It's the final hurdle to the Rugby World Cup grand final! The NZ Herald's Chereè Kinnear and Liam Napier unpack selection changes for the All Blacks and what to expect from a semifinals clash against Argentina. Video / NZ Herald / SNTV
With so much discussion surrounding the Rugby World Cup semifinals and rugby experts attempting to predict every eventuality - the one facet that looks to become a talking point is the meteorological conditions in Paris.
According to the experts at the British Broadcasting Corporation, at 9pm in Paris on Friday, October 20, local time, when the first World Cup semifinal kicks off between New Zealand and Argentina it will be 14C with a 15 per cent chance of precipitation.
Earlier in the day, however, and on Thursday local time, there is up to a 75 per cent chance of precipitation, meaning there is a chance of at least some moisture on the Stade de France turf come kick-off with rain very likely.
Weather forecasts can be a fickle science and should the rain arrive later than expected, there is a real possibility Los Pumas and the All Blacks will be playing in the wet - rain is currently falling in Paris and it is expected to continue to do so for the duration of the World Cup.
Argentina may favour wet conditions - New Zealand’s game is based around ball movement and they may be hoping for precipitation and a slippery ball in the hopes of a slug fest in the forwards.
“I am very powerful but I do not yet control the weather. It is a bit above my pay grade,” said Cheika when asked if he wanted it to rain during the semifinal.
NZ Herald’s Liam Napier, reporting for Beyond the Game, spoke from outside the All Blacks’ hotel during a gap in the rain that is already falling in Paris about how much the conditions have changed during his time in France.
“The temperature’s dropped about 15 degrees in a couple of days, it’s meant to rain until the end of the tournament, so that will affect tactics.”
He said the game may tighten up and expected there to be more kicking as a result as teams look to seek territory, should the rain continue to fall.
Napier refers to when the All Blacks faced Argentina in Hamilton last year in horrid conditions, a match New Zealand won 53-3.
“The rain can be a little bit of a leveller at times but I think last year the All Blacks played the Pumas in Hamilton in driving rain and they won by 50-odd points.”
He says from the four quarter-finals, the four sides that emerged victorious kicked more than their opponents, so he theorises teams will take note of that statistic. He also says the All Blacks found success with their short kicking game against Ireland and have plenty of strong kicking options should they need to adjust their game plan to go down a more kick-heavy route.
“And their forward pack is playing really well. They can scrum, they can maul, they can play tight if they have to, so I don’t think the rain will bother them too much.”
