.

This is the “four more years” game, George Gregan’s brilliant sledge to Byron Kelleher in the closing stages. But let me share my working theory: that those words have turned into a hoodoo. Since then, the Wallabies have lost two World Cup finals and the All Blacks have won two.

Lesson for Ian Foster’s side: Break out wide or up the middle – preferably both. Don’t throw an interception, as Wales found in the quarters.

6.) 2019: All Blacks 7 England 19

The All Blacks didn’t play that bad, it was just that England were amazing. Picking Scott Barrett at blindside flanker didn’t work and the England defensive plan was superb. Winning one World Cup is hard enough, while three in a row appears impossible. Just a weird way for the superb Steve Hansen era to finish.

Lesson for Ian Foster’s side: Got to get up for a semi after beating Ireland the previous week.

5.) 1991: All Blacks 6 Australia 16

You don’t have to score a try to win a knockout game but it would help. There was a stunning atmosphere at Landsdowne Road as the Dublin locals got behind the Wallabies who knocked their side out the week before – somehow that made sense. David Campese took over in the first half, scoring a solo try before setting up Tim Horan for another as the All Blacks tasted defeat at the World Cup for the first time.

Oh well, being knocked out of a World Cup sucked but All Blacks fans were confident at the time they’d win another one soon enough.

Lesson for Ian Foster’s side: Score tries.

4.) 2011: All Blacks 20 Australia 6

In the sheds after the quarter-final win over Argentina, coach Graham Henry informed his side the Wallabies had beaten the Springboks in the earlier game to set up a transtasman showdown and the reaction surprised him – the All Blacks wanted the Aussies. After falling to them in Brisbane a month earlier to lose the Tri-Nations decider, they really wanted them.

The All Blacks scored only one try, in the sixth minute, when Israel Dagg threw a stunning pass to Ma’a Nonu. It was a dominant performance “built on accuracy, aggression and discipline”. The All Blacks could have won by a lot more (Weepu also missed three penalties and a conversion). Quade Cooper kicked out on the full in the first act of the game. The Wallabies never had a chance from there.

Lesson for Ian Foster’s side: Lean on the revenge factor from previous defeats.

3.) 2015: All Blacks 20 South Africa 18

Talk about gripping. From the Jerome Kaino try in the sixth minute right to the final play when Ben Franks forced Victor Matfield to knock on to end the semifinal. Any time the All Blacks looked to get on top of the game, up stepped Handre Pollard to knock over another three points. It was edge-of-your-seat for the entire game.

The Boks took a 12-7 lead after Kaino was sent to the bin, but the experience of the All Blacks showed. Dan Carter was in the form of his career, kicking (almost) everything including a snap-dropped goal to close the gap. The turning point was the yellow card of Bryan Habana for a cynical slapdown, with the All Blacks scoring in the next phase.

But the Boks wouldn’t go away. Patrick Lambie made it a two-point game heading into the final 11 minutes as the rain fell at Twickenham. The All Blacks held strong, with Sam Whitelock pulling off the biggest lineout steal in NZ rugby history until Joanah Ngan-Woo. Remarkably, they backed it up the following week in the final.

Lesson for Ian Foster’s side: Have Sam Whitelock in your side (tick).

2.) 1987: All Blacks 49 Wales 6

The 1987 side never gave the Welsh a chance of making the final with two tries in the opening 12 minutes and they did not let up, taking a 27-0 lead into the break. It got worse for Wales when Huw Richards was sent off after punching Gary Whetton – except Richards couldn’t do the walk of shame as he was already knocked out after Buck Shelford landed a right hand in retaliation. Shortly after Richards was stretchered off, Shelford scored against a seven-man scrum to really rub it in.

At the time it was New Zealand’s biggest win over Wales and it remains the biggest semifinal win at a World Cup.

Lesson for Ian Foster’s side: Get punched first.

1.) 1995: All Blacks 45 England 29

It started before the kickoff. Irish referee Stephen Hilditch apparently asked Merhtens which side of the field he was kicking to, so he wouldn’t be in the way. Mehrts went the other way, sending the ball towards to the English backs, with Lomu chasing them down. Will Carling dropped it cold. England were confident after winning their quarter-final against defending-champions Australia, who beat them in the 1991 final.

All that confidence quickly disappeared. The match was played at pace from the start, and at the two-minute 10-second mark Lomu scored the most iconic World Cup try, stamping over Mike Catt. Individual brilliance very few could pull off. But that was just the start of it, Lomu’s opener was quickly followed by an 80-metre effort with Walter Little and Glen Osborne linking up before Josh Kronfeld picked up the final assist to score and make it two tries in the opening five minutes. England had barely touched the ball.

Things settled down a bit until Zinzan Brooke nailed an audacious drop kick from 40 metres out to make it 18-0 after 20 minutes. Brooke then went back to the script of “get the ball to Jonah” and offered an across-field pass; England raised the white flag as Lomu ran through for his second try practically untouched. Score: 25-0 after 25 minutes.

Two minutes after halftime Lomu had a hat-trick, followed by a Graham Bachop try to make it 35-3. England finally awoke in the last 30 minutes but it was far too late. Lomu was already the star of the tournament but his four-try effort at Newlands cemented icon status.

Lesson for Ian Foster’s side: Score 25 points in the first 25 minutes and then make sure the side avoid grey chicken the following week.

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