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Argentina – 47 USA - 17
FULLTIME - The Pumas finally turn it on in Japan with a fantastic display, albeit too little, too late. Click here for a full wrap.
Argentina 47 (Juan Cruz Mallia 2, Joaquin Tuculet 2, Gonzalo Bertranou, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Nicolas Sanchez tries Sanchez 5, Benjamin Urdapilleta cons) USA 17 (Blaine Scully 2, Paul Lasike tries AJ MacGinty con)
83 mins - TRY USA - Scully all alone out wide, fields a great long pass and jogs in for his second try.
81 mins - USA one last crack from 5m out.
76 mins - This will be the first time since 2003 that the Pumas haven't advanced past pool play.
71 mins - TRY PUMAS - Mallia steps inside one, finds Bertranou who beats one defender to score. The Pumas backs have been on fire.
66 mins - USA on the counter, Dolan away down the sideline but the inside pass is into touch at the Pumas 22m.
60 mins - TRY USA - Lasike gets reward for his hard work as he bulldozes his way over next to the posts from close range.
56 mins - TRY PUMAS - Lovely work down the left edge from 60m out, Carreras into open spaces, De La Fuente in support to score another.
54 mins - Great defence by the Pumas pack, USA forced into touch.
51 mins - USA with some offensive ball now, rolling the maul 5m out.
49 mins - TRY PUMAS - Quick lineout, De La Fuente runs Mallia into a gaping hole and the centre streaks 30m to score his second try.
48 mins - Pumas peeling off metres as they head into the USA half.
46 mins - De La Funte is en fuego as he bursts up the centre of the park, Tuculet spills a tough offload with the line begging.
44 mins - TRY PUMAS - Put that one down to the Delguy run. Mallia hits a ball from the close-range ruck on a superb line, dives over next to the posts.
43 mins - Pumas turn it over and throw caution to the wind, as Delguy breaks clear from his own in-goal and burns off 60m before kicking ahead. USA clear, Pumas on attack.
41 mins - Scrum USA at the Pumas 22m, early chance here for the Americans.
Second half underway...
40 mins - TRY USA - Blaine Scutty runs through to collect a pinpoint grubber from MacGinty from 15m out and the crowd loves that one. Just what they needed heading into the halftime break. Conversion hits the post.
38 mins - Sanchez in a half gap, smart kick over the top to pin them for a 5m defensive lineout.
35 mins - TRY PUMAS - Tuculet jinks through a gap and through a tackle to grab his second try. Sanchez can't convert this time.
34 mins - Another penalty for the Pumas, really starving the USA of any ball. They opt for the 5m lineout.
31 mins - Pumas lineout on the USA 10m. Some lovely passing interplay as they edge towards the USA 22m.
27 mins - Penalty Pumas, right back on attack with a 22m line-out. Great steal by the USA on the throw and they relieve the pressure.
25 mins - TRY PUMAS - Well-weighted chip over the top from Sanchez and the USA fullback gets a horror bounce, Tuculet is on hand to to collect and dot down.
22 mins - Pumas penalty. Line-out at the USA 22m.
19 mins - TRY PUMAS - Mallia into a huge gap, finds Sanchez in support and the No.10 just manages to out-run the cover support to score out wide.
14 mins - Ball turned and Mallia is in the clear, Carreras looms in support but some hustle defence saves the day for the USA.
16 mins - USA look to work their way back into the Pumas half.
14 mins - Big overlap but the USA can't cash in. Pumas clear the danger.
13 mins - USA regather from the bomb, Lasike powers over halfway. Poor kick easily claimed by the Pumas. They look to run it out but USA turn it over and they're just a metre from the line now.
11 mins - Pumas half Ezcurra breaks form the back of the scrum and looks to be in for all money, but fumbles the ball agianst the post as he looks to put it down. Pumas player also pinged for pulling a defender back, penalty USA.
10 mins - Penalty Pumas. They call for the 5m scrum in the shadow of the posts.
9 mins - USA defend the rolling maul but the Pumas remain hot on attack.
7 mins - Argies win a penalty, opt for the 5m lineout.
6 mins - Delguy breaks clear, can't find support and he's brought down 10m from the line.
4 mins - Eagles with ball in hand, letting it fly out wide. Exposing the Pumas on the flanks as they edge to the 22m.
2 mins - Strange ruling from the referee who seems to have missed a clear knock-on by the Pumas. The Argies will feed the scrum instead at the US 10m.
1 min - USA receive the kick-off and clear immediately. Pumas work their way to to halfway...
We're underway...
5:42pm - Both teams lined up for anthems on a sun-soaked pitch in Saitama.
Kia ora and welcome to live updates of Argentina and USA, as they play for pride in their Pool C showdown in Saitama.
Commentary will be available from 5:45pm.
