Rugby World Cup 2015 Semifinal Australia vs Argentina: Preview, TV schedule, match time and latest odds

Australia will face Argentina in the semifinal round of the 2015 Rugby World Cup at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday afternoon (Sunday morning in Australia), with the winner securing a slot in the final round of the quadrennial rugby tournament.

The Wallabies have retrieved the services of David Pocock and Israel Folau in their RWC semifinal fixture against the Pumas, who are looking to extend their winning streak in the tournament. Pocock and Folau, who were absent in Australia’s crucial 35-34 win over Scotland in the quarterfinal round, have been declared fit to take back their spots in the team’s starting lineup, along with prop James Slipper, who will replace injured Scott Sio.

It will be the most experienced Wallabies starting lineup in a Rugby World Cup match with a combined 876 caps. Coach Michael Cheika said he has complete trust in his side to display a better performance than what they did against Scotland last week.

Wallabies Coach Michael Cheika said he had complete confidence in Slipper and the entire squad to improve against Argentina following their 35-34 win over Scotland. Cheika also added that the match against the Pumas will be a great opportunity for the Wallabies to make Australia proud. "I still feel we need to improve massively," Cheika said, reports BBC .

Meanwhile, Argentina believes the experience of playing regular games against South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship since 2012 will serve them well when they face the world No. 2 Wallabies. The Pumas have failed to score a try in five of their previous six Test matches at Twickenham, according to the BBC. However, Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade is confident could score points against the Wallabies’ strong defence.

“My team has the skill to cause damage to any team,” Hourcade said, reports World Rugby . “If we are in good form, we can score points against any team."

The Pumas have only beaten the Wallabies once in their 11 encounters this century with a 21-17 win in 2014 in Mendoza.

Team lineup

Argentina: Joaquin Tuculet, Santiago Cordero, Marcelo Bosch, Juan Martin Hernandez, Juan Imhoff, Nicolas Sanchez, Martin Landajo; Marcos Ayerza, Agustin Creevy (captain), Ramiro Herrera, Guido Petti, Tomas Lavanini, Pablo Matera, Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Leonardo Senatore. Replacements: Julian Montoya, Lucas Noguera, Juan Figallo, Matias Alemanno, Facundo Isa, Tomas Cubelli, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino.

Australia: Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell, Bernard Foley, Will Genia; James Slipper, Stephen Moore (captain), Sekope Kepu, Kane Douglas, Rob Simmons, Scott Fardy, Michael Hooper, David Pocock. Replacements: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Toby Smith, Greg Holmes, Dean Mumm, Ben McCalman, Nick Phipps, Matt Toomua, Kurtley Beale.

TV schedule

The Rugby World Cup 2015 Argentina vs Australia semifinal match will be broadcast live on Fox Sports 2 and Fox Sports 2 HD on Foxtel, and Channel Nine’s GEM.

Match date and time

The match kicks off on Monday, Oct. 26 at 3:00 a.m. AEDT.

Latest odds (courtesy of Sky Bet )

Australia win: 4/9

Argentina win: 2/1

Draw: 28/1

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