Live Commentary: New Zealand 26-16 Argentina - as it happened

Good afternoon. New Zealand begin the defence of the Webb Ellis Cup in around half an hour with a match against Rugby Championship rivals Argentina. These are the two top-ranked sides in Pool C. Let's start with a reminder of the lineups.

NEW ZEALAND STARTING XV: B Smith, Milner-Skudder, C Smith, Nonu, Savea, Carter, A Smith, Read, McCaw, Kaino, Whitelock, Retallick, Franks, Coles, Woodcock

ARGENTINA STARTING XV: Tuculet, Cordero, Bosch, Hernandez, Imhoff, Sanchez, Cubelli, Senatore, Lobbe, Matera, Lavanni, Petti, Chaparro, Creevy, Ayerza

Steve Hansen knows that this is likely to be the toughest match in the pool stage for the All Blacks, so it's an experienced lineup which includes eight of the players that started the final against France four years ago. Richie McCaw, who is the most-capped player in international rugby, makes his 143rd appearance for the team, while veteran fly-half Dan Carter makes his 89th appearance in the number 10 jersey, which is a new world record.

Argentina have gone for a less experienced side, with seven players making their world cup debuts this afternoon. There are five changes to the side that last a warm-up match against South Africa last month, which came just a couple of weeks after their first ever win over the Springboks.

Ahead of this match, New Zealand coach Steve Hansen told reporters: "We're all itching to get started and with 11 of the 23 players about to take part in their first Rugby World Cup match, there's real excitement, enthusiasm and hunger in the group. We've selected what we believe is a very strong team. We have the utmost respect for Argentina who we know a lot more about now because of their involvement in The Rugby Championship. But it also means they know a lot more about us."

Meanwhile, Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade said at this pre-match press conference: "We know the All Blacks are the best team in the world but we are going to try to win. We all have weaknesses and you have to analyse and detect them. But to break the [All Blacks] we must have perfections, tactics and almost surgical precision."

If you're just joining us for this match, you might have missed Samoa's win over the USA earlier today, and Wales's thrashing of Uruguay. You can find all of our Rugby World Cup coverage here, including plenty of exclusive quotes from players and coaches.

This is the first time that a Rugby World Cup match has been held at the new Wembley Stadium, and the atmosphere is building with over 80,000 founds in the ground:

Phenomenal noise inside #Wembley ahead of this @rugbyworldcup fixture. Huge roar from @AllBlacks fans as their team finishes their warm up!

— Wembley Stadium (@wembleystadium) September 20, 2015

There's a surprise leader in Pool C so far, with Georgia sitting at the top of the table after securing a surprise win over Tonga yesterday.

The players head out of the tunnel ready for kickoff. As always, the anthems of both sides will be played before the action gets underway, while New Zealand will be performing the infamous Haka.

Not for the first time in this tournament, there are tears during the national anthem as a couple of the Argentina players shed a tear while passionately belting out their national anthem.

The New Zealand side certainly look pumped up as they perform their pre-match Haka, which certainly goes down well with the Wembley crowd. Kickoff is just a few moments away now.

KICKOFF! Dan Carter gets the action underway!

It's an unusually short kickoff from the New Zealand fly half, giving the ball to Argentina. Nicolas Sanchez boots it forward for the Pumas, before Juan Martin Hernandez gets the ball down the line. The All Blacks have a lineout, but their deep inside their own territory. If Argentina can steal, they'll be in a dangerous position.

Dane Cole initially gets it for the All Blacks, before Argentina force a lineout of their own. Tomas Lavanini and Austin Creevy both get touches as they try to get inside the New Zealand 22, but Lavanini is penalised for holding on, so New Zealand kick it away.

New Zealand try to pile the pressure on down the other end for the first time, moving the ball around with ease through the middle. There's a penalty for the All Blacks though as Guido Petti fails to roll away after making a tackle.

The reigning champions go for the posts, and it's an easy kick for the experienced Dan Carter. Argnentina try to get the ball back down the other end of the pitch straight away as they try to respond, but Marcelo Bosch doesn't roll away after being brought down, so the All Blacks are straight back down the other end. Carter gets the ball from a lineout and chips it forward for Nehe Milner-Skudder down the line, but he's tackled short.

