Rugby World Cup Roundup: Argentina and New Zealand advance to semifinals

ARGENTINA 29, WALES 17

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Argentina came from behind twice to beat Wales 29-17 and reach its third Rugby World Cup semifinal on Saturday.

The underdog Pumas were 10-0 down in the first half then 17-12 behind going into the last quarter.

They regained the lead thanks to a freshened pack that overpowered Wales for replacement prop Joel Sclavi to barge over for their first try in the 68th minute. Emiliano Boffelli's extras made it 19-17.

Matias Moroni then pulled off a try-saving tackle on Louis Rees-Zammit with six minutes to go, and three minutes later new flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez intercepted Wales' Sam Costelow and scooted 50 meters to secure victory for the Pumas.

Their first semifinal since 2015 next Friday in Paris will be against Ireland or New Zealand, which met later Saturday.

Only five weeks ago, the Pumas started the World Cup by losing to 14-man England in the same Stade Velodrome. They crawled out of Pool D with three straight must-wins and, on Saturday, won a quarterfinal after trailing at halftime for the first time.

Wales held out a strong Pumas start and scored the opening try in the first 20 minutes for a fifth straight test.

From scrum ball on halfway after a Boffelli knock on, Gareth Davies looped Dan Biggar and put center George North in space. After the ruck, North's half break had Davies in support and Biggar finished between the posts. He added the extras.

That was the last of referee Jaco Peyper, who hurt his left Achilles and was replaced by Karl Dickson.

Dickson penalized Pumas prop Thomas Gallo to give Biggar and Wales three more points for 10-0 after 21 minutes.

Biggar hooked his next penalty and the Pumas were given more hope by Wales losing three consecutive lineouts, two of them overthrows.

The Pumas turned them into pressure and Wales succumbed. A couple of silky breaks by flyhalf Santiago Carreras and a silly off-the-ball shoulder tackle by Wales' Josh Adams that started a melee gave Boffelli two easy penalties to slot.

The Pumas trailed only 10-6 at the interval, during which Wales hooker Ryan Elias was hooked.

Argentina's surge ahead 12-10 came from Boffelli's third and fourth penalties, the last of which was a stunner from 55 meters out. They led for the first time in the 49th minute.

Wales retook the lead in the 57th out of nothing when replacement scrumhalf Tomos Williams dummied off an unguarded ruck and flew away. Biggar’s extras made it 17-12.

Argentina's physicality forced Wales to replace backs Liam Williams and Nick Tompkins and they held out two lineout mauls but not a third from which new prop Sclavi scored. Boffelli's conversion put them in front 19-17 with 11 minutes to go.

A Rio Dyer break with Tomos Williams in support gave Rees-Zammit a chance to dive into the left corner and win the match for Wales in the 77th, but Moroni came from nowhere to tackle him into touch.

Sanchez's interception try finished off a thrilling quarterfinal.

NEW ZEALAND 28, IRELAND 24

PARIS (AP) — New Zealand withstood three comebacks from top-ranked Ireland and two yellow cards to win a gripping Rugby World Cup quarterfinal 28-24 on Saturday and stay on course for a record fourth title.

The All Blacks come back to Stade de France to meet Argentina next Friday, after the Pumas rallied to beat Wales 29-17 in Marseille earlier.

Ireland goes home after falling short again with an eighth Rugby World Cup quarterfinal defeat. The Irish trailed 13-0 and 18-10 in the first half, and by 25-17 in the second half before a penalty try made it a one-point contest with a little more than 15 minutes left. Hooker Codie Taylor was sin-binned for collapsing the maul, leaving New Zealand a man down for the second time.

The tension rose again when Jordie Barrett missed a penalty, but he slotted his next penalty kick to give New Zealand a slender four-point cushion with 10 minutes left.

New Zealand resisted a huge maul on the tryline with a few minutes left and then incredibly withstood 37 Irish phases on the last all-for-nothing Irish attack for a monumental victory.

New Zealand's first-half tries came from left winger Leicester Fainga’anuku and No. 8 Ardie Savea; Ireland's from center Bundee Aki and scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park, both New Zealand-born.

Right winger Will Jordan's brilliant try early in the second half, expertly set up and then converted by flyhalf Richie Mo’unga, gave the All Blacks a 25-17 lead.

The first half was cagey.

Fainga’anuku's early try helped the All Blacks to 13-0 and gave him his fifth try of the tournament. But a penalty from standout flyhalf Jonathan Sexton and Aki's well-taken converted try dragged the Irish back to 13-10.

Aki took a high catch from James Lowe and ghosted inside center Rieko Ioane and Shannon Frizell, slipped two weak cover tackles, and crashed over.

Back came New Zealand, with Will Jordan and Rieko Ioane combining to send Ardie Savea flying into the right corner. Savea stood up, crossed his arms, thumped his chest after finishing like a winger.

Then more drama, as referee Wayne Barnes sin-binned scrumhalf Aaron Smith in the 37th minute for a a deliberate knock on as a line-break ball was reaching Gibson-Park. 

Ireland took an attacking lineout, the maul worked to perfection, and Gibson-Park dummied inside Jordan to squirm over the line for a converted try.

One point in it at halftime, and an extra man for Ireland for the first few minutes of the second half.

Smith came back on just after hooker Dan Sheehan failed to catch Mack Hansen's high kick into the right corner.

New Zealand then scored the try of the night.

Lock Brodie Retallick won a lineout on the halfway line and the ball was fed to Mo’unga, who carved a hole through Ireland's midfield before offloading for Jordan to sprint into the right corner for his fifth try of the tournament.

Sexton missed a penalty on the hour mark, the Irish kept probing on both flanks.

They got another break when Barnes awarded a penalty try, but New Zealand did not concede when a man down and held on for a titanic victory.

Ireland's winning test run ended at 17, one short of the tier one record held by England and New Zealand, and one short of a desperately sought first semifinal.