With Will Jordan scoring a hat-trick, New Zealand beat Argentina 44-6 on Friday and will face the winner of the second semi-final between England and defending champions South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final.
The result, played in a rain-soaked Stade de France, saw the All Blacks become the first team to reach a World Cup final on five occasions.
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The three-time champions, who are coming off a thrilling quarter-final win over Ireland last week, were outscored by Los Pumas 7-0, mixing strong early defence with flashy attack.
As the game began, history was on New Zealand’s side. The All Blacks had won 33 of the previous 36 games between the two teams, while Los Pumas had won two and drawn one.
Argentina’s opening goal came through Emiliano Boffelli, who converted a penalty after just five minutes, but it didn’t take long for New Zealand’s dominance to become apparent.
The All Blacks missed their first chance at goal, instead going for the corner and attempting an attacking lineout, and after a couple of pick-and-drives Richie Mo’unga’s long cut-out pass found Jordan, who crossed for the fly-half to slot home easily.
As the forward linked perfectly with the back, Jordan transformed into a provider, drawing the last defender in and allowing Jody Barrett to line up in the corner for New Zealand’s second try.
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Despite holding on to a few All Blacks lineouts, Los Pumas looked increasingly tired on the breakdown and were steadily losing ground due to disorganised behaviour in the ruck.
Boffelli won a second penalty after a rare spell of pressure from Argentina, but Juan Martin Gonzalez quickly gave the visitors the lead when he beat Jordan with a high ball, and Mo’unga converted.
Mark Telea showed why All Blacks coach Ian Foster called him up to replace Lester Faingaanuku after he was suspended for one game for breaching team rules, with the winger racing past four defenders towards the goal line.
Aaron Smith collected the ball and fed it to an undisturbed Pritchett on the wing, who completed a superb flanker crossing for the All Blacks’ third try.
Mo’unga’s conversion shot bounced just off the post, but with the score at 20-6 at half-time, the game felt virtually over.
Just two minutes into the second period, Smith attempted a classic opportunistic try from a scrum-half, and Mo’unga doubled the lead to seal the win.
A series of runs from the fly-half sent the All Blacks deep into Argentina territory and despite Tellea being a tough opponent, Pritchett showed incredible strength to score the second try.
A flurry of substitutions disrupted the game’s rhythm, but Telea drew three defenders as New Zealand got going, allowing Finley Christie to score his second five-pointer for Jordan.
Scott Barrett was booked for playing the ball unnecessarily in the ruck, but Jordan finished his chip-and-chase to score his third try and eighth of the World Cup, levelling with Jonah Lomu, Julian Savea and Bryan Habana.
But Argentina held on, and at least avoided the ignominy of the biggest defeat in a World Cup semi-final since the All Blacks beat Wales 49-6 in 1987.