Milner-Skudder couldn't take it over for the try, but New Zealand have a scrum five metres from the try line. Aaron Smith quickly picks it up at the back before McCaw and Whitelock both pile forward looking for the opening try of the match. New Zealand are so dangerous from these positions.

SIN BIN! Pablo Matera will spend the next 10 minutes in the sin bin for a late tackle on Julian Savea after Conrad Smith and Nonu had quickly got the ball out to the left, looking to set the centre up for a quick dive over in the corner.

After Matera's error, referee Wayne Barnes has a word with the Argentina players warning them about their tackling, before New Zealand elect to go for the posts again. With Argentina down to 14 until the 20th minutes, the All Blacks know that they'll get more chances to score tries, so they take the three points for now.

Argentina know that their vulnerable while Matera remains off the pitch, so they're trying to keep hold of the ball as much as possible to stop New Zealand piling forward again. Joaquin Tuculet makes a brilliant charge out from the back after collecting from a kick after Creevy also picked up some territory, getting the ball to the half-way line.

Hernandez flicks the ball out to the right towards Sanchez, but the Argentina fly-half knocks it on, so it's a scrum for New Zealand inside their own territory. The All Blacks force the penalty to get it back in the Argentina half though, and are piling forward for the first time since their opponents picked up the yellow card. Julian Savea tries to weave through the space attempting to break away down the left.

As has been the case every time New Zealand have threatened the Argentina try line in the early stages of this match, The Pumas concede the penalty to stop their opponents getting the opening try of the match, but it's still an easy kick for Carter.

Well this is a bit of surprise! Argentina are still down to 14 men as they the ball back, trying to keep possession long enough to run down the remaining few moments of Matera's sin bin absence. Guido Petti surges towards the try line, with the maul getting behind him to force it over.

Sanchez adds the extra two to cut New Zealand's lead to two points. There's bad news for the try scorer though, as a desperate defensive effort from Dan Carter resulted in the New Zealand fly-half accidentally kneeing Petti in the head as he grounded the ball, so the Argentine has had to go off for concussion checks.

New Zealand have a lineout, which Dane Coles delivers straight into the hands of Kaino. Fernandez Lobbe tries to steal it back from Woodcock, but he's a bit too enthusiastic, giving away another penalty, which it kicked inside the Argentina 22 for another lineout.

Savea is on the move again before passing to Retallick, but he can't find a way through. Kaino and Conrad Smith keep the move alive, with Milner-Scudder trying to slip down the right before passing inside to Owen Franks, but the New Zealand forward lets it slip through his fingers.

Argentina try to take a quick penalty, chipping it forward to try to catch New Zealand out with a quick attack, but Juan Imhoff makes a rare handling error, dropping it after picking up just a couple of metres.

SIN BIN! Richie McCaw is in the sin bin! The New Zealand captain tripped Imhoff as he tried to charge forward. The referee missed it, but the TMO picked up on it, so the All Blacks are without their skipper for the next 10 minutes.

Argentina have moved ahead for the first time in this match, as the Pumas go for the posts following McCaw's mistake. It's a long attempt for Sanchez, but the fly-half, who actually has a better completion rate than opposite number Dan Carter, splits the uprights again.

While Matera was in the sin bin, Argentina managed to find the try line, and New Zealand are attempting to do the same in McCaw's absence. Ben Smith loses the ball though, allowing Hernandez to offload the ball behind him in the direction of Imhoff. The speedy winger couldn't quite keep hold of it though, giving New Zealand the scrum.

Nonu passes inside to Read, who in turn finds Whitelock as New Zealand look for the gaps in the Argentina line. The Pumas still have one more player on the pitch though, and it's helping them keep the All Blacks at bay for now, holding up Read as he tries to slide over in the left corner.

Argentina manage to get the ball back following a scrum, allowing Tuculet to look for a way down the left as Argentina quickly work the ball across the width of the pitch. Cubelli drops it while looking for Sanchez though, allowing New Zealand to get back to slow the Argentina attack.

