New Zealand's path to the final

By Justin Palmer LONDON (Reuters) - New Zealands's path to the World Cup final. New Zealand 26 Argentina 16 - Pool C The All Blacks had to dig deep to come from behind to win in a rusty opening performance at Wembley against a side they have never lost to. They trailed 16-12 until the 56th minute but their second-half dominance eventually paid off when scrumhalf Aaron Smith and replacement forward Sam Cane scored tries following a first-half score by Pumas lock Guido Petti. New Zealand captain Richie McCaw and centre Conrad Smith were both yellow-carded in the first half as the holders made uncharacteristic errors in the face of some fearsome Argentine tackling. The introduction of replacements after the break, with Sonny Bill Williams impressing, helped spark the All Blacks into life. = = = = New Zealand 58 Namibia 14 -- Pool C New Zealand ran in nine tries, including two each for wingers Nehe Milner-Skudder and Julian Savea, but the rugged Africans made the world champions work harder than expected. Moments of brilliance from a second-string All Blacks side were mixed with sloppiness against the tournament's lowest ranked team, who also managed to find their way through for a try. = = = = New Zealand 43 Georgia 10 -- Pool C The All Blacks looked set to run up a cricket score of points after notching four tries in the first quarter but this was a patchy display from Steve Hansen's men who made a string of handling errors. Winger Waisake Naholo took 73 seconds to grab the opening try on his return 10 weeks after breaking his leg, Savea grabbed a hat-trick and hooker Dane Coles, number eight Kieran Read and Malakai Fekitoa also crossed. = = = = New Zealand 47 Tonga 9 -- Pool C New Zealand struggled to get control for long periods but eventually took command and centre Ma'a Nonu rounded off a slick second-half display from the All Blacks in Newcastle by scoring the final try in his 100th test. The other tries came from Ben Smith, Tony Woodcock, Williams and Sam Cane, although victory came at a cost with prop Woodcock sustaining a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the tournament. = = = = New Zealand 62 France 13 -- quarter-final Savea lived up to his nickname of "The Bus" by scoring his second hat-trick of the tournament as the All Blacks routed France in a repeat of the 2011 final, running in nine tries for the biggest win in the knockout stages at a World Cup. The hulking winger was unstoppable, rekindling memories of former All Black Jonah Lomu when he bumped off three tacklers in succession on the way to the tryline for a classic score. Flyhalf Dan Carter looked back close to his best and contributed 17 points with the boot as the All Blacks produced their most ruthless performance of the tournament and one that Hansen described as "pretty special". There was a brace of tries for Tawera Kerr-Barlow with further scores from Milner-Skudder, Brodie Retallick, Jerome Kaino and Read. = = = = South Africa 18 New Zealand 20 -- semi-final New Zealand ground their way into the final for a the fourth time when they proved too strong, too dangerous and ultimately too streetwise for South Africa in a physically brutal contest. Tries by Kaino and Beauden Barrett early in each half were a fair representation of the All Blacks’ superior commitment to attack and their defensive strength and forward power won the day against their greatest rivals. Five penalties from flyhalf Handre Pollard and another from his replacement, Patrick Lambie, kept the Springboks in the game but New Zealand used all their experience to close the game out and though there were only two points in it, they finished relatively comfortable winners. (Editing by: Mitch Phillips)