Argentina hail key win, likely to face All Blacks in fortnight

The Pumas are in a strong position to progress to the quarter-finals, with their heroic 13-12 victory over Scotland in Wellington giving Argentina likely progression to the round of eight.

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That knockout match, likely to be against the All Blacks, is not assured, with the result of England versus Scotland at Eden Park to decide the final makeup of Pool B.

However if the oldest rivalry in international rugby (dating back to 1871) proceeds to recent form, with Scotland only beating England twice in the last decade, then the Pumas will play the tournament hosts at Eden Park on October 9.

With Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino scoring the match winning try, and the Pumas desperately defending Dan Park’s last ditch attempt at a drop goal, the Argentineans remained on track to reach their second straight knockout round in World Cups.

Captain Felipe Contepomi said victory was non-negotiable.

"It was an important game for the team, it was a must-win game," he said.

"Maybe we didn't manage to play the way we wanted to, but it was very important that we managed to turn around six points in the final 10 minutes."

While Argentina came third at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, many had written off the Pumas heading into the tournament, considering their lack of matches and the fact that many of their players from four years ago were not playing.

Contepomi said the against-the-odds win, with Scotland playing well throughout, was a special triumph.

"It's hard to rate it in a ranking but it's definitely a very important moment for this team because it's a different team from the last World Cups. There are 20 or 21 players who have not played in a World Cup before.

"And the way we came to this World Cup with very few people believing in this team, this is a huge boost for us.”

However he said the team was not taking anything for granted.

"We have one more pool game to play against Georgia to try to qualify," said Contepomi.

"We haven't achieved anything yet. We're in the front seat in terms of going to play Georgia and bidding to qualify."

If Argentina meets the All Blacks in the quarter-finals, it will be the 14th clash between the sides, with New Zealand narrowly prevailing in their last clash in 2006, winning 25-19 at Velez Sarsfield.

The Pumas have never beaten the All Blacks, but did record a famous 21-21 draw in Buenos Aires in 1985.