SIN BIN! New Zealand will finish the first half with 13 men on the pitch, and it's the number 13 who is off as Conrad Smith handles in the ruck after Imhoff had made a quick charge forward. New Zealand have really lacked discipline in the last 20 minutes.

Sanchez maintains his 100% record so far this evening, kicking through another three points for the Argentine side. Richie McCaw is warming up on the sideline, clearly eager to get back on as soon as his sin bin period is done. Despite having two players off the pitch, New Zealand are finishing the first half on the attack, while Dane Coles and Aaron Smith picking up territory. Carter is going to have another shot at the posts, as Matera, who has also had a spell in the sin bin already, is penalised for not rolling away.

Well it's certainly not been the start New Zealand would have been hoping for. The All Blacks haven't crossed the try line yet, and have had two players in the sin bin, but the ever-reliable Dan Carter has kept them in contention at the interval, kicking four penalties in the opening 40 minutes.

While New Zealand have fallen short in pursuit of their opening try of the tournament, Argentina managed to get one on the board, despite being down to 14 men at the time. The bad news for Guido Petti, who scored the try, is that he won't be coming back after his head struck Dan Carter's knee as he forced his way across the line. His teammates certainly seemed pleased with his try though.

© Getty Images

Julian Savea and Nehe Milner-Skudder have both looked particularly threatening for New Zealand when the All Blacks have been in a try-scoring position, but both have found themselves tackled short. Ma'a Nonu and Kieran Read have been kept relatively quiet though. Particularly while still a player short at the start of the second half, the All Blacks need to make sure everyone is involved.

The first international rugby match to take place at Wembley Stadium...what a vision to begin with #RWC2015 #NZLvARG http://t.co/4Cd0sWRoR2 — Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 20, 2015

The players are starting to head back out for the second half. We've already seen one of the biggest upsets in Rugby World Cup history with Japan beating South Africa yesterday, can Argentina cause another shock? We'll find out in the next 40 minutes.

RESTART! Argentina get the second half underway. New Zealand are back up to 14, with McCaw returning. Conrad Smith has seven minutes left in the sin bin.

Sanchez powers forward before passing to Tuculet as Argentina start on the front foot, looking to exploit their man advantage before the All Blacks get back to full strength. They'll get an early chance to add to the scoreboard, as Aaron Smith gives away a penalty for an offside.

Sanchez maintain his 100% kicking record, but Argentina are already on the attack again as Imhoff chases a long ball forward following the restart, but Milner-Skudder just beats him to the ball and clears the danger. Argentina clearly realise they have a chance to beat New Zealand for the first time in their history, and they're desperate to make the most of their chances.

New Zealand are looking really stretched as Nonu slips, giving the ball back to Argentina, but the ball gets kicked into touch, so the All Blacks have a lineout. Meanwhile, the champions are making a string of early changes, with among those Sonny Bill Williams coming on. He can be a real game changer, so it will be interesting to see what impact he can have in the remaining 35 minutes.

Sonny Bill Williams almost makes an immediate impact as Aaron Smith tosses the ball out right to the replacement, and he surges towards the try line before looking for Milner-Skudder with a one-handed offload outside, but the winger can't quite hold on to it. What a start from Williams, he eased through the Argentina defence. Conrad Smith is back from the sin bin too, so both sides are now back to 15 men, which has been a pretty rare sight so far in this match.

Argentina have a scrum five metres from their own try line, and the Pumas have by far the more power, led by Marcos Ayerza to force a penalty. After Williams came so close to finding the opening try for New Zealand, it's a big relief for Argentina to get the ball out of their territory.

It's a record breaking crowd at Wembley this afternoon with 89,019 fans attending the game, almost 7,000 more than were at the 2003 final between England and Australia. They're making themselves heard too as New Zealand take their lineout.

Sonny Bill Williams has certainly brought something extra to this New Zealand side since coming off the replacements bench, as he follows a kick forward from Kaino before passing inside to McCaw. Beauden Barrett has come off the bench too, as he gets his first carry, looking to muscle his way down the left, but there's a knock on.

New Zealand are still knocking on the door as they continue to look for their first try of the day. Conrad Smith, who still look pretty fresh after a 10 minute spell in the sin bin, offloads the ball to Retallick who batters his way past a couple of Argentine players before eventually being brought down.

