Watching the rivals - Argentina

Argentina suffered defeat in their opening Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks. Photo / Getty

In the third part of an ongoing series as we count down to the World Cup, nzherald.co.nz assesses how the All Blacks' rivals are tracking in the build-up to rugby's showpiece tournament. Today, New Zealand's first opponents, Argentina.

Week one: South Africa
Last week: Australia

What they did last time:

Having led 9-3 with 15 minutes to play, Argentina were unlucky to lose to England in their opening game, proceeding to clinch second spot in their pool after edging Scotland by a point. Unfortunately for the Pumas, the England defeat threw them into a quarter-final meeting with the All Blacks, which the hosts won 33-10.

History at the tournament:

The 2007 tournament in France was Argentina's highpoint at rugby's showpiece. A quarter-final victory over Scotland set up a semifinal against South Africa and, after being beaten 37-13, Argentina thumped the hosts to seal third place. The Pumas also boast two additional trips to the quarter-finals.

Form in 2015:

Argentina opened their international campaign with a two-match series against a French Barbarians side but, with the majority of the Pumas' overseas-based players absent, it's difficult to read too much into the 1-1 result. Similarly, last weekend's loss to the All Blacks came with the caveat that a group of front-line talent were left behind with an eye on the World Cup.

Next game:

An intriguing encounter with the Wallabies in Mendoza on Sunday morning (NZT). Australia are coming off a last-gasp win over South Africa and victory in South America would set up a shot at the Rugby Championship title against the All Blacks in Sydney a fortnight later.

But, in Argentina, they will face fierce competition. The Pumas last year ended their Rugby Championship hoodoo and broke a streak of nine straight losses to the Wallabies when they won at the same venue in the final round of the 2014 tournament, while five of the last six meetings between the sides have been decided by seven points or fewer.

Ins and outs:

Unsurprisingly, after resting a number of players for the trip to New Zealand, Argentina coach David Hourcade has rung the changes for the clash with the Wallabies. No10 Nicolas Sanchez and fullback Santiago Cordero were the only survivors among the backline as Hourcade brought in seven new faces from the team that fell against the All Blacks. Veteran centre Marcelo Bosch was among the casualties of the selection axe, while playmaker Juan Martin Hernandez was again left out as he continues his search for full fitness.

Talking point:

While it would take an extremely brave man to bet on Argentina becoming the fifth nation to lift the William Webb Ellis Cup come the end of the year, the Pumas are becoming increasingly competitive and that looks set to continue. After Argentina's win over Australia in Mendoza last year, the Pumas headed to the northern hemisphere and took care of Italy before shocking France 18-13 in Paris to truly announce themselves at world rugby's top tier.

Argentina, who will open their World Cup campaign against the All Blacks, will be warm favourites to advance out of pool C, with Tonga the only serious challengers alongside minnows Georgia and Namibia. And once out of group C, Argentina could face a rematch with France in the quarter-finals, although Ireland will also be confident of topping group D. Whoever they face, the Pumas will be hopeful of earning their second semifinal appearance