ARG eve of match: assistant coach Contepomi, Cinti, Kodela

Felipe Contepomi, coach

On how different it is to play the All Blacks in a Rugby World Cup knock-out game compared to a Rugby Championship game:

"Obviously the competition makes it special, it's a World Cup. We play them twice a year every year in the Rugby Championship. For me, that is very important because it gives us the chance to compete against the best every year and that helps us a lot to develop so that when we come to games like tomorrow's we are better prepared, we know what's coming.

"It's special occasion, not just because it's the All Blacks - it would be the same if it were Ireland. We will embrace the occasion, give it our best and that is what we are looking for."

On how much he draws on Argentina's win over New Zealand in Christchurch in 2022:

"I don't know what has been brought up in the New Zealand camp. That is the past. Once you beat them once perhaps you humanise them more. But the game starts 0-0.

"Everyone says they will go though to the final but we are here to play our best rugby. We have a plan. It doesn't count beating them in Christchurch."

On how ready the team is for the semi-final:

"We are well, obviously, with a short week of preparation, but they also had a short week. For us, it was a good preparation in terms of what was planned, it was how we wanted to prepare. But it is beyond this week, it is everything we have been doing for a year and a half, and the preparation for this World Cup.”

About the value of this match:

“I don't like comparisons with 2007. The value is the opportunity; playing in a world semi-final doesn't happen every day. We have worked conscientiously. If we can give our best version, that is what we are looking for. For Argentine rugby it means a lot; But being a semi-finalist does not give you the right to be among the best four all the time.”

“It is something that all Argentine rugby should feel proud of, having reached here.”

On the team's strengths:

“The state of the team was always the same, perhaps the perception from outside changed. We talk about trusting a process, not a result. There is a huge amount of work behind us.”

“We continued to improve content because we were taking on things that made the team better. Everyone behaved in an incredible way, because there was never any question about what we were doing.”

On Gonzalo Bertranou's return to scrum-half:

"We are fortunate to have three scrum-halves competing at the highest level in each training session. The decision is a strategic one, which has nothing to do with Tomás [Cubelli] or Gonza [Bertranou]. It was discussed among all the coaches. For the way they are competing, and having all three of them at their best, we are fortunate.”

On this history of this fixture:

"For me, Los Pumas are the ones playing at the moment. We want to write our history. 1999, 2007, 2015, are chapters within the rich history of Los Pumas, perhaps the most beautiful chapters to read. It is a historic moment, I hope it happens more frequently, that Los Pumas can be among the best four in each Rugby World Cup."

Lucio Cinti, centre

On the support:

"The support of the people in the games is greatly felt. It is a very important aspect for us; it is very helpful to me. The clubs are a fundamental part of Argentine rugby and we feel the energy they send us. It's very good."

On how to live in the moment:

“I try to enjoy it and not go to the game [early] so that I don't get that anxiety that isn't positive. It is a beautiful opportunity that we have tomorrow.”

Francisco Gómez Kodela, prop

On New Zealand:

“They are one of the best packs in the world; their lineout, their scrum and on the ground. They dominate almost every aspect of the game. We are going to have to live up to it.”

On the game: 

“Tomorrow is going to be a very close game. The keys are going to be the set-pieces and our defence. If we are present in these two aspects we will have a good result but we will only know at 11 [o'clock] at night.”