Barrett makes a run down the right looking to find the corner. Sanchez goes in for the tackle, but Barrett pushes him away before eventually being taken down. Aaron Smith and McCaw are standing over the ball to keep the move alive, before Nicolas Sanchez appears to intecept the ball for Argentina, and he's dragged down by a high challenge from Coles. He's lucky not to get a yellow card, but there was a penalty on the other side too, so he lets the forward off with a warning.

Finally, New Zealand have a try, and it's a weaving run from Aaron Smith that puts the All Black ahead, as he dodges a tackle from Imhoff before diving over to the right of the posts.

Carter adds the extra two points to give New Zealand a three-point lead. The All Blacks have looked absolutely untouchable for the last 10 minutes, but they know that they'll need a bigger lead to see off the challenge of the Pumas.

Argentina try to respond straight away as Sanchez chips the ball forward, with Imhoff giving chase. The wing has blistering pace, but Barrett gets under it and takes it into touch for the All Blacks. That will be a warning to New Zealand that they are still in a match.

New Zealand have the ball back again, with Williams continuing to look one of their most dangerous players. He eventually gets the ball to Carter, who in turn passes to Read, but Landajo manages to slow him down. New Zealand are still on the ball though.

Richie McCaw is in tons on space on the left, so Carter tosses the ball out wide towards the captain, who he can't get his fingertips to it. Had he made the catch, that would have been an easy try for the skipper.

Sonny Bill Williams continues to punish the Argentina defence as he picks up the ball in midfield before sidestepping the Argentine line and offloading to Aaron Smith. The scrum-half has space ahead of him, but tries to get the ball inside the Sam Cane, but Montoya breaks up the pass.

Argentina have lost their shape and are starting to look weary, and that leaves Sam Cane to benefit from a string of passes across the width of the field, taking the ball from Aaron Smith before diving over in the left corner.

Beauden Barrett thinks he's away for another try for the defending champions as he takes the ball away from Montoya before running it all the in, but the ball was knocked forward, so his celebrations are quickly halted.

Argentina may very well be conceding defeat as captain Agustin Creevy and full-back Joaquin Tuculet are among a number of Pumas players to be replaced for the final 10 minutes. New Zealand have a scrum, and the ball comes out to Carter. He chips it forward to Conrad Smith, but Cordero leaps up high to make sure he gets to it first, preventing the All Blacks from scoring a third try.

Whitelock casually tosses the ball over his shoulder to Carter, before Ben Smith and Conrad Smith look to take it down the right. New Zealand get men behind the ball looking to use the maul to get it over the line, but Argentina soak it up and eventually are able to kick the ball away.

Argentina get a lineout, but they're struggling with their passing as Montoya bats the ball down before Hernandez struggles to keep hold of it, giving New Zealand a scrum inside the Argentina 22.

Ben Smith gets in space on the right, but Lucas Gonzalez Amorosin makes an excellent last-gasp tackle to stop the full-back getting across the line.

Sonny Bill Williams probably deserves a try more than anyone on the New Zealand team for the impact he's had since coming off the bench in the second half. He selflessly hands the ball off to Conrad Smith though, and he can't keep hold of it, giving away a scrum.

Montoya takes another lineout for the Argentines as they look for a late consolation. Landajo moves it out wide as the Pumas try to stretch New Zealand, but the All Blacks are prepared for it.

It looked like their could have been another upset on the cards at one point, but New Zealand recover with second-half tries from Aaron Smith and Sam Cane to begin the defence at the Webb Ellis Cup with a win over Argentina at Wembley.

© Getty Images

The result moves New Zealand to the top of their table on points difference, but with just two tries on the board, they miss out on the bonus point. The All Blacks have just four days to rest before they're in action again, taking on Namibia at the Olympic Stadium on Thursday. Argentina have one day more to prepare, as they face Georgia in Gloucester on Friday.

Well, that's all from this match, but don't forget to check out our Rugby World Cup page to catch up with all the action from the opening weekend of the competition. Thanks for joining me this evening. Goodbye.