For Greece in 2004 read Argentina this month? The Pumas are one victory away from a potential meeting with France in the final, the team they defeated in the opening match of the tournament last month at the Stade de France.
Euro 2004 was hosted by Portugal. They opened the event by taking on Greece and losing. The two sides met again in the final with the Greeks again defying expectation and winning.
There are similarities in style between Greece then and Argentina now. The Greeks were not prolific goalscorers, netting seven times in their seven matches. The Pumas scored one try against France and one against Scotland in the quarter-final. They even struggled to break down Georgia's defence.
But just as Greece did not concede many goals - none in the knock-out stage when they beat France, the Czech Republic and Portugal all 1-0 - so Argentina do not give up tries easily - none in their first three matches.
At the opening ceremony in Euro 2004, Portugal was represented by a ship symbolising the voyages of Portuguese sailors centuries before. By the end of the tournament, Greek supporters had dubbed their side the Pirate Ship. Are the Pumas turning into pirates?
Argentina have captured hearts and minds here, the first non-foundation union to make the World Cup semi-finals and the only surviving team that does not play in a major tournament. Their domestic game remains staunchly amateur and leading players move to Europe to earn a living, something which has been the making of the Pumas.
Yet as Argentina are being applauded, the All Blacks are being derided for failing even to make the last four. The No1 ranked team in the world for the last three years has once again failed to handle the knock-out stage of a World Cup. Few tears are being shed for them outside New Zealand, never mind that they can play rugby at a higher level than anyone else or that throughout the years they have always been innovative, setting trends rather than following them.
Argentina, for all the romance they have brought to the World Cup, are not easy on the eye. Their quarter-final against Scotland was brutally boring for the most part. If their semi-final opponents on Sunday, South Africa, were nursing bruised ribs after tackling the free-running Fijians in the quarter-final, they will need neck salve next week because the Pumas will kick high and often when Juan Martín Hernández is not trying to drop goals.
Schadenfreude has been all around here following New Zealand's exit. The All Blacks have been decried as arrogant, denounced for commercialising their haka, ridiculed for trying to contest for possession at the breakdown and lampooned for failing to beat the French. The fact that for the last four years their supporters have been enjoying Michelin star fare while England's fans have been fed swill has not got a mention, and it is hard to work out why it is a matter for celebration that the loss of a side capable of playing purer rugby than anyone else is good for the tournament and even better for the sport.
Take the breakdown and the acclaim given in Europe to the zero-tolerance policy shown by the referee Wayne Barnes to New Zealand there, the key plank of their attacking game. By penalising the flanker Richie McCaw twice early on, Barnes laid down a marker.
There are two things to consider: the Rugby Football Union, Barnes's governing body, wants to speed up matches in the Premiership by making the breakdown a greater contest for possession. In other words, it does not, quite rightly, want to see the sort of stand Barnes took in that area on Saturday. The RFU is urging that the second and third defenders at the tackle area be given more latitude in trying to force a turnover to give attackers the chance to run at disorganised defences. England forced turnovers against Australia but had little idea how to use such prime possession and aimlessly kicked it away.
Second, McCaw has long been branded a cheat by critics in Europe, England especially. Yet there has not been one word about the antics of the Argentina prop Rodrigo Roncero, despite his tendency to go to ground at most breakdowns. Unlike McCaw, Roncero is rarely the first to arrive after a tackle, but he has not half slowed opposition ball down this tournament and should have seen yellow in every match he has played. Were he a New Zealander, Roncero would be a villain.
What was good about Saturday was not that New Zealand lost but that the quarter-finals were unpredictable. The first three matches made riveting viewing while the fourth provided a tense finish. With 15 minutes to go in all four matches, it was not clear who would win.
New Zealand always sack coaches after World Cup failures, a policy which has failed to work. They should take time to take stock. The Super 14 should be re-evaluated and given a strong knock-out element. Ugly is beautiful in World Cups, but do not forget the years in between.
