Content in the knowledge that his squad has almost certainly come through their semi-final unscathed Steve Hansen’s hopes for today’s second World Cup semi-final at Twickenham today could not have been more basic.
"I don't care who gets through. We are in it,” said the All Black coach.
“Whoever we get will be very, very tough. We would be very foolish to think that whoever turns up next weekend won't have plenty to give to the game. I just want them to bash each other to bits tomorrow."
That they almost certainly will and for most of the 80 minutes because identifying which of the World Cup’s ‘A’ teams can come up with a plan that will come together has become ever harder as this tournament has gone on.
In the space of three tough weekends at this same venue the Wallabies have gone from looking like the tournament’s best team when they ended English hopes, to having to battle to beat Wales in their pool decider before riding their luck against Scotland in the quarter-final.
That their key twin openside combination of Michael Hooper, suspended for the Wales game and David Pockock, injured last weekend, was broken up after that England match was telling, however and they may hold the key to gaining the upper hand on an Argentina team that began the tournament well against the All Blacks then put in an exceptional all-round performance to blast Ireland out of the competition last weekend.
The breakdown is all the more vital because there is no other area where Australia look capable of establishing clear superiority over opponents who remain as good as any in the set-piece, but now boast as creatively incisive a footballing attack as would be expected of the nation that produced Ossie Ardiles, Mario Kempes, Claudio Caniggia and Diego Maradona.
More to the point in a way they perhaps did not when they reached the same stage in 2007, the Pumas believe they are entitled to be there as flanker Leonardo Senatore noted yesterday when saying: “A lot of people are surprised, but for us it isn’t a surprise as we have been working hard for this."
Most still expect the Wallabies to win today, then, but no-one will be astonished if it goes the other way.
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