Scots, Pumas set for battle as All Blacks relax

Scotland and Argentina were to battle it out at the World Cup on Sunday for Pool A's second qualifying spot and a likely matchup with tournament favourites New Zealand who were enjoying a day off after demolishing France. The 37-17 drubbing of the Six Nations giants was further proof that the All Blacks are the team to beat - steady in defence and lethal when given half a chance to run the ball. With a quarter-final spot in the bag, assistant coach Steve Hansen was in confident mood and full of praise for his pack."We scored four tries off set plays, three off a lineout, one off our own kickoff and of course our scrum was very good," he said. "When your set piece is operating really well it gives you a platform to be able to play the game and the backs did particularly well off the back of that platform." French coach Marc Lievremont was less upbeat about the performance of his own side telling one reporter who asked him if thought France could win the World Cup: "Go to hell with your question. The goal was and still is to qualify (for the quarter-finals.) The Scotland v Argentina clash in Wellington was the last of three games on the schedule for Sunday.Four years ago in Paris, the same two sides met in the quarter-finals at the Stade de France and it was the Pumas who came away with the win 19-13. Puma veterans like Felipe Contepomi and Mario Ledesma have said that Sunday's re-match is the biggest challenge they have faced since that day and they know they must win to stay alive having lost narrowly to England in their opener. Scotland are looking to maintain a perfect record of reaching every quarter-finals since the inaugural tournament in 1987. If they lose, they would have a second chance with the closing game against England next Saturday, but realistically, coach Andy Robinson and his players know they must defeat the Pumas."Tomorrow is a massive game, the biggest game of my career so far," winger Sean Lamont said on Saturday. "The few games we've had, the times we've played each other, we've always had tough games. For the Scotland boys it's the be all and end all tomorrow. "I'll take a 3-nil win if that's what it takes. I will be happy with that all the way through (the tournament." In the first game up in Auckland's Eden Park on Sunday where the rain poured down all morning, heavyweights Samoa won the battle of the Pacific juggernauts with a 27-7 victory over Fiji which kept alive their bid for the quarter-finals. Fly-half Tusi Pisi kicked Samoa to a 12-0 half-time lead before the game opened up in an entertaining second period where the Sea Eagles out-scored Fiji two tries to one to write another chapter in their glorious World Cup history. The result gives Samoa, who famously reached the quarter-finals on their debut in 1991 and again in 1995, the chance of reaching the last eight when they face defending champions South Africa in Auckland on Friday. In the day's second match, Ireland are looking to maintain their grip on Pool C by taking the maximum points over cup debutants Russia in Rotorua. There was a another dark cloud over the tournament with the news that All Black legend Johan Lomu had been taken to hospital after a health scare. The New Zealand Herald reported that the 36-year-old giant winger was in a stable condition in Auckland Hospital's kidney ward although no further details were released. Lomu was diagnosed with the kidney disorder nephrotic syndrome in 1995 and in 2004 he received a kidney transplant with the donor being New Zealand radio announcer Grant Kereama.Lomu's wife Nadene was quoted as saying: "All I can say is my husband is stable and until we know exactly what's wrong, we are not prepared to comment."