Australia and the All Blacks will meet in the semi-finals of the World Rugby Classic after both won their opening games of the tournament at the National Sports Centre last night.

A Charles Hore try, which he also converted, was enough to give the defending champions a narrow 7-5 win over France, while Australia slugged it out with Argentina, eventually battling their way to a 12-7 win.

The Wallabies were unrecognisable from the side that played in two fairly awful matches last year, and made a flying start to their game against the Pumas. It took them just four minutes to go in front, when David Croft finished a breakaway move that came after opening exchanges that Australia dominated utterly.

With Christian Warner and Chris O'Young directing things in the backs, a second try seemed almost inevitable, and O'Young was at the heart of it, making a half break through a disjointed Pumas defence and sending Tim Kelaher in for the score. At 12-0 up, Australia were flying, and only a flying Mario Gerosa tackle at the line stopped them from going further ahead.

As you might expect from a game involving the Pumas there were plenty of niggly incidents in a first half that got increasingly fractious to the point that both sides began conceding more penalties that actually playing rugby.

Knocked out of their stride by Australia's speedy beginning, Argentina hit back after the break and dragged themselves level when, following several Australian infringements at the breakdown, Alejandro Galli bashed his way over from close in following a quick tap-penalty.

Frederico Todeschini added the extras, and all of a sudden it was Argentina who looked the more likely to score. As it was neither side added to their tally, with the final 20 minutes of the game beset by penalties, handling errors, and some huge hits which led to things getting heated on more than one occasion.

Still, Argentina might have snatched it at the death, but having forced Australia to collapse a maul within five metres of their own try line, the Pumas then wasted their final chance when they knocked on.

"We were quick out of the gates, and I think the pace of the game didn't allow them to get any rhythm going," said Damian Smith, the Australia coach. "And then we were on the front foot, but then it was a bit of a role reversal (after the break).

"We ran out of puff in the second half, and it was a bit like a boxing match really. We should some really nice skills, but I think we forgot to do the hard yards before we went wide, we didn't take any ball off the back, and suck guys in.

"But, all in all, considering we only got in last night (Sunday), and the boys' efforts in New York, it was a pretty good result. We haven't had a session, we had a bit of a touch game today, and (did) some basics. I thought it was a lot better game to watch than our first one last year."

In that game they drew 0-0 with the French in normal time, and for a while it looked like Les Bleus might be involved in something similar again.

Displaying very un-Frenchlike qualities, such as a complete lack of imagination in the backs, or fairly ordinary handling skills, they and the All Blacks conspired to take 33 minutes before any points were put on the board.

After a scoreless first half, during which the All Blacks mainly attacked and the French battered them backwards, the Kiwis finally broke the deadlock when Hore went over from close range.

The French briefly roused themselves to run the ball the length of the field and put Phillipe Gordo over in the corner, but they missed the conversion and the rest of the half was a succession of penalties, knock-ons, and the occasional half chance for both sides that was invariably wasted when a pass went to ground, or forward.