In the meantime, enjoy the latest from The Cup 19 podcast team below.
Referee: Paul Williams
TAB betting odds: Argentina - $1.08 USA - $6.70
Line ups:
Argentina: Joaquin Tuculet; Bautista Delguy, Juan Cruz Mallia, Jeronimo de La Fuente, Santiago Carreras; Nicolas Sanchez, Felipe Ezcurra; Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Julian Montoya, Santiago Medrano, Guido Petti, Matias Alemanno, Pablo Matera (capt), Juan Manuel Leguizamon, Rodrigo Bruni.
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Enrique Pieretto Heiland, 19 Marcos Kremer, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Gonzalo Martin Bertranou, 22 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 23 Matías Moroni.
USA: Mike Te’o; Blaine Scully (capt), Bryce Campbell, Paul Lasike, Marcel Brache; AJ MacGinty, Ruben de Haas; Eric Fry, Joe Taufete’e, Titi Lamositele, Nate Brakeley, Greg Peterson, Tony Lamborn, Hanco Germishuys, Cam Dolan.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Fawsitt, 17 Olive Kilifi, 18 Paul Mullen, 19 Ben Landry, 20 Ben Pinkelman, 21 Nate Augspurger, 22 Will Hooley, 23 Martin Iosefo.
Pre-match banter:
Five must-watch RWC games in week four
By Grant Chapman
Everything that has gone before has led to this… which is the final stepping stone towards Rugby World Cup playoffs.
Only two teams have booked their passage to the knockout stages and even they still don't know where they will land in the quarter-final bracket, so Week Four offers some tempting morsels for the rugby fan who still hasn't had enough.
Wales v Fiji
Wednesday, October 9
TAB: Wales $1.13, Fiji $5.35
These two teams share World Cup history - Fiji has only once made the playoff rounds of the tournament and did so by beating Wales in pool play in 2007.
Can history repeat?
Wales have been steady through the opening three weeks, accounting for Australia and seemingly headed for the top of Pool D.
But Fiji have shown glimpses of their other-worldly skill and power, and still have a sniff of a quarter-final spot, if they can topple the recent world No.1 side (and Georgia shock the Wallabies).
That World Cup victory stands as their only success against the Welsh, although they drew their next encounter in Cardiff three years later and have finished within 10 points on five other occasions.
New Zealand v Italy
Saturday, October 12
TAB: NZ $1.001, Italy $36
The Italians have never seriously challenged the All Blacks - the closest they've come in 14 previous encounters is 10 points and the average winning margin is 49 points.
Last time they met, New Zealand prevailed 66-3 in Rome, so realistically, anything but a comfortable win for the two-time defending champions would be totally unexpected.
But the All Blacks have virtually been on rugby vacation since dispatching South Africa in their opening game, taking an 11-day break from competition and then returning to play the two lowest-ranked teams in the draw.
Japan v Scotland
Saturday, October 13
TAB: England $1.18, France $4.45
The English have had the best build-up towards the business end of the tournament, with their opponents gradually getting tougher through pool play.
They and France have both qualified for the next stage - it's just a matter of who tops the group and faces the easier path to the semis.
The double-edged sword of England's progression is that they - and France - now face five straight weeks of tier-one opposition, if they hope to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy.
The French have been typically enigmatic so far, barely surviving their last encounter against Tonga… which means they're due.
History favours the English 58-40, with seven draws.
Namibia v Canada
Sunday, October 14
TAB: Namibia $2.28, Canada $1.58
And while the big guns do battle for places in the quarter-final, those two aforementioned lowest-ranked teams will face off for the wooden spoon.
If your office sweepstake has a prize for the worst team at the World Cup (like ours), this game will likely decide that dubious honour.
Namibia (-141) enter the contest with the worst for/against differential in the tournament, with Canada (-104) the next worst.
The North Americans are ranked one spot higher in the world, have seven World Cup wins to their name, progressing to the 1991 quarter-finals, and have beaten the Africans in both previous meetings.
But frankly, Namibia have looked more enterprising at this tournament in quest of their first-ever win.
Japan v Scotland
Sunday, October 14
TAB: Japan $2.08, Scotland $1.69
We've waited for this clash all tournament, but certainly since the hosts upset Ireland on the second weekend to set up this mouthwatering showdown in the final pool game.
Pool A is up for grabs and victory here would see Japan unbeaten and progressing to their first-ever World Cup quarter-finals appearance.
A whole nation is aching for this result - perhaps the whole rugby world - so you have to feel for the Scots, who have stumbled through the draw as the poor cousins no-one wants to know at the family wedding.
They've won all seven previous encounters, including - notably - the last World Cup, where Japan upset South Africa, but still couldn't progress past pool play.
Will history repeat?
Newshub.
