Rugby Union World Cup 2023: Semi Finals Preview

The semi-finalists for Rugby World Cup 2023 have been officially announced.

Argentina, ranked eighth in the world, will face New Zealand, a team that has won the championship three times and previously reached the semi-finals in 2007 and 2015.

England, the winners of the Rugby World Cup 2003, will be competing against South Africa, the current champions aiming to secure their fourth title.

All of the matches will be held at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, and today, we’re taking a deeper dive into these highly contested, all-important clashes that will send two teams into the Rugby Union World Cup final.

Argentina vs. New Zealand Rugby World Cup Semi-Final 

When: Friday, 20 October at 20:00 BST

The semifinals were set following the defeat of Johnny Sexton and the top-ranked team by a New Zealand squad that looked completely different from their initial tournament loss. This match is considered one of the greatest in the history of the World Cup.

On the same morning, Argentina came from behind twice and defeated Wales, securing their spot in the Rugby World Cup semifinals for the third time.

Argentina: Tough Road to the Final

Argentina presents a genuine challenge to New Zealand’s journey to the final despite being ranked eighth in the world. They are just outside the top-tier nations, referred to as “tier 1.” Underestimating Los Pumas would be unwise, as their achievement of reaching the World Cup semifinals deserves respect. However, it would be presumptuous to expect Argentina to secure a victory.

After their historic win against the All Blacks in Christchurch, they suffered a 50-point defeat in the subsequent match. Moreover, New Zealand dominated them with a 41-12 scoreline in the Rugby Championship earlier this year. Nonetheless, Argentina can hold on to their triumph in 2022 and draw confidence from it.

New Zealand: History’s A-Side

The upcoming World Cup match will mark the fourth encounter between these two nations. They previously faced off in 1987, 2011, and 2015.

In all three past meetings, the All Blacks emerged victorious, with impressive scorelines of 46-15 in 1987, 33-10 in 2011, and 26-16 in 2015, as history points to and favours NZ heavily in this upcoming showdown.

Moreover, the team winning the championship thrice has emerged victorious in 33 out of their 36 previous encounters with Argentina. Therefore, they are highly likely to reach the finals for the third time out of their last four WC appearances.

Reality Check

For Los Pumas to become World Cup finalists, they must replicate their performance in Christchurch and hope that the All Blacks have a similarly lacklustre and undisciplined outing.

During their previous encounter, New Zealand came off consecutive losses to Ireland. In contrast, this time, the All Blacks have just achieved a remarkable victory against Ireland, adding to their already impressive World Cup history.

The All Blacks will be confident in their ability to make it to another World Cup final because they have performed exceptionally in previous encounters against Argentina.

Prediction: New Zealand wins by twenty or more points.

At the Bookies

Rugby World Cup Winner	Odds	Implied Probability
South Africa	10/11	48%
New Zealand	6/5	41%
England	12/1	7%
Argentina	33/1	2%

To no surprise, South Africa tops new sports sites and offers available to prevail as the 2023 Rugby World Cup winners.  Heading into the semi-finals this weekend, bookmakers have labelled New Zealand, who have won three times before, as the second-favourites. They are expected to beat Argentina with odds of 1/10. The All Blacks and the Springboks are both highly expected to face each other in the final, with a 77.8% chance of it happening.

England and Argentina are the underdogs among the four remaining teams, with odds of 9/2 and 15/2, respectively, to reach the final. It is possible to bet on an England versus Argentina final with odds of 40/1.

England vs. South Africa Rugby World Cup Semi-Final 

When: Saturday, 21 October at 20:00 BST

England secured a place in the semi-finals of the 2023 Rugby World Cup after an exhilarating 30-24 victory over Fiji on Saturday.

The Lions: Path to the Semis

The Lions, led by Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant, managed to hold off an intense comeback from the Flying Fijians in their quarter-final battle. Fiji swiftly narrowed a 14-point deficit within four minutes in the second half, thanks to tries by Peni Ravai and Vilimoni Botitu, which levelled the score at 24-24.

Displaying his worth as England’s No. 10, Owen Farrell justified his selection by scoring a drop-goal with eight minutes remaining, giving his team a 27-24 advantage.

Next up, a long-standing foe and England’s toughest test to date during this year’s World Cup, South Africa.

In the realm of Test matches, South Africa and England have encountered each other on 45 occasions. The Boks have exhibited dominance in the series, leading with a 27-16 advantage, while two games ended in a draw. During their most recent encounter at Twickenham last year, the Springboks triumphed over the Lions with a score of 27-13.

South Africa: Repeating History

The Red Rose has surpassed gloomy forecasts of their prospects in France and has now reached the semi-final stage as the sole undefeated team remaining in the tournament, albeit with the advantage of a less challenging draw compared to some of their more favoured competitors.

Like New Zealand the previous night, South Africa emerged victorious from the more difficult side of the tournament by eliminating the home team, France, on Sunday evening.

The Springboks shattered the hopes of the English team four years ago in Japan and have developed a tendency to extinguish their World Cup aspirations, something they’ll be looking to emulate this weekend.

The Expected Outcome

England still has a long way to go, but they have a winning formula for knockout rugby. With Owen Farrell as their primary flyhalf and George Ford as backup, England boasts two strong goalkickers and a solid kicking game. However, if they want to compete for a spot in the final, they must improve their set piece to match South Africa’s level.

Despite doubts that any game could surpass the Ireland vs New Zealand matchup, the France vs South Africa clash proved to be just as intense. Both teams gave it their all, but ultimately, South Africa emerged victorious.

The quality of the upcoming games will likely be lower, which has historically been a challenge for South Africa. To secure victory, they’ll need a strong start to keep England’s ambitions in check and then pull away in the second half.

On Sunday, the Springboks triumphed over France in an extremely tense setting. Meanwhile, England faced a significant challenge of their own. However, South Africa holds the advantage of both experience and skill.

Steve Borthwick must devise an exceptional strategy to secure a victory in this match.

Prediction: South Africa wins by ten points.